Loose bark on a small shrub damaged by a large oak branch. Photo: Keith Hawkins, LSU AgCenter.

Wounded Shrubs

Now that homeowners are repairing their homes after a couple of hurricanes, some are looking at helping their landscapes recover. Paige asked for guidance to rehabilitate camellias after branches and trees have fallen on them. AHA consulted with Dr. Heather Kirk-Ballard, the AgCenter horticulture specialist who writes the Get It Growing column.

Dr. Kirk-Ballard sent this email with recommendations for helping all affected small trees and shrubs:

• Reset/straighten the tree and then stake them to help them reestablish.6-12 months is good.
• Irrigate more frequently to help establish new roots and do not fertilize.
• Clean up broken branches. Prune out future [problems like rubbing and dead branches].

Dr. Kirk Ballard also cited Dr. Hallie Dozier who specializes in landscape trees and arborist training. Dr. Dozier made these point on saving small trees and shrubs:

• Use metal or hardwood stakes that will last for months but be sure not to drive stakes through any major roots.
• Place stakes at an angle away from the trunk to provide the greatest support.
• Use a wide strap or cloth that will reduce abrasion of the bark, and if you use wire or cable, be sure to run it through short lengths of old garden hose to cushion the bark.
• Be sure to leave a small amount of slack in the strap, wire, or cable.
• Secure the plant from three sides to prevent excessive movement during high winds and rains.
• Remove the staking as soon as possible; remove all staking by 12 months to avoid the plant outgrowing the staking system, which can kill the plant.
• Treat reset and straightened trees like they were newly planted; irrigate more frequently than established plants and hold back the fertilizer for at least a year.
• Remove broken branches that are still attached to the tree and trim any tears in the bark.
• Homeowners can prune out small broken branches (that they can reach safely) – cut where the branch joins the trunk or larger branch, just outside of the swelling near that juncture (called the branch collar).
• Homeowners should call in a professional to remove larger broken branches; remember tree branches are large, heavy, and difficult to manage. This means they can be very dangerous for a novice to remove. Do not take any chances – hire a professional.

• Homeowners can prune out small broken branches (that they can reach safely) – cut where the branch joins the trunk or larger branch, just outside of the swelling near that juncture (called the branch collar).
• Homeowners should call in a professional to remove larger broken branches; remember tree branches are large, heavy, and difficult to manage. This means they can be very dangerous for a novice to remove. Do not take any chances – hire a professional.

A confederate rose in autumn bloom. Photo: Jimmy Earl Cooley, Master Gardener.

Confederate Rose

Jimmy, a Master Gardener in Beauregard Parish, shared a positive recovery image from his landscape. He sent an encouraging note, “[Here are] some photos to hopefully brighten your day”. Included in his email is an image of a blooming confederate rose that survived the recent storms.

Dr. Allen Owings, retired AgCenter horticulturist, wrote about confederate rose in a flyer entitled Tropical Hibiscus, “Confederate rose (Hibiscus mutabilis)

is popular in south Louisiana. Plants can reach 15 to 20 feet tall. The woody stems

usually do not die back during winters unless severe conditions are present. Flowers of Confederate rose begin the day as white. By early afternoon, the flowers are light pink, and by evening, flowers are a rosy pink.”

A container plant in need of a more rooting space. Photo: Christy Frederic, Master Gardener.

Flowering Maple

Christy, a Master Gardener in Pineville, wants to help her neighbor, “[My] neighbor’s flowering maple has yellowing leaves. [Do you have] any advice?” Also, the flowering maple is another kind of hibiscus.

AHA suspects this plant is “pot bound”, and Dan Gill, retired AgCenter horticulturist, writes about the indicators of this condition, “The roots stop growing actively, and as a result, the upper portions of the plant begin to show common pot-bound symptoms, such as frequent wilting, stunted growth, smaller new leaves, poor quality flowers or lack of flowers and yellowing and dropping older leaves.’

The solution is to repot the plant, and Gill adds this caution, “Over-potting a plant — putting it in a pot that is too large — can lead to root rot from overwatering. And aesthetically, the size of the plant needs to be in pleasing proportion to the size of the pot. In other words, a relatively small plant looks out of place in a relatively large pot.” For more guidance on repotting plants, readers can refer to Gill’s article, You can deal with pot bound plants, and it is online at www.lsuagcenter.com.