When do we purchase and plant camellias? They show up in the nurseries in November. However, my gardener insists they can be killed by an untimely frost and suggests February. By then, camellias are harder to find. And are azaleas on the same schedule? — George Warner
Now is the perfect time to purchase and plant camellias. Your gardener is mistaken. Camellias are hardy here and are not affected adversely by winter temperatures (although, open flowers can be damaged by hard freezes).
The nice thing about selecting and planting camellias this time of the year is that they are in bloom. So, you can see the actual flowers a cultivar will produce and choose the camellias that produce the shape, size and color of flowers you desire.
You may also plant azaleas now. Our prime planting season for hardy trees and shrubs is November through February/early March. The worst time to plant trees and shrubs here is in the heat of summer.
The cooler months, particularly fall, are the best times to plant hardy trees and shrubs here.
Since the freeze last week, my pentas look bad. They still have some green coming from the roots but barely. As they are about 4 feet off the ground, they are quite an eyesore. Can I prune them now or should I wait until the threat of a freeze is over? — Sandy Duhon
Feel free to trim the pentas now to improve their appearance. You may cut them back down to the point where you see the green shoots growing.
Remember, they are not reliably hardy here and may yet be killed by a worse freeze later this winter. Because they will be short and easy to cover, throw some sheets over the plants anytime temperatures will go below 30 degrees.
If the pentas survive the winter, you may trim them again in the spring to remove any additional cold damage. They will grow out and perform well through next summer.
Is this a good time to treat the lawn for weeds? I see a variety of weeds growing now. If so, what do you recommend? — Frank Jenkins
There is no season for lawn weed control. The time to treat a lawn for weeds is when you see you have a weed problem — whenever that is.
This time of the year, cool-season weeds are growing in our lawns. If there are enough weeds growing in your yard at this point to warrant control, feel free to apply a weed killer now.
Apply lawn weed killers when the weather is mild and predicted highs are in the 60s or 70s. Make sure to choose a product suitable for use on the type of lawn you have.
Atrazine is popular for controlling cool-season weed in St. Augustine and centipede. Atrazine controls a wide variety of cool season weeds, such as dollarweed, clover, oxalis, henbit and chickweed.
Do not use a weed and feed product. Unlike weed control, lawn fertilization is seasonal and is done at particular times. We will not apply fertilizer again to our lawns until late March or early April.
I’ve been seeing a lot of black-and-white moths fluttering around my house this fall. Do you know what they are? — Alisha Thomas
They are likely buck moths, which show up in late November and early December.
The females lay eggs on twigs of live oaks where the caterpillars hatch next spring and feed on the leaves. Buck moth caterpillars are able to deliver painful stings if touched and pose a hazard for people. There is really no practical control that can be done now.
Use binoculars to carefully check live oak trees in March and early April for masses of the black, spiny buck moth caterpillars.
If you see large numbers, have your tree sprayed before they come down the trunk and get all over everything. They can deliver a painful sting to you and your family.
GARDEN TIPS:
Now through early January is the time to plant tulip and hyacinth bulbs stored in your refrigerator for at least six weeks.
Whenever practical, continue to deadhead cool-season annuals such as pansies, snapdragons and dianthus to keep them blooming through the spring.
Only use garden pesticides when the problem has been properly identified and they are absolutely necessary. There is no need to spray an insecticide, for instance, every time you see a bug or minor damage. When a pesticide is recommended, always ask for the least toxic product that will do the job.
Start off the new year with great gardening information. Information on a wide variety of garden topics specifically for Louisiana is available on the LSU Agricultural Center website, lsuagcenter.com. Click on “Lawn &Garden” or “Get It Growing”. Or, using your favorite search engine, type LSU AgCenter and then whatever plant or gardening topic you want information on.
A few gardening resolutions: Pick more garden flowers for indoor vases; show a child the wonders of gardening; read a new gardening book; attend as many educational gardening opportunities as possible; try a new plant; correct landscape problems and mistakes rather than just living with them; subscribe to a gardening magazine; stay on top of weeding this year.
GARDEN QUOTE
“Good pruning is invisible. It looks as if everything grew to the right size and stopped.” — Cass Turnbull, author and founder of Plant Amnesty
Garden columnist Dan Gill answers readers’ questions each week. To send a question, email Gill at gnogardening@agcenter.lsu.edu.
