Green Scene By Joel Lerner » Washington Post

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Tree myths: So much of what you've been told is wrong

Many planting practices that were thought critical to the health of trees are simply myths. Some ideas that have long been accepted by experts have proven to be incorrect. This is understandable because it can take generations to comprehend the sophisticated systems of these magnificent plants. While you're enjoying the warm and cozy indoors this winter, let's examine some tree myths.

Green Scene: El Niño could increase garden pests this spring

El Niño is back. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Climate Prediction Center reports that El Niño has gained slightly above-average strength over the Pacific Ocean since December, signaling that its effects might persist into the spring. What that means to gardeners in the Washington area and the Southeastern states is the possibility of wetter weather than usual.

Green Scene: The value of a remembrance of things past

Every growing season offers the potential for rejuvenating your garden, and now is the time to start reflecting on last year's performance and to plan this year's landscape design.

Winter doesn't have to be a colorless season

The winter landscape can be extraordinary if your garden is designed for winter interest. Consider plants that flower, offer berries, hold their foliage, have showy bark or display attention-grabbing shapes even without leaves. If you haven't planted with an eye toward winter interest, your beds will remain bare for another nine to 10 weeks.

Want a great fire? Start with the right wood and add a touch of precaution.

On the heels of an extraordinary fall, when many plants stayed green into December, we had a record-breaking snowfall in time for the holidays. Now the leaves are gone and the remnants of the flowers in the garden are black. It's time to enjoy relaxing in front of an open hearth, with the sweet aroma of burning wood.

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Creating an heirloom garden

Many gardeners are confused by what constitutes an heirloom plant. For me, there is no set definition.

How to care for Christmas trees

This is the perfect weekend to get your Christmas tree, if you haven't done so already. All you need now is just a little guidance to help you choose the right tree.

The best gardening books of 2009

Green Scene: Holidays are a special time of year to visit D.C. area gardens

The holidays bring out the best at the Washington region's most beloved gardens, many of which offer special programs and displays through December. Here's a list of some of my favorite upcoming events, many of which are free. Be sure to call ahead to make sure there's no required pre-registration.

The modern gardener's glossary

Landscaping jargon often leaves homeowners and part-time gardeners perplexed, and it's no wonder. In the garden, commonplace words can take on different meanings. For example, "exfoliate" is not a spa treatment, "pools" aren't always for swimming, "beds" are not a place to sleep, "percolate" doesn't refer to brewing coffee and "suckers" aren't lollipops.

Green Scene: Invasive plants are becoming a larger problem

We live surrounded by many trees, shrubs, perennials and annuals that aren't from this area. It may seem like they belong here, but they don't. They aren't the plants that Mother Nature originally intended for our region.

A time to take a look back and plan ahead

Gardening tasks don't stop with the end of the growing season. You can still plant trees, do landscape design work, inspect insect damage, and evaluate what performed well in the garden this year and what needs more attention. Here are answers to some of the questions that have been sent in recently.

Green Scene: It's not too late to plant trees and shrubs

If you thought you had missed your last chance to plant trees or shrubs in your yard this year, think again. November is still a good month to install such plants, as the ground has not frozen yet and the air is still warm enough to work outside.

Green Scene: Look no further for gardening gifts

As the holidays draw near, it's time to start thinking about gifts for the gardeners in your life. Among the many possibilities worth considering are gloves, tools, planters, pest repellents, organic growing media and, of course, plants. To help get you started, here is a list of some products that we reviewed over the past several months and would gladly recommend.

Autumn Gardening Quandaries: Falling Leaves and Edible Dogwood Fruit

The leaves are changing colors, and the weather's turning crisp. That means it's time to answer some of your fall gardening questions.

Help a Good Cause While Becoming a Better Gardener

If you want to learn more about gardening, there's no substitute for getting your hands dirty, and one of the best ways to pick up that practical experience is by volunteering at a local garden.

Wisdom From the Gardener's Notebook

One of the great joys of writing this column is collecting all sorts of interesting tidbits about gardening. It's time to clean house and share some unique stats and entertaining facts from the gardener's notebook.

