Ask the Gardener: Cypress, wild garlic, gnats and more

Everybody Gardens editor Doug Oster gets asked a lot of questions. A lot. And he doesn’t mind offering gardening advice. But rather than just limiting those answers to the person who asked, we thought it might be a good idea to share that wealth of knowledge with everybody.

There are three ways to send in your questions:

Email askdoug@535mediallc.com
Submit your question on our “Your Garden” section of our site
Send us a message on Facebook.

(The questions may be lightly edited for grammar/clarity/etc.)

cypress

Question 1: Cypress options

Janet: We have a shrub that deer ignore, making it a winner from the start. It does fine in shade. We would buy a couple more if we could be sure what it is. I’ve searched online and can say it is a cypress, but it is a tall shrub, not a ground cover. We thought we’d replace a couple of yew bushes whose only asset is surviving under a beech tree and feeding the deer in the winter.

Doug: There are many different forms of cypress: tall, short, fat and skinny, and they all are good choices as a deer-resistant shrub. Poke around at the local nursery and see what’s available, but also look online. Almost anything you see there could also be ordered by your local nursery.

Question 2: Wild garlic

Rich: I have quite a few plants growing in and around my garden that look like very skinny garlic plants. I’m thinking they are “wild garlic,” but when I look them up on the Internet none of the pictures seem to match what I have. I’ve pulled many out and some have a nice quarter-size bulb. They smell so good, and I’m wondering if they might be OK to eat?

Doug: Wild garlic is fine to eat. The greens are probably more popular than the roots, but if you’re a garlic lover, you’ll enjoy the bulbs. To be sure it’s not false garlic (Nothoscordum bivalve), just make sure it smells like garlic. False garlic grows a little south of us, but it’s something I have to warn people about because it can make you sick. I’ll be interested to hear what you think of the plant. As with any wild edible, start slow to see how your digestive system handles the food. The greens are best harvested now, before flowering. You need to get to the bulbs before the tops die back in early summer. I like to harvest right after a rain as they are easier to pull.

Question 3: Gnats

Dusti: A few days ago I noticed these little gnats on one section of my seedlings under a grow light. They are on just one side where I have watermelon and eggplant seedlings. They aren’t on any of the tomatoes or herbs I have, and they seem to hang out mainly on the soil. The plants all seem healthy, so I’m not sure what they’re from. Should I be worried about them ruining my plants and is there a way to get rid of them?

Doug: It’s nothing to worry about. Those are fungus gnats which tell us the soil is a little too wet. Let it dry out a bit, and the gnats will be gone. Since it’s so close to outdoor planting time, there’s no need to do anything else. When they are outside in the ground, the plants will be fine.

Question 4: Dogwood

Wesley: I was wondering about the roots of a dogwood tree: Are they attracted to sewer lines that come from the house like some tree roots are? I have one that has grown pretty big and not too far from my main sewer line.

Doug: No worries. Dogwoods are shallow rooted and won’t interfere with sewer or drainage lines like a willow or other species would.