Sperry: Grass underneath crape myrtles failing on account of pests 

Sperry: Grass underneath crape myrtles failing on account of pests 

Published 9:47 pm Sunday, February 15, 2026

Dear Neil: I planted white crape myrtles on the west and east sides of my patio 10 years in the past. As I sit there, I see a wonderful mist dropping to the bottom. The grass refuses to develop beneath the bushes despite the fact that it receives a number of hours of daylight every day. I’ve tried seed 3 times and sod twice. My daughter says it’s as a result of the mist is acidic. I don’t have that downside beneath pink and purple crape myrtles. What can I do?

The “mist” is being given off by bugs which have sucked sap from the leaves and twigs of the higher elements of the crape myrtles. It may very well be both from crape myrtle aphids or crape myrtle bark scale. To cease both of these pests you possibly can apply a soil drench of Imidacloprid systemic insecticide round every of the crops in mid-May.

As for the mist being acidic, that will or is probably not true, but it surely has nothing to do with the lack of grass beneath the crops. That can be on account of shading. All our Texas lawngrasses require 6 or 7 hours of direct daylight every day to thrive, particularly varieties which can be grown from seed. St. Augustine is our most shade-tolerant grass, but it surely wants that quantity of daylight as properly. If you need a grass look-alike beneath these crape myrtles, common mondograss (monkeygrass) can be your finest wager. You don’t mow it, nevertheless. It’s a shade-tolerant groundcover, not a turfgrass.

Dear Neil: I misplaced my dwarf kumquat tree in a freeze. I’ve tried to discover a alternative domestically, however the numerous backyard facilities say they don’t seem to be worthwhile to promote. Do you’ve any solutions of the place I would discover one?

I did a fast search inside the nursery trade lists to which I’ve entry and I do see many who will probably be providing Nagami and Meiwa cultivars because the spring promoting season reaches a peak. I believe you’ve been asking and looking too early within the season. Don’t hand over simply but. Obviously, the farther south you go in Texas the extra doubtless you may be to search out them.

Dear Neil: We are senior residents and have a tough time engaged on our knees. We have an area in our garden the place our new St. Augustine sod appears to be failing. It solely will get daylight from 1 till 3 p.m. every day. Is there anything we will plant there that might be low-maintenance and profitable?

When I inform of us that is the commonest lawn-related query I get, I suppose I can provide these first two inquiries as examples. I’d recommend the common (not dwarf) mondograss for you as I did to the primary reader above. I’ve used an excessive amount of it in my very own shady areas. I area tennis ball-sized clumps 8 or 9 in. aside into properly ready backyard soil. From that time on it fairly properly takes over. Other than hoeing out occasional weeds the primary yr there’s little you must do. Certainly no mowing.

I’ve additionally used English ivy, liriope, small quantities of ajuga, ferns, and dwarf yaupon and Carissa hollies. The greater problem is to not use too many forms of crops. You need to hold it easy.

Dear Neil: How properly do dahlias do right here in Texas? I noticed baggage of tubers in a field retailer this weekend however needed to ask earlier than I purchased them.

They don’t deal with Texas summers in any respect properly. Dahlias want cool, humid circumstances in summer season and early fall to provide the large blooms which can be so dazzling. That’s why they’re so well-liked within the Midwest and particularly within the Pacific Northwest. Dwarf dahlias do fairly properly for some time, however follow zinnias as a substitute. And better of all, plant the zinnias in early August to bloom in fall’s cooler climate. The depth of the zinnias’ flower colours will probably be supreme. Side be aware: purchase from native impartial retail backyard facilities the place you possibly can work with Texas Certified Nursery Professionals which have full-time native gardening expertise.

Dear Neil: We have simply purchased a house the place a bois d’arc tree is rising alongside a again fence. I really don’t thoughts the best way the tree seems, however a few associates have advised me I gained’t need to put it aside. Are there issues they’ve in a panorama?

If it’s visually enticing, I vote wholeheartedly to put it aside. They have a country enchantment to them due to their gnarly texture and behavior of development. Granted, their fruit is a multitude that you simply’ll need to hold picked up every fall, however that’s a small value to pay for a rugged outdated tree you’ll see from a distance. I’ve one alongside our drive and I wouldn’t consider taking it out. (It would most likely be the top of my chain noticed if I did. That wooden is hard!)

Dear Neil: I’m enlarging my patio. We have a mattress of Asian jasmine alongside that aspect of the patio and it must be dug up within the course of. Is it attainable to transplant Asian jasmine? If so, when and the way?

I have to admit I’ve by no means been requested that earlier than. If the planting is lower than 2 or 3 years outdated you would possibly be capable to accomplish it. The crops may nonetheless be traced again to their unique clumps. The runners can be a tangle, however they hardly ever root into the bottom. All you would need to do is raise them up and trim them again to six or 8 in. from the primary clump. Then you’d be capable to dig every clump with a sharpshooter spade. You’ll want to do this earlier than it begins rising within the subsequent a number of weeks after which get all of it replanted inside a few days. Honestly, it will be quite a bit simpler simply to start out with vigorous new gallon containers this spring.

— Have a query you’d like Neil to contemplate? Mail it to him in care of this newspaper or e-mail him at [email protected]. Neil regrets that he can not reply to questions individually.