Hello, I am a new member and live in an upper hillside, heavily wooded subdivision in Anchorage, Alaska. I would like to eventually replace most of our 1/2 acre of lawn with large beds of shrubs and perinneals. I used to enjoy lawns until we moved to this house, and for several reasons have come to dislike our grass: 1. Anchorage has a moose overpopulation problem, and our lot lines are on two animal paths. The soil is so compacted from moose tramping about, that I fear the only way to improve the quality of the yard is to bring in new topsoil and replant grass; 2. Due to poor quality topsoil, the grass is very patchy, and weeds become rather abundant if I don't Weed-n-Feed; 3. Not only is Weed-n-Feed expensive ($120 US if every month) but it is not healthy for the water table, animals, environment, etc. 4. We also have a pond in the lower portion of our easement and I would hate to pollute it from runoff. So far the pond has supported frogs, ducks & geese in the summer, and moose year-round. Needless to say it's a bit overwhelming, but perhaps working on only one side of the house at a time would be a good way to break it down into manageable chunks. Any advice? I am halfway done with surrounding our lot with blue and green spruce, spaced about every 10 feet for screening. They grow rather slowly, but in a few years I should be able to look forward to some nice trees. I have planted Fat Alberts, green Oriental Spruce, Colorado Blue, Blue Foxtails, Bakteri Blues, and Black Hills Spruce. The ornamentals I've planted in front; I've started digging up and replanting the native spruce for the sides. I chose those particular varieties because most were on sale at Wal-Mart and Costco. Also, I put in two dwarf Alberta spruce on each side of the stairs to our deck, north-facing (hope it's enough sun). And, if I ever get more topsoil I will plant a Peking Cotteneaster between each tree out front. Any advice? I am in the process of putting in 22' long x 6' wide bed along the south side of our house. The soil in our area is very rocky and acidic, and takes forever to dig. I have purchased 3 red-leafed rose bushes, 3 peonies, 2 Siberian pea shrubs, one green and one blue variety of fountain grasses (3 each), 2 Miss Kim dwarf lilacs, a Sherwood Moss thuja, and some flowers. It's slow going but I expect to be done tomorrow. NOW FOR MY BIG QUESTION: Three years ago, in the aforementioned bed, I planted 3 Wichita Blue juniperus scopulorum, and now they are 4' high. Is it too late to cut competing leaders, or should I just let it grow into a bush? Supposedly they are disease-prone, which I did not know when I purchased them. Any advice for the Wichita Blue? ANOTHER QUESTION: has anyone trained the Siberian pea shrub (common Caragana) into a topiary? They make a wonderful hedge but I fear overcrowding in my new bed. Thanks much---- this is a great site. nlm.
Wichita Blue Hi Nlm: < NOW FOR MY BIG QUESTION: Three years ago, in the aforementioned bed, I planted 3 Wichita Blue juniperus scopulorum, and now they are 4' high. Is it too late to cut competing leaders, or should I just let it grow into a bush? Supposedly they are disease-prone, which I did not know when I purchased them. Any advice for the Wichita Blue? > Wichita Blue's normal growth habit is to have two or more leaders when it is young but as the plant gets older one leader will generally but not always take over and become the only real leader of consequence. With the usual upright, pyramidal growth habit common for these, I would leave this Juniper alone. There really is no real need in most cases to prune this Juniper but if you must it is better to pinch the tips rather than cut them. Most Junipers just do not respond well to pruning or shearing either. Here, Juniper blight should be more prevalent than where you are due to our heat. If your Juniper starts to turn brown in areas of the exterior of the plant, then use a copper or calcium based fungicide as a treatment. You may get what may appear to be a rust like disease in the interior of the Juniper but most of the times, in cooler climates, that is due to lack of sunlight. I doubt it due to your climate but it is possible I guess that you can get what bothers us the most and that is Mite damage. Many people here equate the rusting in the shaded areas in the interior of the Juniper to be a disease when for us it generally is an indication of a probable Mite or Spider Mite infestation. Jim