Sometimes, the questions I receive are more concerned with "domestic
relationships" than with the specific landscape problems they
describe. Two people who agree on most everything can have very
differing opinions concerning what to plant around the home they
share...

QUESTION: "We have a 1/4 acre lot our house sets on, two neighbors
to the side, a busy road directly behind us with only a berm to
separate us, and a brand new below ground pool we just had put in right
in the middle of our backyard.

"At first, I wanted to put dogwoods along the berm, but have since
then noticed they don't stay the size we need to get the privacy we
want. Then I found these Thuja Green Giants we could put along two
sides of our yard; the berm to hide the road, and the neighbor without
a fence. With
that formal of a backyard, there is no way I can feel out of place
playing badminton in my white pole shirt and pants on a sunny day
drinking lemonade, right?

"But now I have another problem, and no it's not that my wife hates
playing badminton. She doesn't like the thought of the Thuja Green
Giants for some reason. She's thinking tall grasses and short deciduous
trees of some sort, with small shrubs and flowers beneath them across
the entire berm. So now what? Back to square one, huh?

"Could you give us some pointers and perhaps guide us in the right
direction on how we should handle our privacy issue? We've been reading
up on what things we could do for quite a while, but have not yet come
to a solution. Thanks for all your help. It is greatly
appreciated." - Nathan

ANSWER: Well, at the risk of sounding as if I'm "sitting on the
fence," you both could be correct. Yours an easy solution -
planting the Green Giants - but her solution has more variety and
texture. Grasses are good; maybe some of the flowering shrubs such as
Knockout roses. Another thought would be to mix in some Bamboo. Use
these mostly as background plants and then put in a host of perennials
for investment-type landscaping. The perennials come back larger and
stronger year after year while providing different seasons of blooms.
If you wish to put in some ornamental smaller trees you may want to
look at the Velma's Delight dwarf crape myrtle. I hope this helps you
agree on a solution!

QUESTION: "I have some burning bushes in the front of my home. They
no longer have any leaves on the bottom of the bush. If I trim them
will they come back again, or will I harm them? I thought maybe you
could help me out." - Sandra Shinkey

ANSWER: You don't mention the age of your shrubs, but burning bush
plants become leggy as they age. Trimming doesn't generally help this
situation. They may have fulfilled their purpose in the landscape and
may need to be replaced.

If age isn't it, a few other common problems of this plant variety
are disease, pests and nutritional deficiencies.

Due to the heat last spring/summer, spider mites were a huge pest
causing many customers with burning bushes in their landscapes to
become concerned. Once they leaf out, you can hold a white sheet of
paper under some of the leaves and tap the branch lightly. If spider
mites are the cause, they will fall onto the paper. Then, visit your
local hardware store for their recommendation on a pesticide to treat
the plants.

Burning bush prefer full sun, but will grow in other situations. The
more sun they receive, the deeper red the leaves in late summer/early
fall.

The Plant Man is here to help. Send questions about trees, shrubs and
landscaping to . For resources and additional
information, or to subscribe to Steve's free weekly e-mailed
newsletter, go to www.landsteward.org