Fall Is a Great Time to Build a Healthier Lawn

A well-managed lawn performs several functions every homeowner would consider essential. It can help to control dust, dissipate heat and noise, reduce glare and lower fire risk. And, with proper care, your lawn can improve soil and water quality by allowing rainwater to slowly percolate into the soil, which reduces runoff into rivers and streams.

Tastefully Designed Gardens That Are Delicious, Too

Can you have a lovely garden and eat it, too?

Green Scene: Map Out Your Garden's Present -- and Dream a Little About Its Future

Every gardener needs a site plan -- a drawing with as much information as can be collected on the property, from the potholes in the driveway to the direction of the prevailing winds, correctly noted for each season.

Shielding the Soil From Rain's Destructive Power

The tiny splash caused by a raindrop is a surprisingly destructive force and the No. 1 cause of soil erosion. As rain falls, the drops hit bare ground, breaking soil particles free and washing away valuable topsoil. The resulting runoff sweeps chemicals and sediment into rivers and streams in amounts that can imperil aquatic life.

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Green Scene: Right Habitat Is Key to Attracting Butterflies

About 670 species of butterflies live in the United States and Canada, visiting hundreds of thousands of flowers, drinking nectar and pollinating plants in their short lives.

At the Sites of 9/11 Horror, Let Thousands of Roses Bloom

On Aug. 1, my wife, Sandy, and I attended the groundbreaking of the 15-acre rose garden in Shanksville, Pa. It was an emotional event, officiated by Sue Casey, the president and founder of the organization Remember Me Rose Gardens, which is creating rose gardens at the site of each of the three plane crashes on Sept. 11, 2001.

Green Scene: Perfect Time to Let Young Gardeners Blossom

One of the best ways to interest children in plants is to start working with them when they are young and curious, and there's no better time to begin than the dog days of August, after summer camp ends and before school starts.

Maximum-Security Landscaping

Personal security is always on our minds, especially at home. We double-lock our doors, arm our homes with security systems and motion-sensor lights, and even install bars on our windows. But not many of us think about landscape design as a way to protect our homes from intruders.

'Lernscaping' Your Way to the Garden of Your Dreams

Even if you have some horticultural knowledge, you probably consider landscape design abstract. It's difficult to visualize an entire garden rather than a single element, such as a flower, tree or trellised vine. Hence, the big picture should be broken into smaller parts to better understand it.

Green Scene: With Wildflowers, Plan and Prepare Well Before Planting

Summer is prime time for wildflower meadow displays. You can see them along many interstates and along hiking and biking trials. They are fashionable in roadside design, adding lovely focal points to otherwise featureless areas, and, because they are rarely mowed, they lower the cost of road maintenance. They provide habitat for birds, butterflies and other wildlife, and they reappear every year.

A Summer Sampling: Hydrangea, Photinia and a Bag of Blood

It's time to answer your garden and landscape questions as we roll into midsummer.

A Garden the Founding Fathers Would Approve Of

In keeping with the spirit of 1776, here is a list of plants that represent principles stated in our Declaration of Independence and Constitution, altered as though greenery could declare, "all plants are created equal." Plants are entitled to roam free, provide food, inspire, live long, be independent and protect their territory, help the environment, and promote democracy in the world of flora.

Rainy Season a Reminder to Fix Drainage, Percolation Problems

This rainy spring will be remembered as the season gardens didn't need irrigation. Grass was lush, shrubs and trees stayed wet, ponds and outdoor planters didn't require topping off. Other than weeding, it was a labor-free spring -- provided your property was well drained.

Chucking Woodchucks, Hedging on Hedge Spaces

It's time again to answer your garden questions.

Grow Your Knowledge: Name That Plant as It Blooms

In the 1950s, I watched a television game show called "Name That Tune." The goal was to name a song in as few notes as possible. This inspired me to invent a game called "Name That Bloom," where the objective is to identify plants as you see them blossom.

