SATURDAY, AUGUST 21, 2010 GREEN SCENE Extreme heat stresses plants and their caretakers


Wilting weather challenges growth


by Joel M. Lerner T


his summer has been a challenging one for keeping plants growing. Record-


breaking temperatures in July and August have created heat stress for plants. According to the National Atmospheric and Oce- anic Administration, the May-to- July period was the warmest on record for the Northeast and Southeast and the ninth-warmest for the Central region. This pe- riod produced record heat for the Washington area — and a bump- er crop of questions from area gardeners. Q. You mentioned in a column


that annual shearing was good for “emerald green” arborvitae. I have two, and in early spring I tied them gently to retrain the branches that had been pulled out of line by the heavy snow. After reading your col- umn, I’m guessing I should not shear them until next spring, but what do you advise? How should I shear them? When does growth begin in spring? — Dana and Ray Koch A. If you have corrected the growth habit by tying the branch- es together and they are begin- ning to grow vertically, leave them tied together for the rest of the growing season and untie the rope before growth begins next spring. When I refer to shearing, that means using electric or man- ual shears. The foliage can also be selectively pruned to lighten the weight on the branches. Keep greenery wider on the bottom than the top so sun will reach the entire plant. Do this pruning in mid-March just before growth begins in spring. Q. Yesterday I dug up three rose- bushes and in the process had to dig up at least a hundred iris bulbs that were entangled in the roots. I cut the green leaves and left about 6 inches of roots. Can I replant the irises now or should I wait until spring? — Barbara MacDonald A. The irises might have ma-


tured a little faster had they been transplanted in July, but it’s fine to transplant them now. Cut the fan of leaf blades to about half the original height and retain at least one healthy fan of leaves attached to a 4-to-6-inch-long root piece. The only viable roots, or rhi- zomes, are one-year-old pieces that should be firm without soft or rotten tissue. After they are groomed, plant rhizomes in soil that is about two parts native soil to one part compost, 1 to 3 inches deep. Firm the soil around the roots and allow the fans of leaves to protrude from the soil. Keep the area moist and well drained to encourage new root growth be- fore winter. Q. We had a row of Leyland cy- presses shading ferns. The ferns died back every winter and came up in spring for the past 35 years. But we lost every Leyland with the weight of the snow in February. The ferns came up this spring and looked good, but the sun eventual- ly took its toll. They are burned and look awful. Is there anything we can do to rescue them? — Tahma Metz A. Transplant them as soon as possible. The roots from which the fronds unfurl are drying out as you read this. Most ferns like moist shade and soil high in or- ganic material. Soak the ferns be- fore trying to dig them. When they’re moist but not muddy, dig the clumps and keep them on the shady side of your house, or plant them now in a woodland area. If they didn’t completely dry, some of the roots could still be viable. Get compost and mix it into the soil to keep it moist and improve drainage. Lay some shredded bark over the roots to protect the plants through winter. You might not know whether the ferns have survived until next spring. That’s when the fiddles emerge and re- new again into beautiful, healthy fronds. Q. We’re looking to replace some shrubs. I’d like something bushy or dense for privacy, so folks can’t see over the fence into the back yard. The area has a northeastern exposure. I’m dis- abled, so I can’t give the shrubs a lot of care. This space gets lots of


REAL ESTATE MATTERS Check loan costs while refinancing by Ilyce R. Glink


and Samuel J. Tamkin I’m starting to hear about


lenders that are offering 3.85 percent and even 3.75 percent on a 15-year mortgage, which makes me think it might be time to refinance. How do I find a good and trustworthy lender? If you do your homework, you should be able to find an excel- lent lender. Here’s what you should do:


1. Find four or five different kinds of lenders and spend time chatting with each of them. You should search out a national lender, a small bank that deals in portfolio mortgage loans, a mort- gage broker (ask your real estate agent for some referrals) and a credit union (if you belong or can join one). 2. Check your credit history and score. Go to annualcredit report.com to get a free copy of your credit report from each of the three major credit-reporting companies (and buy the credit score for about $9), or go to myfico.com for your credit score and report for $15.95. 3. Check your home equity. If you don’t have at least 20 percent in equity, you may have some trouble, even though Fannie, Freddie and FHA are doing loans of up to 95 percent of a property’s value. If you have an FHA or VA loan, you might be able to do a streamline refinance. 4. Shop around to find the best


deal. Once you have an idea of the


rate you might obtain, make sure you understand what it will cost you to obtain the loan. Make sure you understand the difference between costs that you must pay no matter which lender you use and costs specific to a given lend- er. You may find that charges dif- fer significantly between lenders, and that can affect your decision. I own a hillside/lakeside lot


in South Carolina. Recently, I hired a contractor to build a re- taining wall to stop erosion into the lake. Retaining walls in this area are common, necessary and large. The contractor I hired also built a home ad- jacent to my property. He has finished my neighbor’s home and my wall. I had a survey done for the contractor just prior to his building my wall, but when I had


