Remember the wallpaper of your grandmothers, the vivid floral prints, or paisley prints. Wallpaper grew out of favor during the 1990s, however, is now coming back into style. Geometric designs are big now along with textured prints. Wallpaper now mimics the look of metal, marble, brick, and fabrics such as leather and satin.
It goes up easy and some have peel-off backing and is much easier to remove. I remember spending days applying a toxic solution to the paper and scraping it off.
The use of wallpaper has changed from doing the entire room in the same color and design to doing an accent wall or lower half of the walls. A textured paper removes the flaws in the room which paint can not do.
Last year there were two shrub pests and now is the time to control them. One is the honeysuckle aphid, a small black and white aphid that attacks the plant early and leaves twisted leaves and dead twigs. The damage will not kill the plant but leaves the plant unsightly with dead tips. Spray when the leaves just come out with Neom oil or a systemic insecticide.
Cotoneaster Mites
The other is the cotoneaster mites. They are small, around .02 inches long, and cause the leaves to curl in a knot with tiny spider webs around a group of leaves. The leaves blacken with a sappy substance on them from the secretions of the mites. Shrubs will die back after a few years of infestation. As with honeysuckle, spray early with Neom oil or a systemic insecticide. Now is the time!
Looking for a good shade tree for the backyard without any hassles?
Hackberry
There are many proven trees that you can grow starting with the common hackberry. A medium-growing shade tree getting around 55 feet tall and 35 feet spread. The only drawback is the nipple gall which forms small nipples on the underside of the leaf. These insects do not harm the tree in any way. A good substitute for the American elm.
Honey-locust
The honey-locust tree comes in many varieties with some not hardy. The common honey-locust tree used to have huge thorns and those pods. New varieties of this tree have bred these two bad traits out. Some good varieties are ‘Imperial”, “Shademaster”, and “Skyline”.
Kentucky coffee-tree
Kentucky coffee tree has an exceptionally large compound leaf like the honey-locust. Its best characteristic is the dark scaly bark providing winter interest. Drought tolerant and pest-free.
Cottonwood
Where other trees can not be grown, there is always cottonwood (Popular). If you are going with a cottonwood tree, get the cottonless variety. Some good cultivars are Bigtooth Aspen, Quaking Aspen, and Northwest Poplar.
Bur oak
Bur oak is the only type of oak that can be planted in our alkaline soils. Its popularity is limited because of its taproot, so transplants must be small. This tree deserves wider popularity.
Linden
American linden is a large stately strong tree making for a great shade tree. It may get basal sprout like many lindens, however, just prune them off. It has nice yellow fall color. Some other cultivars are the little-leaf linden, Crimean linden, and bigleaf linden.
American elm
American elm was the most grown tree in the United States until the Dutch elm beetle invasion. There are now disease-resistant varieties deserving of planting. These shade trees grow over 45 feet tall with a widespread producing shade under the tree.
