Leafcutter Bees Will Probably Use Houses for Blue Mason Bees

Q. Someone gave us a Mason bee house to use. I saw in a July 2011 post on your blog that there really aren't mason bees in the Las Vegas area but there are leaf cutter bees. Do you think the leafcutters would use the Mason bee house? I know leaf cutters stuff the hole with leaves so the fact that the Mason bee holes are larger might not be an issue.

Artificial Grass Not Damaging Lemon Tree

Q. My lemon tree is about five years old and it has a lot of flowers and tiny lemons.  The tree looks healthy but I have noticed the leaves are turning yellow.  I water it every day about ten minutes, six days a week.  We have artificial grass about a foot away around the trunk.  Am I overwatering it or is it the artificial turf the culprit?

Cold Damage is Different for Different Oleanders

Q. For the past couple of years my oleanders have suffered severe frost damage and slow to recover in the spring. They are all mature plants.  While I was trimming the dead leaves recently, I noticed that the oleanders with red flowers had less damage and were recovering more quickly than the others that have pink flowers.

Can I Use Chipped Pine for Mulch Around Fruit Trees?

Q. Our neighbor's pine trees are going to be cut down soon. I would like to use the wood chips from the tree as mulch for our recently planted fruit trees. I remember you recommend 4 inches deep. What are your thoughts on fresh mulch as this?

Smokey Grey Color in Your Lawn Means Water

If you see that smokey, green or grey color in your lawn it is a good sign that the grass is not getting water in those spots. Check for blocked or broken sprinklers in that location.

Don't Forget to Thin Apples and Pears When Fruit are Small

Apples and pears require aggressive thinning particularly if you did not space your bearing limbs far enough apart.You can still do some summer pruning if the canopy is too dense.

Harvesting Early Can Keep Fruit from the Wind and Hungry Birds

The fruit in the grocery store looks good. But frequently when you taste it the taste does not match the look of goodness that you thought was there. This is why.

Gopher Plant Adds Interest to a Desert Landscape

Gopher plant adds a lot of interest to an otherwise boring desert landscape due to color and texture during bloom and even after bloom. Use it as a specimen (planted alone as the center of attention) or in masses if you have a large area. In masses, plant them two to three feet apart.