A Moment to Think It Over

New growing seasons offer opportunities to remember how your plants fared last year and consider what you'd like to see this season. Your garden could need only small changes: Maybe azaleas have gotten a little unkempt and need pruning. Perhaps bed edges require a touch-up, a tree is too big or a specimen plant too small. Careful and constant maintenance always makes a big difference.

Wildlife-Resistant Landscaping

Homeowners want to enjoy looking at lush plants, but don't want wildlife to enjoy consuming them.

The Right Walls to Shut Out the World

Fences and walls add stability, enclosure and additional design elements to a property. They mark boundaries, keep children and pets safely inside, and provide comfort and privacy.

Spring Blooms With Activities for Plant Lovers

Spring is a time to take advantage of lectures, workshops and tours. These are free unless otherwise noted. Call ahead to see if registration is required.

Dangers That Can Lurk in Your Landscape

Most people consider gardens and landscapes fairly safe spaces except for the patches of poison ivy you weren't paying attention to or the tick habitats here and there. But, unless safety considerations have been taken into account, the landscape can be an extremely dangerous place.

Joel M. Lerner's Green Scene: Springtime Advice on Spraying, Pruning and Critters

It's time for more spring questions.

Maximizing Color While Minimizing Work

Gardeners who are seeking a lot of color with little maintenance can get both from summer-blooming bulbs, which should be planted soon.

Behind Some Plants' Beauty Lurks Danger

When designing ornamental gardens, homeowners usually think about looking at the plants, not eating them. However, many plants can be poisonous. One of the most common ways young children are poisoned is by eating pretty berries or flowers that look like candy.

Beer vs. Slugs, Magnolia vs. Wind and Other Reader Quandaries

It's time to answer more of your gardening questions.

Non-Toxic Alternatives to Keeping Pests Out of the Garden

Pest control doesn't have to be toxic.

Using Moss to Create a Dramatic Garden

Perhaps you think moss grows like a weed because you see it everywhere -- on patios, garden furniture, lawns, the side of your house, on trees and in poor soil. It does, but only when it's happy.

When Designing a Garden, Don't Leave Out Rocks

Not so long ago, people wanted to get rid of rocks in their yards. Now they often request them as part of the trend toward more natural-looking gardens.

Avoid Design Mistakes, From Plant Choices to Lighting

Design errors can create a lack of harmony and comfort in your garden. Here are the most common landscape design mistakes.

Pruning Shrubs

There's still some time left to wrap up winter gardening chores before spring -- cleaning up, renewal pruning, composting and some mulching should be done before the sap starts flowing.

Keeping Temperamental Christmas Roses Happy

It's time to answer some more gardening questions.

Your Garden as a Haven for Nature's Little Helpers

A natural garden can create a home for birds, butterflies, bees, chipmunks, rabbits, turtles, frogs, snakes, bats and more -- all while requiring less pruning and preening. But it takes the right flora to get the fauna to appear.

Don't Forget Your Plants When Choosing a De-Icer

After a slapstick-style fall on our icy driveway last week, I am fortunate to have my bones intact. That pratfall, which would have made Jerry Lewis proud, reminded me that how we melt ice is important to the safety of people, pets and plants.

Cultivate Your Gardening Knowledge Outside the Back Yard

There are so many lectures, seminars and workshops at botanical and estate gardens, arboretums and parks in the Washington area that there's not room for me to list them all. However, here's a rundown of places that conduct classes without requiring that participants be part of a degree program. Several of the university programs do require an application for admission.

Designing a Garden From the Ground Up

Most homeowners approach landscape design in a way that is meant to meet their immediate need, whether that is screening, groundcover, shade or flowering plants. The proper approach to landscape design is multi-dimensional -- considering interest on ground, vertical and overhead planes.

Inside the Mailbag: Misbehaving Roots and a Miniature Railway

It's time to answer your garden questions again -- in winter, when time is spent out of the garden, planning what can be done to enhance it in spring.

It's Time to Sharpen Your Gardening Tools

"Man is a tool-using animal . . . without tools he is nothing, with tools he is all," wrote Scottish essayist Thomas Carlyle.

