Snowball bush best pruned in summer

By Walter Reeves

For the AJC

Q: Several years ago my uncle gave me a snowball bush. It has bloomed several times and is beautiful in the spring. It needs pruning, but I don't know when to do it. Brenda Deese, e-mail

A: I think you are referring to Chinese snowball viburnum, Viburnum macrocephalum. It has huge (4-8 inch) round, white flowers, borne on the ends of branches in early May. It blooms on twigs that grew the previous year, so pruning in fall or winter will remove next spring's flower buds. You can remove some of the longest limbs now to reduce the size somewhat, but do any major pruning in June.

Q: Is it possible to grow a satsuma citrus tree in deep south Georgia, near Waycross? Joe F. Tovar, e-mail

A: It is quite possible to grow satsuma citrus in south Georgia. A few years ago a University of Georgia researcher planted several species and varieties of citrus at the Savannah Bamboo Research Station. ‘Owari’ satsuma performed very well. You could also try ‘Kimbrough’ cold-hardy satsuma. For variety, plant a ‘Thomasville’ citrangequat, a hybrid among trifoliate orange, sweet orange and kumquat. Details at xrl.us/coldcitrus.

Q: A nice lady who owns a horse farm gave me a load of manure. I put it in a raised flower bed, which is 20-by-8-by-1-feet. The mixture is 80 percent horse manure and 20 percent dirt and sand. Eight of 10 shrubs I planted there died. There is a white powder on the roots. Randy Helms, Stockbridge

A: Horse manure is great for adding in moderate proportions to existing soil. However, it isn't so beneficial when it is the major component of a growing medium. The manure holds too much water and plants die as a result. The white stuff on the roots is a harmless fungus doing its best to decompose the manure but it grows on the plant roots at the same time. Remove 80 percent of the contents of the bed, replace it with screened topsoil (not bagged topsoil) purchased from a landscape supply yard, and mix thoroughly. That should make a nice fast-draining soil for your plants.

Q: I have a large back yard covered with shrubs and trees. The hardwood trees drop their leaves several inches thick each year. In the past I have raked them up and put down pine straw but this is expensive. Can I use the leaves as mulch under the plants? Nancy Parker, DeKalb County

A: Leaves work very well as a mulch but when whole they do tend to fly around in the wind. Rake them into piles and shred them with a mower first. The smaller particles pack down and don't move much.

Listen to Walter Reeves Saturday mornings on AM 750 and 95.5 FM News-Talk WSB from 6 to 10. Visit his website, www.walterreeves.com, or join his Facebook Fan Page at xrl.us/wrfacebook for more garden tips.