Bjcooper's Outbox

Ivy is not good to allow to grow up a tree. As the ivy grows up, the leaves get larger too. I had several trees I had allowed to do this, then I read an article that said ivy was not good for a tree. So I cut it all at the base and it has taken several years for the vines to fall off. I keep it pulled off now. It encourages parisites to invade I think.

You might try sprinkling pepper around the plants, you do have to keep re-applying this though. Like deer, they are hard to control. I also I tell the bunnies to go across the street where my neighbors plant lettuce!!!
:-)

Sorry, I reread your question, if these spots occur only where the dog pees, then I surely don't know the answer, but I do know about brown spot in grass in the South!

In the south (USA) brown spot occurs after the temps rise above 80 degrees and if grass has plenty of water. We treat our grass with Immunox by Spectracide found at most garden centers or big box stores, but you have to do it before June or before the temps go above 80 degrees. Once you see brown spots it is too late, but treat it to stop extensive damage to the lawn. I believe it needs to be treated every 30 to 60 days too to keep brown spot from occurring. The brown spot will not grow green grass again this year, but reseed this fall for the grass to return next Spring, then treat in May for brown spot.

Has the magnolia never done this before? We have a very old magnolia, while it flowers the leaves fall all over the yard and the tree looks sorta wilty, when the flowers stop, the leaves will stop falling and the tree regains life. Most of the leaves that fall are brown though.

There is a Hydrangea that is a climber, and if you did not put it where it can climb, I guess it would do well as a ground cover. I believe it should eventually have flowers, mine has not flowered yet either, I planted it probably two or three years ago.

My neighbor has a female kiwi on a stand above his mail box (huge), it flowered this year for the first time, I believe it was planted 3 years ago. His male kiwi is very small, planted a year ago, but is needed to produce fruit which will take probably two more years he says, not sure if the male will flower but it has to have something I would guess to make fruit, don't you think. :-) Also, you need to know that kiwi grows all over the place, once it takes off it just grows everywhere if not on a support of some kind. I grew one on a pregola and eventually cut it down because it took over.

Tomatoes can be planted in the ground, you might try Sevan Dust (hope I spelled that correctly) to keep bugs from eating on the plants. If the plants are small, it will take a while before you get tomatoes. In North Carolina we don't actually get tomatoes till about July and we plant them usually on Good Friday in the yard (that's Friday before Easter).

I think the elephant ear will put out more leaves as the summer goes on. Do not cut it back, just wait and watch! They are pretty easy to grow.

If all else fails, plant ivy, I did that in our yard under lots of shade trees and I keep the ivy in check by putting large rocks around it. The ivy trys to grow over the rocks but I trim it with the shrub trimmer to keep it neat and it just flourishes inside the rocks. It never grows beyond the rocks though. It will grow up trees, so I keep it pulled off the trees.

Orchids like to be pot bound, let it grow for a while as is. I bought an orchid Feb. 2007, it bloomed till June, then in the summer I put on the patio, watered it, I think fed it maybe a few times, then in the fall of 07, I thought I'll throw this away, but I did not have the heart, so I brought it in, put it in my office, and it started to bloom Jan. 2008 and still has 5 flowers on it right now! They are not hard to grow! Don't pamper it.

I believe this is a type of orchid, our stores in NC have lots of these. The leaves are characteristic of orchids. It is quite pretty!

It doesn't look like it is getting any sun where you have it. I would put it outside for the summer not in hot sun but filtered light and see if it revives and starts to have new growth. I put my house plants outside in the summer and they seem to get enough renewed strength to make it through the winter months inside.

It is a Crown of Thorns, in Naples, FL, it is planted all over the place which I think is dangerous as the thorns are very long.

Just curious, what do you put around your bushes to make them look so neat and clean?

Could also be a hosta.

Money plants do better in the sun, they are biennials, which means they bloom every other year. The seeds will fall and start new plants with no help. I harvest my seeds that are still on the plants in the fall so I can throw some out next spring, that way I have something blooming every year now. The first year you will have beautiful green plants, the second year you will get the most beautiful purple flowers in the spring! I get so many seeds I have shared with neighbors. Enjoy!