Colorful, Sculptural Branching

In winter there's not much to take your attention away from the structure or colors of trees and shrubs. You can appreciate them for their branching habits and bark, not just because they supply the "canopy" or "spatial enclosure" of the landscape.

Mulch Improves Garden Beds

Mulch is a gardening mainstay because it protects and nurtures plants while improving the look of many landscapes. Plants need different types of mulches depending on the season.

Garden Beauty That the Eye Can't Behold

It's understood among landscape designers that the aesthetics of a garden go considerably beyond visual beauty to encompass sound and touch.

A Treasure Chest of Gardening Wisdom, for You or Those on Your Gift List

One school holiday assignment I never minded was to read a book of my choice. So, here are my picks for some landscape and gardening books for your holiday reading and gift list this year.

To Personalize Your Garden, Think Beyond Plants

When homeowners cut their landscaping budget, they typically get rid of things such as garden pools, fountains, walls, seating, sculpture, containers and lighting. But these elements, which can be grouped together as "site amenities," contribute to the impact of a garden.

As Fall Fades, Tips to Keep Your Garden Growing

A new crop of questions sprouts as fall changes the dynamics in our gardens.

With These Activities, Gardening Need Not Take a Holiday

Here are some upcoming holiday and horticultural events for November, December and January. They're free unless otherwise noted. Call ahead to see whether registration is needed.

Plants That Burst With Fragrance

A neighbor stopped by last weekend holding a piece of shrub with a dainty, sweet-smelling flower on it. His wife walked past the plant daily and absolutely had to know what is was. Fragrance does that to people.

Prophetic, Accomplished, Eloquent, Cathey Was a Giant in the World of Horticulture

Henry Marcellus Cathey, who died on Oct. 8 at age 79, was a brilliant plant scientist who understood the world of horticulture far beyond the boundaries that his doctoral degree and study as a Fulbright Scholar offered.

Nature's Brew Brings Out Fall's Beautiful Palette

We can look at a calendar and know that it's fall. But how do the trees know?

How to Save Money in the Garden

People are trying to figure out how to save money everywhere they can. A lot are becoming interested in growing their own fruits and vegetables.

Gardening With an Eye to Helping the Environment

There are many gardening practices you may not have thought about that can make a big difference in the health of the environment. Here are a dozen:

Tending the Garden, Sparing the Ecosystem

Here's the test: How do you feel when you see a large slope planted with English ivy?

This October, Focus on Spring

This month, possibly more than any other, is the time to ensure that your garden stays healthy and blooming next year. It's a great time to assess and improve your landscape.

As Fall Sets In, Take Time to Walk, Learn and Listen

Lectures, workshops, tours and other programs are available around the region this fall. They're free unless otherwise noted. Many require registration, so call ahead.

A Lesson in 'Rainscaping': Building a Garden That Makes the Best Use of Water

It's been raining a lot lately, this being hurricane season. While it's good to leave our drought of the past three years behind, it's clear that sudden drenching rains, or sustained heavy rain, can cause flooding and serious damage.

Sustainability Starts in Your Own Back Yard

As gardeners, we are at the forefront of the new Green Revolution.

Sprucing Up the Late-Summer Garden, Adapting to Shade and Battling Ivy

As summer comes to an end, you're still busy in your gardens.

Training the Climbers: A Guide to Vines

Vines can be trained onto almost any structure -- deck, porch, shed, pergola, wall, fence, pole or arbor. The type of climber being trained determines how it should be attached. Plants climb in different ways:

Seeking Shelter in Your Garden

Gardens existed before gardeners, but gardeners can claim credit for the idea of shelters and trellises, structures that allow us to come closer to and enjoy our plants more in their natural setting.

Where Have the Butterflies Gone?

Here are answers to some of your summer gardening questions.

Helping Nature Help You

A well-researched landscape design can go a long way toward lowering energy costs and putting homegrown food on the table. Nature has given us the tools to save money while being environmentally conscious.

Much to Learn and Admire in the Dog Days

Take advantage of some interesting exhibits, lectures, workshops, tours and other educational programs in August. Events are free unless otherwise noted. Many require registration, so call ahead.