a final survey done after the work was complete, I noted that the wall has encroached 3.4 feet onto my neighbor’s proper- ty. The encroachment is not lo- cated in any accessible area and the wall is positive for both of us, since it prevents soil ero- sion from our properties. At the moment, I live in a dif- ferent state and plan to build my home on the South Carolina lot. I contacted my original South Carolina real estate at- torney to help me figure out what we need to do to remedy the problem. He said it is a diffi- cult situation since the bank where my neighbor has her mortgage holds title, and he doesn’t think I can get a formal easement. The wall is a single, huge concrete structure and cannot be easily modified to re- move the few feet encroach- ment. What are your recommenda-


tions? Make sure you keep all the


paperwork from your purchase of the lot, as well as all documenta- tion from the contractor who built the neighbor’s home and the retaining wall.


If your neighbor ever com- plains about the wall, she might have trouble forcing you to re- move it, since whoever sold her the home or built it on her prop- erty also built the wall. There is a concept in the law


that if a person watches a situa- tion develop at great expense to another individual, once it is complete he cannot complain and demand that it be undone. Although you may be unable to


get an easement from the neigh- bor with the lender’s consent, you might be able to get a document from the neighbor that gives you the right to maintain the wall on the property in perpetuity. Al- though the neighbor’s property may be encumbered by a mort- gage or trust deed, the easement may not be valid against the lend- er. But depending on where you live, the easement may be valid against the owner and future owners of the property. If you don’t get an agreement from the neighbor, you should keep a timeline of the construc- tion of the wall, the mistake made by the contractor who built the neighbor’s house and the failure of anybody to object to the con- struction of the wall during its construction. Hopefully, your


neighbor will see the benefit of having the wall where it is and will agree to formalize the ar- rangement.


My dad passed in October,


and my mom wants to quitclaim a rental property to me. The property has since been reap- praised at a current market val- ue of $65,000. Would the prop- erty tax remain the same? Also, if I sold the property in the fu- ture, would the capital gains start at the new appraised price or when my parents bought the property? I’m sorry for your loss. But why does your mother want to use a quitclaim deed to give you this property? It might be better for tax purposes if you simply inher- ited or purchased it from her. In some parts of the country, when you sell a property, the tax- ing authority will reassess its val- ue and raise the property taxes substantially. Frequently, tax-as- sessment freezes apply to an owner’s principal residence, but in some cases assessors don’t re- assess commercial properties to the same extent as when they are sold. It is when they sell that the assessor can see what the buyer actually paid for the property and then raise the taxes accordingly. Although you may receive the


property through inheritance or by using a quitclaim deed, you should talk to a real estate attor- ney in your area to see if either option would make a difference when you take title to the build- ing. In some counties, you can even call your local tax collector’s office or assessor’s office and talk to someone to determine how they would treat the transfer of the property, whether by quit- claim deed or by inheritance. Once you know what the im-


pact will be on the real estate tax- es, you’ll have to determine what the impact will be to you in the future if you inherit the property or receive the property by quit- claim deed.


Ilyce R. Glink is an author and nationally syndicated columnist. Samuel J. Tamkin is a real estate lawyer in Chicago. If you have questions for them, write to Real Estate Matters Syndicate, P.O. Box 366, Glencoe, Ill. 60022, or contact them through Glink’s Web sites, www.thinkglink.com and www.expert realestatetips.net.


You might not know whether the ferns have survived until next spring. That’s when the fiddles emerge and renew again into beautiful, healthy fronds.


sun. Any suggestions? — Nancy Willis A. If you have a fence for pro-


tection from late-day heat, most plants should thrive. Compost should be added to enrich the soil, and the new shrubs will need to be watered during dry periods. Judging from the height of most backyard fences, you’ll want a shrub that will grow about 12 feet tall. The only other decision is choosing between an evergreen or a deciduous plant. Evergreens offer strong screening. Decidu- ous shrubs have flowers but not much winter screening. Several evergreens to consider are Wich- ita blue juniper, green giant ar- borvitae, robin holly, oak leaf hol- ly and Chindo viburnum. Several deciduous shrubs to investigate are Chimonanthus praecox, Alle- gheny viburnum, hedge maple, common witchhazel and arrow- wood viburnum. All plants need care, but these should require fairly low maintenance. Q. My hydrangeas not only have sunburned leaves, but most of the flowers are burned as well. Should I deadhead the bushes and, if so, how far back can I cut the stems? I am wondering if deadheading will affect next years flowering. — Pat Ludden A. I am assuming that you are


discussing a florist hydrangea (H. macrophylla). Keep the shrubs moist. Do not deadhead them or do any hard pruning unless a stem is dead. Deadheading and hard pruning will affect your plant’s flowering next year be- cause flowers form on this year’s growth. If you are to have any flowers next year, you will have to tolerate their burned appearance until growth begins next spring. Q. I have some yard issues. The


