Questions heat up along with temperatures

The heat continues to create more questions. Here are other expert's answers and mine:

Question: A couple of weeks ago you mentioned using a sod cutter removes a major portion of a tree's feeder roots growing in the lawn and may cause tree decline. How do we remove sod under our olive tree without destroying its feeder roots? We are putting in a water-conserving landscape?

Answer: Russ Thompson of Sunkissed Horticulture said it's very simple. Let the lawn grow to develop lush growth. This way you develop more leaf surface for a more thorough killing of the grass. Then spray it with Round Up, which only gets into plants through the leaves. Within 10 days the lawn will die. Finally, mow the grass down to the thatch or bare ground. This doesn't destroy the tree's feeder roots. Mulch over the area and keep the tree well watered out to its dripline.

Q: How can we stop my neighbor's elm tree roots from coming under our fence?

A: Dennis Swartzell of Horticulture Consultants said to dig a foot deep trench along your fence line. Place a root barrier sold by nurseries vertically in the trench and refill it. The barrier will prevent further encroachment.

Q: When can we move cactuses in our yard?

A: Now is an ideal time, cactus expert Dave Turner said. Follow the planting with a deep irrigation, then don't water again for two weeks to encourage a faster root establishment.

Q: What are some shrubs we can use to create a hedge between the neighbors and us?

A: Consider dwarf myrtle, feathery cassia, oleander, pomegranate, pyracantha, shiny xylosma and Texas sage. The plant labels will note their dimensions.

Q: Why are there so many flies around my roses?

A: Aphids producing honeydew may attract them. Wash them off with a strong jet of water. Manure and sewage sludge also attract them.

Q: Why is my African Sumac dropping so many leaves?

A: First, it's shedding last year's leaves. Overwatering creates excessive growth so the inside leaves can't get enough light so they drop. If this is the case, thin out the tree. In Africa, they get very little moisture and do fine, so back off the water.

Q: Why is our 3-year-old Palo Verde flowering less each year? We irrigate it and the shrubs under the tree with emitters, and it's sitting on caliche.

A: With shrubs under this tree, you are overwatering it, and with caliche below, root rot may set in. Palo Verdes like infrequent irrigations. If your shrubs are drought tolerant you can get by with weekly waterings.

Q: How can I attract bees to my zucchinis? I never see any in my garden.

A: Plants need full sun at sunrise when bees are most active. Consider planting marigolds or zinnias to attract the bees or hand-pollinate, play bee by transferring pollen from male blossoms to the female blossoms. Do it early when the pollen is fresh.

IRIS PLANT SALE

The Las Vegas Iris Society iris sale is 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and June 24 at Plant World Nursery at 5301 W. Charleston Blvd. It's your chance to get award-winning, locally adapted irises at reasonable prices.

BOOK REVIEW

I had Master Gardener Ginger Swartz review a new book called "Women in Their Gardens." Here is her review:

If gardening is your passion, you'll enjoy stories of women's involvement with plants and gardening told by author Catherine Horwood. It's well researched and entertaining, telling of accounts spanning from the Elizabethan Era in England to modern times and illustrate the influence of women in horticulture.

As Horwood writes, women became interested in storming the bastions of then-male-focused horticultural studies for a variety of reasons. Some women gardened to provide income for their families. Others had been "banished to the country by harsh spouses" or as "solace for grief or scandal," or began collecting exotic plants as an adjunct to their husband's business travels. Garden lovers saw horticulture as an intellectual pursuit.

Many women became serious horticulturists and plant collectors even though they were denied participation in the academic pursuit of horticulture until the 20th century.

If your garden comes before anything else or you're a casual gardener, this book is fascinating and a readable collection of stories from 18th-century England to the influential Victory Gardeners of WWII making it a valued addition to your library. It's published by Ball Publishing.

Linn Mills' garden column appears on Sundays. He can be reached at linnmillslv@gmail.com or (702) 526-1495.