Horticulture Guy"Live Long and Garden" – Peter Punzi

Q. This year I had lots of moss in my flower garden. Although I have had
patches of moss on other places before, I don’t remember much in my
garden areas. It’s gone now, having had my bed cleaned up for the
winter, but how do I keep it from coming back or killing it if it
does, without hurting my flowers? Sure miss your column in the Tacoma News Tribune.
The new format is not nearly as relevant. Betty Garrison – Tacoma, WA
A. The best way to get rid of moss is to do the opposite of if you wanted it to grow. It prefers a firm acidic substrate (it doesn’t have roots but does have root like structures that help keep it in place) plenty of moisture as well as indirect sunlight (thus why it loves the north side of roofs better than southern side). So if you have poor drainage improve it by adding organic matter to the soil and working it in. cultivate the surface of the soil each month (this also helps control weeds) with a hoe or similar cultivating tool. Check the pH of the soil. Unless you are growing acid loving plants like rhodies and azaleas add lime to bring the pH up just below neutral (6.8 -6.9). And if possible prune the exising plants to allow more light to the soil surface. You can also help the process by using a natural moss control product like Moss and Algae Killer. – HG

Q. I have an apple tree about 15-20 yrs old. It bore lots of healthy fruit, but I couldn’t reach 3/4 of it. I don’t think it has ever been pruned. I know which limbs to take out, but how aggressive can I be, and when should I prune? Also, can I cut back the length of the branches, or the height of the tree? I miss your column, but am glad to find you online. Thanks! Marty Fisher, Orting, WA

A. Actually you can be fairly drastic especially with any vertical growth but as you guessed timing is important.  Since you seem to be familiar with what the shape should be (I know which limbs to take out) I’ll just reiterate for others that may read this.  The best shape for the apple is to have an open center.  So your goal is to open up the center and thin things out so that light can get into the center of the tree. Pruning now would likely result in loss of fruit this coming season and possible overgrowth of new shoots since the tree will have the energy it would have used on fruit production on new excessive growth. Vertical branches bear less fruit than more horizontal ones so a few of those could be removed now in the dormant season. I would wait until you see the fruit set in the late spring and then go in and get that tree back into shape being sure to leave a crop of apples to enjoy.

Q. Yes I miss your column. I’m looking for recommendations of native trees to plant on our parking strip, which is on the North side of the house.  These are to replace the two matching winter flowering Japanese flowering ones I need to have removed because one has died. I think natives will have a better chance. Lily Warnick – Gig Harbor, WA

A.  Well since you say that the strip is on the north side of the house I will assume that it is either a shady or partially shaded area, which limits the number of native trees that would be appropriate.  If you would like to stay in the cherry genus there is a native Bitter Cherry (Prunus emarginata var. mollis), which may be suitable.  Be sure not to get the “var. emarginata” which is more spreading and shrub like.  Although the flowers are not quite as showy the Cascara or buckthorn (Rhamnus purshiana) is another option if the soil is on the moist side.  A Pacific Dogwood (Cornus nutallii) is another showier alternative although it is somewhat susceptible to the fungal disease anthracnose.  Breeders are actively working on disease resistant varieties of this. 

Q. Peter, I dug up irises from a bed over-run with grass, with a grand plan for making a raised bed lined with landscape cloth to keep the grass out, but what in the world should I do to keep the irises alive until hubby makes that bed for me? Keep them- not him- out in the air? Stick them in perlite? Plant them somewhere else for a while? Have I killed them? They have been out of the ground for 5 days. Sure would appreciate your words of wisdom. Many thanks! Linda S. – Lakewood, WA

A.   Yes you should plant them somewhere else for a while.  This is called “heeling them in”.  You simply dig a trench in another section of the garden and line them up in the trench at about their same growing level in the grass infested bed and cover with soil until you are ready to put them back in the reclaimed bed. Water them in the unlikely event there is no rainfall.