Search Results

Creating a food forest on ~5 acres + plant/tree resources + planning resources #850400

Asked September 18, 2023, 3:44 PM EDT

Hello! I recently bought not quite 9 acres in Marydel, MD - of which ~6 are prior crop fields with ~3 in woods. My goal is to re-forest the open land and create a type of food forest using only native plants to this area. The other side will be either the same or incorporate some meadow. I can't afford to do it all at one time, so it'll be a multi-year project. Three sides of the property have tax ditches with one side being the largest with reeds (not sure if giant or type) taking over. That also leads to some areas that are more marshy. There are frogs, several grasshoppers, many spiders, dragonflies, variety of skinks, humming birds, eagles, vultures, red and grey squirrels, unknown snakes (so far) and some deer here and there. I'm thrilled to have them so the least impact to what already lives here with a potential positive impact required. There will be no herb/pesticides sprayed on this property going forward. One issue I'm having is the native plant listings differs depending on where you look. For example, I have Tickseed Sunflowers. I don't see them listed on this site, but when googling, I can see that while not native, they are naturalized?? and potentially beneficial. Then another site says native. I just don't know what to believe. When I mowed recently, I left as many as possible. I also have a lot of sedge and chicory which I've read both positive and negative things about. The chicory is pretty and comes back quickly enough that I've just been mowing it but I still can't determine if it's a good or bad plant. Another issue I'm having is trying to identify every plant or tree that is already here. Sadly, I've not yet to find anything native or at least non-aggressive and that is difficult to do on this acreage but I'm trying. Just found an Autumn Olive and was almost excited to have a berry shrub only to find out it's aggressive and not native. I do believe I've found some false Virginia creeper and some actual Virginia creeper. Besides that and the sunflowers, that's all I've gotten besides poison ivy - which I will remove from the perimeter but leave within the woods. I understand it's beneficial. Also found some beautiful Datura that are sadly not native to the east coast. I recently found a company creating food forests in MD and looked at their designs thinking I could do similar but it seems they even utilize non-natives (pears and such). What I'm looking for: 1. A true/accurate listing of Maryland Eastern Shore native plants, shrubs and trees. 2. A resource to purchase a majority of the above at #1. Prefer a small business if possible. 3. A resource to provide consultation or design input that won't break the break (had quotes of ~2k+ for a 50' x 50' design at my prior residence). Thank you for your time, I appreciate it.

Caroline County Maryland

Lupine seedlings #850140

Asked September 16, 2023, 12:07 PM EDT

Hi, I've grown lupines from seeds, and they are now, in their separate pots, from 3" to 9" tall. Can I plant them outside now, or do I have to wait for spring? If I have to wait, do I keep putting the seedlings in larger pots all winter--and bring them in, of course--? Thank you.

Montgomery County Ohio

Butterfly Pea #846460

Asked August 20, 2023, 10:50 AM EDT

Is Butterfly Pea (Clitoria Mariana) considered invasive in Ohio? Thank you.

Columbiana County Ohio

Skip Laurels - Yellowing + Dying leaves #846029

Asked August 16, 2023, 9:44 PM EDT

Hello there,
I'm hoping you can provide some 'Master Gardener' advice - I live in Cascades / Sterling area in Loudoun County
Last year, I planted 5 Skip Laurel bushes to form a hedge along a fence in my backyard. The plants came from a local nursery, and were of a pretty good size when planted - 3 or 4 feet or so, with a good size root ball that was wrapped in burlap when I brought them home - and I planted them early last summer. The area they are planted in is mostly shaded - with a few hours of direct sunlight. After I planted them early last summer, I watered them following the label instructions. This summer, I've been watering them maybe once a week ... trying to make sure the soil dries out before watering them again (because I read these skip laurel plants don't like to have overly moist soil). I used a generic solid / slow release shrub fertilizer in the spring (Vigoro Tree and Shrub fertilizer stakes) according to the package instructions

They looked pretty good and healthy up till this spring ... of the 5 plants, one in particular seems to be thriving, 2 seem to be fine, 1 seems really sick, and another seems kind of sick ... and I'm hoping for some help! These pictures were taken in the end of May ... showing all 5 of these plants to be healthy with lots of leaves.

