Local Weather Forecast
Today: Current:82	Thursday: 90/72	Friday: 94/75
Complete Forecast for  Jul 23 2008

DEAR NEIL: I have some yaupon hollies that have begun to encroach on Indian hawthorns in our landscapes. Can yaupons be moved? If so, when is the best time?

Dig them during their winter dormant period. Hold as much of their root system intact as you use a sharpshooter spade to dig the balls of soil.

You'll need to trim them by 40 to 50 percent to compensate for the roots that will be lost as you dig them.

DEAR NEIL: I have attached photos of my three large live oak trees. Every spring the trees become the resting place for droves of cedar waxwings, but only in the top halves of the trees. For whatever the reason, the tops are very sparse in leaves. What causes that, and why would the waxwings be attracted to those trees?

Live oaks maintain their leaves in the winter. That gives small and medium-sized birds some protection from predators, also from cold winds.

However, as the birds flock in and out of the branches, they knock off a lot of the leaves. Luckily, the trees will begin to leaf out again vigorously in less than two months. Other than that, I wouldn't worry about them. In fact, waxwings usually migrate through town in fairly short order. They're probably busy looking for fleshy fruit in your yard or nearby.

DEAR NEIL: We are in the process of clearing rural land, and there are numerous wild mustang grapevines in the tops of many trees. They have disfigured many of the trees. We'd like to get the grapes out of the trees, then redirect their vines onto arbors we plan to build. Is there any certain way to do that pruning to maximize the health of the vines? Some of them are 10-12 inches in diameter.

To be honest, I would never mess with the old vines. I've faced the same issue, and the best thing to do is to cut them out of the trees and also to get rid of the old root systems either by pulling the stumps or with a broadleafed weedkiller poured at full strength into holes you drill into the stumps. Then, if you want grapes over your new arbors, you would simply plant whatever type you want on the supports. You'll get much better plants much more quickly if you start with vigorous, young plants. Remember, too, how large those old vines are as you build the new structure. Grapes require large and substantial supports.

DEAR NEIL: How can I kill ajuga that has jumped from my beds into my St. Augustine without hurting the grass?

Apply a broadleafed weedkiller spray containing 2,4-d with a pump sprayer directly to the ajuga at a time when it is growing very actively. April or May would be ideal. Keep the spray away from groundcovers, low shrubs, flowers and other non-grassy (broadleafed) plants.

DEAR NEIL: What kind of grass would grow best beneath two live oaks and two pine trees? The area has become bare. We just had the oaks pruned to get more light.

You were correct in assuming that lack of sunlight was the cause of your problem. You're also dealing with four evergreen trees, so there never would have been any light to the ground at any season. St. Augustine is your best bet, but even it requires four hours of direct sunlight daily to hold its own, more if you expect it to grow well. Try a little of it later this spring. If it doesn't take hold, you may have to switch over to a shade-tolerant groundcover as many of us have done in parts of our landscapes.

DEAR NEIL: I have a non-bearing grapevine. I grow it for its leaves which I use in cooking. Most years I don't prune it, but now it's grown too tall and wild. When should it be pruned?

Grape pruning, whether to tidy your plant or to keep a fruiting type in peak production, is done in late January or early February. You may be surprised by the improved quality of the foliage you get after the pruning.

DEAR NEIL: I have some yaupon hollies that have begun to encroach on Indian hawthorns in our landscapes. Can yaupons be moved? If so, when is the best time?

Dig them during their winter dormant period. Hold as much of their root system intact as you use a sharpshooter spade to dig the balls of soil.

You'll need to trim them by 40 to 50 percent to compensate for the roots that will be lost as you dig them.

DEAR NEIL: I have attached photos of my three large live oak trees. Every spring the trees become the resting place for droves of cedar waxwings, but only in the top halves of the trees. For whatever the reason, the tops are very sparse in leaves. What causes that, and why would the waxwings be attracted to those trees?

Live oaks maintain their leaves in the winter. That gives small and medium-sized birds some protection from predators, also from cold winds.

However, as the birds flock in and out of the branches, they knock off a lot of the leaves. Luckily, the trees will begin to leaf out again vigorously in less than two months. Other than that, I wouldn't worry about them. In fact, waxwings usually migrate through town in fairly short order. They're probably busy looking for fleshy fruit in your yard or nearby.

DEAR NEIL: We are in the process of clearing rural land, and there are numerous wild mustang grapevines in the tops of many trees. They have disfigured many of the trees. We'd like to get the grapes out of the trees, then redirect their vines onto arbors we plan to build. Is there any certain way to do that pruning to maximize the health of the vines? Some of them are 10-12 inches in diameter.

To be honest, I would never mess with the old vines. I've faced the same issue, and the best thing to do is to cut them out of the trees and also to get rid of the old root systems either by pulling the stumps or with a broadleafed weedkiller poured at full strength into holes you drill into the stumps. Then, if you want grapes over your new arbors, you would simply plant whatever type you want on the supports. You'll get much better plants much more quickly if you start with vigorous, young plants. Remember, too, how large those old vines are as you build the new structure. Grapes require large and substantial supports.

Have a question you'd like Neil to consider? Mail it to him in care of this newspaper or e-mail him at mailbag@sperrygardens.com. Neil regrets that he cannot reply to questions individually.