Q: Are there any vegetables that are native to North America? Cassidy Irwin, email
A: The only two I could find are Jerusalem artichoke and tepary bean. Jerusalem artichoke is a type of sunflower with thick, edible roots. Patches of tall plants covered in yellow flowers are eye-catching in autumn. Tepary bean is a small, hearty, drought-tolerant bean that's native to the American Southwest. The taste is described as sweet and nutty, not like a bean at all.
Q: I had two dogwoods killed by termites. Do I need to treat the soil before planting new trees? Gloria Lewis, email
A: Termites don't eat the living part of the tree, they can only digest the parts that are already dead. So the termites did not kill the tree, something else did. My guess is that yours died of old age. You can plant another tree in this spot with no problems as long as you keep it healthy. There is no need to treat the soil.
Q: I purchased a small tent-type greenhouse to overwinter my hibiscus and mandevilla in. Is it better to place the plants into pots or buckets and put them in the greenhouse tent or to actually relocate them to a single location and replant them in the ground and then put the tent over top of them? Kevin Rhodeback, Austell
A: My preference would be to put the roots in the ground, either in a pot or directly in a mound of soil. Even if it gets really cold your plants might freeze to the soil level but won't completely die. If your greenhouse is reasonably tight, you can put a little electric heater inside and set its thermostat at 50 degrees. This is the temperature at which tropical plants begin losing leaves. Also keep in mind that if your greenhouse is made with clear plastic, the interior will become hot on a sunny winter day. You will run the risk of cooking your plants. I recommend you place the greenhouse in a spot that gets early morning sunshine but does not remain in full sun for the rest of the day.
Q: I would like my nine-foot-tall tea olives to fill in with leaves at the bottom half. How can I make that happen? Amy Nyman, email
A: This is tough. One option is to prune off the top half of your shrub, which will force dormant leaf buds to start growing below the pruning cut. Dormant buds will not swell if they are further than ten inches away from the pruning cut. You can't do minor clipping at the top of the shrub and expect buds several feet down to make leaves.
If you are unwilling to do severe pruning, another option is to simply hide the bare trunks with vertical plants nearby. I particularly like autumn fern, nandina, and aucuba for this. They might require occasional pruning but that’s easy to accomplish.
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