Picture A : Healthy plants in May

This is the '1 plant that seems really sick' 


Starting maybe 6 weeks ago, I started noticing some of the leaves starting to yellow ... then over a few weeks browning and dying. The leaves this happened to were all off the same shoot / branch - and this happened a few places around the plant. I pruned the dead shoots back ... but it seems like the leaves on more shoots are becoming affected in the same way ... I'm noticing now more consistent yellowing of the leaves throughout the plant. Before I started paying more attention to this plant, maybe a month ago - I did notice it (and some of the others) had dropped a number of leaves. These pictures were taken this week 

Picture 1: 'Really Sick Plant' 

Picture 2: 'Really Sick Plant' .. note the browning leaves are localized to an individual branch / shoot. This has happened to a few shoots and I've pruned them back 



This is the '1 plant that seems kind of sick' Within the last week, I'm noticing that this plant is starting to show some of the yellowing leaves and dying shoots that my 'really sick' plant is showing ... and I'm worried this one is circling the drain too! 

Picture 4: 'Kind-of sick plant'... I'm starting to see minor yellowing of the leaves. One shoot on the back of the plant has browned up and died ... but this plant does seem generally still healthier than my 'really sick plant'



The plant in the middle of these two is doing quite fine! it is putting out new growth and seems pretty vigorous it is growing new growth and looks green and healthy. It does probably get more direct sunlight than the others



Can you help me figure out what's going on here? I'm really keen on growing these plants healthy and tall, as they are needed to block an unwanted view

Thank you,



Loudoun County Virginia

First time gardener, hibiscus, rose, mint and Pocahontas anemone struggling #844829

Asked August 08, 2023, 9:17 PM EDT

Hello, I moved into a row home that has a backyard for the first time this July, and am trying to start a reasonable garden (I'm renting so I don't want to pour too much money into this endeavor). The garden is west-facing and has a couple a trees that provide am shade, but generally gets a decent amount of sun. I tried to do research regarding how to plant everything I bought (in terms of spacing, mulching base, etc.) but I am very much a novice. When we moved in, there was a peony that appeared to be in good condition, lemon balm that was doing well, trumpet vines that were everywhere, wisteria that didn't have any support so wasn't flowering and rose bush (unsure what kind) that appeared to be pretty insect-eaten. We weeded out a lot of the trumpet vine that was encroaching in other areas, a lot of white mulberry and left the downy-yellow violet. I added stakes to help the wisteria grow. Monday 7/31, I bought a Proven Winner Summerific Berry Awesome Hibiscus, an anemone fantasy Pocahontas, two small gumpo pink azaleas, one neon sedum, cat mint, a mint and a basil plant from Green Fields Nursery. The staff told me it would be okay to go ahead and plant without any soil testing, and no additional soil additives. Initially, the Hibiscus did great, the blooms opened up nicely to 4 flours, the anemone often looked a little wilted in afternoon but usually perked up after watering. The azaleas, sedum, basil, mint, and catmint all look unchanged. I also bought Harris insect garden spray and sprayed the peony and rose. This weekend I went out of town and obviously there was a big storm on monday, and when I went to check on the plants today many looked like they were struggling. Hibiscus: lost all the flowers (one fell off as soon as I touched it, there was no signs of the other ones) the leaves had a bunch of white spots and look brown Anemone: most of the outer leaves are shriveled mint: most of the bottom leaves are gone rose: unchanged but still very eaten Our backyard for sure has an ant and rodent problem. I'm not sure if I've seen aphids, but there are some unidentified caterpillars. I would very much appreciate guidance about how or if I can salvage any of them, and happy to send more pictures. Thanks!



Baltimore City County Maryland

Sunburst Honey Locust Tree problem #842391

Asked July 24, 2023, 4:23 PM EDT

Can you tell me what is wrong with my 15 year old Sunburst Honey Locust tree? It has many dead interior branches along with dead branch tips this year. The canopy is thinner than usual. It has a shallow root system. Thank you! Mary



Ramsey County Minnesota

Kiwi bug #837636

Asked June 26, 2023, 2:31 PM EDT

My kiwi has lost most of its' leaves. I finally found a very tiny brown insect (about 1i4 the size of a ladybug). It blends in completely with the bark and produces a very small amout of a white, cotton candy like substance. Tried to take a photo but it is so small that the photos are not clear. Any info would be helpful.

