Q: I need to know the spacing of male holly pollinators and their female counterparts. In my yard, if I space the male holly ideally from the females, it will get less than ideal sunshine. To get more sunshine, I have to move it out 120 feet. What would the correct spacing be? — D.H., email
A: Most hollies are dioecious, meaning male and female flowers occur on different plants. Pollination is done by insects traveling between the two sexes. Typically, the male holly can produce enough pollen for six to eight females. The size of the plant can affect spacing: small plants can be placed close together, big plants can be further away from each other. In general, deciduous winterberry hollies should be no more than 50 feet distant. I suggest spacing small hollies 8 feet between males and females. Larger hollies can be planted up to 100 feet apart.
Q: My husband built an enclosure to protect our blueberry plants from birds. Branches emerge from the enclosure, and I cut them back every year because knots of caterpillars grow on them. This year, I didn’t cut them back, and we had several big knots of caterpillars. What kind of butterfly or moth is laying eggs that turn into these caterpillars? — Viva Araki, email
A: Sooner or later, most blueberry gardeners have yellownecked caterpillars on their blueberries. They’re very interesting to observe because if you tap the branch, they raise up backward to form a “C.” You described them as “knots“ and that’s accurate since several dozen will collect on a branch and consume everything. The yellownecked caterpillars pupate and turn into a moth — Datana ministra. Although the damage to your blueberries can look serious, a population of caterpillars and moths is almost always limited by predators. Some of your branches will get stripped, but others will be fine. Removing the clusters of caterpillars and destroying them is a great way to control the caterpillar, and if a few escape notice, they won’t be a big problem. There’s no need to spray insecticide.
Q: I take offense at your calling clover a weed! I would like my lawn to be 100% clover because I am a keeper of bees. — Charles Olsen, Newnan
A: My father was a beekeeper, too. He treasured the red clover honey that filled pint jars that lined our pantry. On the other hand, I was regularly stung by honey bees that I stepped on in the clover. I’ve always said a weed is just a plant that makes a gardener unhappy. If it makes you happy to have clover as your lawn, more power to you! My father would be pleased as well.
About the Author