Your Thoughts Have Turned to Vacation, but Don't Go Until You've Done These Chores

There are several important tasks you should tackle in the garden before you leave for your August vacation.

A Midsummer Garden's Blooms

There's always something blooming in the Washington area -- even on the hottest days of summer.

Healing a Magnolia, Pruning Redbuds and Perfecting Peonies

It's time for more of your gardening questions.

Help for Your Hands, Feet and Plants

Good footwear, gloves, tools, irrigation and plant-enhancing materials can make gardening safer and more enjoyable. Here are some new products that my associates and I have tested recently.

Prof. Lerner's Reading List For Garden Design 101

When it's time to rest from weeding and watering, consider some books on landscaping that will educate you about planting techniques, what to install and how to design.

Keep an Eye Out -- the Perfect Plants for Your Garden Are Nearby

Every gardener wants plants that perform well, that are hardy, pest-resistant and long-lived, as well as aesthetically pleasing. But how do you find such stars?

After Spring Rains, It's Summer Chores That Keep Your Garden Lush

After plenty of spring rain, gardens are growing lushly again, a contrast with last summer's drought. So it's time to get back to normal garden management activities.

Assessing the Health of Trees, Preventing Lyme Disease and Attracting Butterflies

In the height of our growing season, your questions abound.

Keeping Ticks Where They Belong -- Away From Humans

Lyme disease is a concern for gardeners and anyone else who spends time outdoors.

Even After Heavy Rain, Trees May Need Help Surviving Drought

The drought is officially over, but its effects might continue for our area's trees.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Here are a few of my top do-it-yourself gardening guidelines:

Late Spring Answers on Tulips and Training, Butterflies and Begonias

Washington's growing season is in full swing.

The Right Plants to Attract Those Winged Works of Art

Now is the time to install plants that will attract butterflies so that these beautiful insects can spend the summer visiting flowers, drinking nectar, pollinating plants and adding animation to your garden.

For Most Any Day in May, a Way to Garden Better

Numerous lectures, workshops, tours and other educational programs are scheduled in May. Many require advance registration, so call ahead. Events are free unless otherwise noted.

In Every Garden, Fertile Ground for Fitness

Physical fitness might not be the main reason avid gardeners till, plant and weed, but regular gardening can help keep you fit.

Recommended Reading, and Viewing, for Garden Lovers

Here are my picks for landscape-related reading this spring, as well as a couple of DVDs.

Falling Berries, Doggy Patches and Heavenly Bamboo: Time for Early Spring Queries

It's time for your early spring gardening questions.

The Good, the Bad and the Untidy: Thoughts on Early Spring

With spring upon us, many plants are already in full bloom and will soon require attention. Here are some answers to questions that may arise regarding seasonal plant care in your gardens:

In the Lawn Debate, Plenty of Common Ground

Healthy turf offers more than a pretty green carpet and playing field. Lawn can protect against erosion, provide oxygen, trap pollution and even slow fire.

Springtime Nears, and Thoughts Turn to Renewal

Spring is right around the corner, so it's time to answer your late-winter questions.

Rake, Prune, Clean And Cultivate Before Spring Growth

Until now, fallen leaves and other winter debris have been protecting your plants. Now it's time to clean up before new growth begins.

Putting In a Good Word or Two for Sustainable Gardening

The green movement has grown dramatically in recent years, creating its own vocabulary to describe a variety of products and practices that purportedly are healthier for people and the environment. If you want to go green in your garden, here is a glossary of common terms you will encounter:

A Garden of Blooms You Can Set Your Clock By

Most floral clocks are simply outdoor motorized timepieces with ornamental flowers in the shape of a clock. But what if you could coordinate the blooming so that the flowers would open and close at set times of the day? Now that would be an innovative way to tell time.

Are You a Master of Mulch? A Scholar of Sweet Box? Prove It.

You've been reading about gardening over the years. Now it's time to see if you've been paying attention, by taking a challenging quiz. There is only one correct answer for each question. The answers can be found by reading my columns, or on Page F11, with ratings to tell you how you've done.