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?

I have 2 dwarf blue swiss stone pine trees in a new bed (3 years planted) on the east side of the house. 1 pine is doing beautifully and the other is struggling and looking quite sickly. Can you help diagnose possible problems and what those solutions might be? 2 pictures are attached. Thank you for your help!

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?

I have a PJM Rhododendron that was planted in 2020 and did fine until last year and this year, when I now only get a few blooms at the top. The bottom areas seem to be dead, but the top areas seem to be fine. Suggestions to see if it can be saved - should I prune hard and see how it grows next year? Fertilizer recommendations?

Hello. My lawn is in a lot of distress and I'm looking for some advice. It has become extremely patchy the last couple of years, especially last year and this. I think there are a couple of issues: 1) subscribing to biolawn for a few years has left it a mono-culture and grass hasn't replaced weeds, and 2) the drought and my lack of watering. I'm going to reduce my lawn footprint, but I'll still have a decent amount of grassy areas. Looking for advice on a) should I get the soil tested, and if so, what kind of test, and by whom, and b) I'm thinking of alternatives and wondering if a clover mix is a good idea. I live in St. Paul. Thanks in advance!

I have a community garden plot and wonder what the previous gardeners have left me. Would you please identify it? A neighbor thinks it's a "castor bean" and grows very tall, poisonous. I always appreciate your insights, like the best way to get rid of a weed. More useful than finding the name via one of those apps on the phone. thank you Ann