Hi I have heard that when filling raised beds it may be a good idea to add the untreated wood mulch to the bottom for water retention etc. My gardens are 3ft x 5ft and 18 inches deep. Do you know about how much wood mulch I should use in the bottoms? Or is there a percentage that I could use to calculate how much I need? Thanks!

We have noticed that one of our two pin oak trees is losing its leaves on the inside; and all inside branches are now bare. Outside branches have some new leaves but far fewer than it used to have when it was healthy. We noticed this last year but it’s worse this year. I don’t see any visible insects on the branches or trunk, which is approx 10 feet around at the base. It’s about 40 feet tall. I do see some splitting and green “moss” and fungus and other stuff on some of the branches. Please see my photos. The tree is about 28 years old. It’s planted in rich soil that used to be agricultural (growing soybeans and maybe corn), then turned into a small subdivision in southern Anne Arundel County (Harwood, MD). We had an older maple tree die a few years ago (located about 200 feet away from this tree). Someone told me they thought it was possibly anthracnose. Do you have any idea what is happening and how we can save this tree? I have many more photos I can send. Thanks so much in advance.

how to remove a large oak tree root that is pulling up my patio pavers without killing the tree

My mature red maple has lost a piece of bark near the base (size 12 x 12). It started last summer. Is there a disease targeting maples?

Hi

The large foundation garden bed around my home in Annapolis has been taken over by Yellow Archangel (Lamiastrum Galeobdolon). I have attached pictures. This monster is also spreading aggressively among other plants and around trees. It has particularly exploded this spring. I would love to eliminate it before it has another summer growing season and the chance to invade other garden beds on my property. 

A few questions: 1. Is "sheet mulching" the best way to kill it? If so, what method do you recommend (cardboard or plastic under mulch? is mowing enough before covering or should I scrape/weed before covering? Do you recommend chemical treatment before covering?) 2. if I sheet mulch, can I do it now? 3. when can I consider re planting the area?  4. As seen in  photo #2, the nasty little plant is eating some ferns around a young Kentucky Yellowwood tree; can I remove the ferns and sheet mulch this area without hurting the tree? I intend to put a Tree Diaper around this tree for summer watering; would that undermine the sheet mulching goal?

Thank you for your help!

What is the last frost date for our area?

The leaves don't look right to me. I think they are normally smoother than this. This happened last year, too. They flowered ok, though.

Hi there, We have some very old (22 years) raspberry bushes which are having a problem. They seem to fruit later and later every year. The earlier blossoms turn black and dry up without producing fruit. Then new blossoms grow and give fruit in mid-October and early November. The season gets shorter and shorter as the cold weather comes on. We know we need to replace them. Our question is—can we plant the new ones right where these old ones were? Or is it a disease that will be transmitted to the new plants? Anything special we should do to the soil before we plant new ones? Anything special we need to do with the old ones after we pull them up? There are a lot of them. Thanks so so much for your help!

Last couple years my peonies have been full of mildew. What can I do at this point in time before I see any evidence of mildew?

My Japanese Maple stopped growing on one side of the tree after 3 successful years. I treated it with BioAdvanced Tree & Shrub protect and feed last year when dead sections were first noted. This year, a bit more leaf growth has come out on some branches, but there are still major areas that are dead/dry/leafless. Also, the bark is pulling away from the trunk at the bottom, but you can see in the photos that new growth is coming from the trunk. I did another protect and feed treatment this spring, but not sure if I should be trimming back the dead branches or just leave it for another season and see how it does? Can it recover with the bark pulling away?