first concerns English ivy and Vir- ginia creeper. What can I do to get rid of these climbing vines that


have taken over the yard? We’re concerned about weed killers that might harm animals but want to get rid of the ivy even if it means using a strong weed killer. We also had three trees removed and the stumps keep pushing new growth. What can you recommend to kill everything and keep the wildlife safe? — Steve Lease A. First, remove the most over- grown vines by hand, digging and pulling them. Even if you spray herbicide, the key is regular at- tention when vines are young and less-toxic materials can be used. Vinegar works on very young plants and is safe. Use a plastic sprayer that won’t cor- rode. Corn gluten meal will also keep weed seeds from germinat- ing. BioWeed Herbicide by Certi- fied Organics has a quick knock- down and is a fairly innocuous material. Every plant begins as a seedling, so keep areas in check by hand by using mulch or plant- ing low-growing flora to mini- mize weeds. Wear gloves, long- sleeved shirts and pants in case you encounter poison ivy. Learn what vines you have at garden centers or plant clinics held by your local county extension. Some plants that need to be con- trolled in their seedling stage in- clude: porceleinberry, wild grape, English ivy, Boston ivy, Virginia creeper and wisteria. Use Green Light Cut Vine & Stump Killer to rot your tree stumps over a period of years. It contains triclopyr, a toxic materi- al that is safer than some alterna- tives. It will kill the vegetation growing from the stumps, and then the stumps will rot. Be sure to follow label instructions. info@gardenlerner.com


Joel M. Lerner is president of Environmental Design in Capitol View Park, Md.


ASK THE BUILDER An easy way to take care of hard water, lime ogy classes. By Tim Carter


DEAR TIM: I’m at my wits’ end with toilet bowl cleaners. My toi- let has light and dark stains in the bottom of the bowl, as well as up under the rim. I’ve tried the usual brands of toilet bowl cleaner, but none does anything to cut the stains. What’s caus- ing the stains? And what, if any- thing, can I do to get my toilet looking respectable? I’m about ready to rip out the toilet and buy a new one. — Amy H., Lexing- ton, Ky.


DEAR AMY: I remember years


ago trying to restore a deeply stained toilet in the basement of a house I owned. I have clear mem- ories of wearing rubber gloves and goggles as I tried all the dif- ferent cleaning products at the grocery store as well as every type of brush and scrubbing pad known to man. The good news is that I even- tually succeeded, but only after I stepped back and thought about some of the things I had learned in my college chemistry and geol-


Based upon your description of the stains and your inability to make progress using ordinary cleaning products, I’m convinced that you’re a victim of hard water and lime buildup. It’s very com- mon in many areas of the United States, particularly where there are minerals in the water supply. You can also get a lime buildup in the bottom of the toilet bowl that starts to block the siphon jet hole. Water entering through the rim of the bowl can also be slowed by mineral deposits in the small holes under the rim. The best toilet bowl cleaner I’ve come across in these situations is muriatic acid. This is a powerful chemical that should be used with great care and respect. The fumes are nasty, and the acid can easily cause skin burns and ruin fabrics. However, when this acid contacts lime and other hard- water deposits, it rapidly dis- solves them. Once the deposits have been removed, the toilet looks brand new. I always start the cleaning proj- ect by using the standard toilet


bowl cleaners to sanitize the bowl. Once this is complete, I rap- idly pour five gallons of water into the bowl to simulate a flush. This leaves a small amount of wa- ter in the bottom of the bowl. Then I slowly pour about 12 ounc- es of muriatic acid into the bowl. Be sure the bathroom is well


ventilated, preferably with a win- dow open to exhaust the acid fumes. Wear tight-fitting goggles, rubber gloves and old clothes with long sleeves so that you have virtually no skin exposed. Care- fully use a toilet brush to spread the acid solution under the rim of the bowl. Do this multiple times over a period of 30 minutes. Let the acid solution work for up to an hour or two. If you have to leave the room always put the toilet lid down to prevent animals from getting into the acid solu- tion. If children are in the house, do not leave the toilet unattend- ed. Work until the job is finished.


Tim Carter is a columnist for Tribune Media Services. He can be contacted through his Web site, www. askthebuilder.com.


SANDRA LEAVITT LERNER FOR THE WASHINGTON POST It’s not too late to transplant irises for next year’s blooms.


KLMNO


DC MG PG


E3


I’mready to apply forahomeloan.


What’s next? Local, expert mortgage loan officers will keep you informed every step of the way. Visit: bankofamerica.com/myhome or call 1.866.659.3742.


Bank of America, N.A., Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender. Credit and collateral are subject to approval. Terms and conditions apply. This is not a commitment to lend. Programs, rates, terms and conditions are subject to change without notice. © 2010 Bank of America Corporation. ARHOU352


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