Good morning, I need a lot of advice, and I hope someone can help me. Last May, I had an ash tree removed (EAB), and requested to do a deep stump grind. I hoped after a year (from reading and speaking to two different arborists last spring), that I could purchase a new tree. So, I recently ordered and requested a crabapple ‘Prairie fire’ to be planted close to the location where the ash tree was removed. I was told from two different Gerten’s employees, in order for them to plant, the roots need to be completely rotted in order for the new tree to be planted by at least one year. But options to plant the new tree from the old one, I received different answers. One person told me only a foot, another person told me 3 feet from the originally location to plant the new tree. I have limited space in the front yard, so I’m not sure whether to just cancel my tree from the amount of space I can plant it from in the ground. The other hiccup I have, is about a 5’+ long, deep tree root I cannot remove. It’s probably about a foot thick in diameter at least. Is there a way to kill that root, if I have to wait to order a crabapple by next spring? I’m afraid if I put any chemicals down, it’ll kill my grass and the new tree. My last question is- how fast do the Prairie Fire trees grow? I was thinking of possibly ordering a smaller tree instead, due to the old tree roots existing, and the amount of space for the tree to grow up. I have a mature linden tree already, so it would be pretty close to the crabapple. Pictures show smallest root sliced, and the largest part of the root from the tree.

Can I bake with alcohol? The website says I can not bake chocolate with alcohol but I have a recipe that calls for 1/2 cup alcohol to yield 33 cupcakes.

I was sent this from a local community member and I am submitting for them. There are these bees on the business' property and they are wondering what they are.

What is the bloom time of invasive Japanese Honeysuckle in our area? I am highly allergic to the intense fragrance they produce, and they are growing everywhere!

Hi. We have moles occasionally in our yard. I am gardening in raised beds. Should I put hardware cloth down then put the dirt in or is that necessary?

Dear Sirs, We have a large 50 year old pink dogwood tree in our front yard. Compared to others in the neighborhood, the amount of blooms on it is pretty sparse. There's grass underneath it, but we don't put any fertilizer or Weed & Feed on it. We'd like to encourage more blossoms. When does the tree set its blooms so we can pair our fertilizing with that? What is the best type of fertilizer to use? We've asked several experts at Portland Nursery this question and get different answers from different people. Thank you ahead-of-time!

Hello! I have a 7 foot tall buckeye tree that was planted in my yard almost 2 years ago and I live in an urban residential neighborhood of south Minneapolis. Both last spring and this one, "something" is causing the ends of the branches to be torn off - assumedly from eating the tasty salad of leaves that is unfolding. Once they are fully unfolded, the problem ends. This year, I have tried to deter it by spraying a deterrent with egg solids on the leaves. Maybe it's helping a little - but still there has been some munching. I'm afraid I will end up with a tree that just looks like a bunch of dead/leafless branches eventually. Two pictures attached - one of an end from last year and one of the overall tree. What do you think is doing this? (squirrels?) And how can I minimize this activity? -Christine