Anne Arundel County Maryland

Damage to garlic bulbs #837581

Asked June 26, 2023, 12:03 PM EDT

I've lost a significant amount of hardneck garlic in my Cincinnati home garden to what I've been told is root maggot. Is that my problem? Suggestions for mitigation? Problem is worst on large otherwise healthy bulbs. See photo. This after serious loss to that horrific, sudden one-day drop in temperature last winter .



Hamilton County Ohio

Black knot on Stanley Plum Tree #833533

Asked June 03, 2023, 1:09 PM EDT

1.I have just discovered what I think is an early black knot gall on the growing end of a branch on a 3yr old Stanley plum tree. It is brown at this stage, and I only noticed it after flowering and full leafing out. My question is: when is the best time to prune it out? Some references say to do so when the tree is dormant. Should I wait until fall, or prune it out now? Thanks. 2. The same tree is suffering from aphids and white fly, for the first time. What is the best way to deal with this? We generally abhor chemical intervention.

Summit County Ohio

Fungus in Garden? #832836

Asked May 30, 2023, 8:49 PM EDT

Hello, I recently renovated my front flowerbeds, starting with digging up some spiderwort in March/April and transplanting it to another flowerbed with more shade as they always got crispy and died in the spot they had been placed. I also moved a few catmint by a few inches to get them off of the wall of the house. I also moved around some coneflowers and stella d'oros for slightly better placement in the garden. Then, I purchased a lot of new bushes and plants, a little at a time, starting with an azalea, some fire and ice plants and one other spring bloomer. They all have been fine so far, although I may now be starting to see signs of potential issues. Then, I purchased three candy corn spirea and two clematis at the end of April/early May. Within a week of planting the spirea, I noticed spots on the leaves with many eventually turning completely brown and crispy and falling off. I also only planted one of the clematis and one vine had gone completely black and dead with the other vine looking rough and some dead at the top. I cut off the dead of the clematis and it seems to be doing better now. The spots are kind of rust/reddish colored on the spirea and the spots on the clematis were black. One of the three spirea plants has been hit the hardest, with it being the one from the nursery that I remember thinking didn't look as good. Even after seeing that happening, I still continued to purchase and plant new plants (little lime hydrangeas--purchased online prior to realizing the spots on the spirea), midnight sun weigela, and ... . I planted the hydrangeas in a separate bed from the spirea probably a week after planting the spirea, but in the same bed as the transplanted spiderwort, which all now are having leaves turning yellow and falling off. The spiderwort has very clear black spots and the hydrangea also seems to have some black spots too, although not as prominent as the spiderwort. This also seems to be the case with the coneflowers and stella d'oros. The weigela are harder to tell spots as the leaves are red in color, but many are turning brown and dying and ... are getting kind of white in color on the leaves and then the leaves falling off. Several rose bushes also seem to have a more white-colored spotting and the leaves getting a lot of holes in them. Several pre-established salvia also have had holes in the leaves too. I've tried buying a bottle of daconil fungicide and spraying the plants, but the spray came out in a stream so didn't cover the plants too well. Then I purchased some neem oil but wasn't sure if it was as effective as less-natural products. I then purchased a daconil funguicide concentrate and sprayed everything once (waiting about a week to apply after spraying the neem oil). After that application, the spirea leaves looked worse than when I started. I waited six days before doing another neem oil treatment (which was today 5/30) and again, the spirea leaves looked worse than when I started. I have also tried removing as many really bad leaves as possible on the weigelas, hydrangeas, and, with one of the spireas almost having no leaves now, which can't be good. I've also been trying to water the plants as close to the ground as possible so as not to splash the leaves and I've tried cleaning up all of the dead leaves from around the plants. Maybe the spirea is too close to the catmint and not getting enough air, which I'm trying to trim back the catmint around the spirea. I'm at a loss of what to do and I have spent so much time and energy and money on everything and I feel like all of the plants are going to die. Do you have any advice? Thanks a bunch!



Warren County Ohio