In the garden | El Dorado News

I have an area in my yard that has a nice buckeye tree. Growing under the tree is a carpet called Vinca minor. Now the land is invaded by weeds – especially wild violets. I would like to kill the weeds without killing the vine. A thought?

A Unfortunately, you don’t really have a good choice. Anything that would kill wild violets or any other broadleaf weed would also kill vinca. Your only option is to weed frequently until the violets and other weeds are eradicated, or learn to live with the combination.

I turned off my sprinkler system and drained it, but now I’m wondering if I did the right thing. He told me that I might still need to water this winter if it’s dry. I live in North Arkansas, and we had so much damage last year that I want to do everything possible to make sure my plants get through this winter as healthy as possible. What should i do?

Watering is certainly not as critical in the winter months as in the summer, but some years it is necessary. Usually in autumn and winter we have enough precipitation that we do not need to supplement. You did the right thing by draining your irrigation system to make sure it doesn’t freeze. If the conditions are dry, water the plants that are more critical. You do not need to water the lawn, and all trees and shrubs – except those that are planted again, in open or dry areas and container plants. An extra hose or sprinkler can do the job without employing the entire sprinkler system. Let’s just hope we have a better winter this year to give our plants a break.

Q: I found a growth of some kind on the underside of several leaves [the reader sent a photo]. It is fuzzy and light brown. Can you tell me what this is and if it is a problem that needs to be addressed? There are a lot of them, and I don’t often find them on oak leaves from other yards.

A You have a gall on the leaves. Cockroaches on the leaves can look scary, but they cause little damage when on the leaves. They can be hard or fuzzy, and some even come with polka dots! Galls can be caused by insects or a fungus, but in this case it is caused by a small mite. I know nothing to be worried about. Occasionally, different species of galls form on small branches or branches, and these can hurt; but yours is common on trees everywhere.

Help! I don’t have a green thumb, and someone gave me a poinsettia last week. It is already falling leaves. I’m afraid I’ll be dead in a week if you don’t tell me what to do.

Poinsettias are often killed by kindness – too much water. I make sure it is bright light or full sun during the day. Remove the leaf pot that the plant is in and put a table or plate under it to catch the water, but let it dry before giving more water. They also like moisture, not bone dry or water. With bright lights and even humidity, the colorful bracts can continue to be attractive long after the holiday season is over.

Q Do you know what the small trees and shrubs along many roads are? Do they have narrow, willow-like leaves and in November they are covered with small white flowers? I had one that came into my yard this spring, and it grew to 6 feet by the end of this season. I was wondering if it needs to be cut, thanks!

This is a common question every year. The plant in question is the earth tree, or Baccharis halimifolia. This native plant can be found commonly in the southern half of Arkansas. It is extremely showy this year, probably due to the mild winter and wet growing season. It is dioecious, which means there are separate male and female plants. The show is female, and the white color is silk hair, as you see on dandelion flowers. Female flowers will have many of these white hairs or hairs, while male flowers have few. They are quite a weedy look until the beginning of their fall flowering. The jury is still out on the groundsel’s place in the home landscape. Every year we see more and more on the roads, so invasiveness can be a problem. Watch for a year or two and see if it spreads.

Retired after 38 years with the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service, Janet Carson is among Arkansas’ best-known horticultural experts. His blog is at arkansasonline.com/planitjanet. Write to her at PO Box 2221, Little Rock, AR 72203 or email

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