QUESTION: “I am asking for your advice to rid my shrubs of what my
agricultural county agent has told me is a 'fungus'. The shrubs are
large, about 8 ft tall, and I let them grow at will with not much
trimming as a divider in my huge backyard. The leaves look similar to
Red Tip, but are not red.

“Last year, about this time, a white, chalky, grainy residue affected
one plant. It lost a few leaves and then regained itself with no help
from me. This year however, I have a different situation. It has
attacked three of these shrubs which do touch each other and whole,
large limbs have lost all their leaves and stems have turned crispy as
if they are dead.

“My ag agent suggested a spray with a fungicide which I did about 2
weeks ago. I really don't think the fungus is spreading, but I wonder
if I don't need to cut out the affected areas and maybe need to treat
another time or two.

“I've heard of home remedies for some things and would like your
'recipe' for a homemade concoction to use as the commercial spray was
quite expensive.” - Nancy Grimes

ANSWER: I don’t know of a specific “home remedy” to use as a
fungicide. Perhaps one of our resourceful readers has one! If so,
please let me know.

Meanwhile, here is a link to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden with a great
listing of organic ways for disease control that they should find
quite helpful. http://www.bbg.org/gar2/topics/susta...easttoxic.html
As that’s quite a long URL, you might prefer to find this column at my
Web site www.landsteward.org where you can click on a direct link.

However, one of the best methods is to control the watering situation
as many fungi begin with over watering in areas where there is not
enough light to provide adequate evaporation. As listed in the
Brooklyn Botanical link link, copper and sulfur have been used for a
hundred years or more can control most rusts, but great care must be
taken as they can be toxic to humans and animals.

QUESTION: “I have a statuary fountain that stand about 7 feet tall.
Around the fountain is a full-surround planter, 18 inches wide. Half
of the planter gets adequate water from splash and the other half gets
so much water that it is more like a pond or riverside.

“Can you point me in the right direction to find wet soil plants? I
believe you’ve written about them before. I live in the southwest USA
and the summers are hot and dry. The wet side of the fountain is
probably the result of wind and is unique on my property.” - Patrick
Abernathy

ANSWER: The first thing to do is double check to make sure that the
far side planter is draining properly. During hot, dry summer days,
the splashing from the fountain could be burning (scorching) the
plants, causing them to die from the top down. Also, if you are adding
any chemicals to the fountain water to prevent mold, it will affect
the plants.

You might consider a few plant varieties that will grow in damper
soils such as:

Daylilies
Irises
Sedges
Buddleias
Low growing bamboo
Low growing cypress
Creeping cotoneaster

You could also consider hostas and ferns that will do well if the area
is shaded.

QUESTION: “I have a problem with mushrooms coming up in my yard where
a tree was taken down last year. They are coming up mostly at any area
that had root runners from the trunk that was ground. Is there
anything you can spray on them as they come up in large groups and
continue to come back even if you dig them up.

“Also, when is the best time to trim Crape Myrtles?” – Tommy Neal

ANSWER: Wet soil is frequently the reason for mushrooms. We have
similar problems in our garden. I don’t know of a spray you could use,
but just let the area dry out and get a lot of sun.

Crapes should be trimmed after leaf drop in winter or in spring before
they begin to leaf out.

The Plant Man is here to help. Send your questions about trees, shrubs
and landscaping to and for resources and
additional information, or to subscribe to Steve’s free e-mailed
newsletter, visit www.landsteward.org