Once again, it’s time to open my e-mail bag and see if I can help some readers who are having landscape headaches...

QUESTION:"I just bought my first house. Is there an easy way to remove St. Augustine grass around trees to make tree rings? I applied Round-up and am trying to pull it out by hand but I think roots go to China. Also is there any other method besides Round-up or Weed-eat to keep grass from growing under around a chain link fence? I have a half acre totally enclosed and cross fenced with chain link (yuk). thanks for your help." – Dayna

ANSWER: It would seem on the surface you are doing the right thing by using Round-up. However, you could use mulch next to the fence and plant some shrubs or vines that would partially hide the chain link fence. Some of the plants that come to mind are honeysuckle, vines or various shrubs. You might try blueberry plants that not only provide fruit that is great to eat but attractive in the landscape year-around. Fences are useful for a number of reasons but they do not have to look unattractive. By mulching and planting you will eventually get rid of the grass problem and have an esthetically-pleasing border.

QUESTION: "Your website is very interesting and informative. It’s a great site for an herb newcomer like me with a lot of questions. My main question for you is this: which herbs can I plant in fully shaded areas? I’ve read other sites that recommend parsley or chives for fully shaded areas. Do you agree? If not, which herb would you recommend planting inshaded areas, if Any?" – Marla

ANSWER: (My wife Cheryl is the herb maven in our family, so I turned this question over to her for an answer.) I like to plant and play around with herbs, too. From experience, most herbs do like full sun, though some will also grow in a filtered shady area. My chives have always grown and done well in full sun (be sure to not let the heads go to seed and drop or you will have chives popping up all over the place). Even though thymes generally require sun, I have golden thyme under a wisteria covered arbor and sage has grown well there also.

Try the same herbs in sun and shade to see which ones will grow for your area. Herbs that are hard to control like mints, you should plant in containers or it will be growing everywhere. Playing with plants is part of the fun and at the same time becomes a learning experience.

QUESTION: "We moved to our current location about three years ago. When we bought the house, the flowering crab apple tree in the front yard was beautiful. This year the leaves have been turning yellow right away and have brown spots on them. We also have gotten some of those wormy nests in the tree. We've been trying to kill them as soon as we see them. They're the nests that look like huge spider webs. What can we do?" – Jessica

ANSWER: What you may be experiencing with your crabapple, is a worm-type fellow that also gets into cherry trees. The best way to combat this is to spray the tree with Durispan or Malathion into the nest and surrounding branches of the tree. Also, spray the trunk of the tree and the surrounding soil out to the drip line of the tree. Next spring you will want to do the same early on just before and just after the first leaves appear on the tree.

You will need to add some kind of surfactant with your spray to extend the effect of the insecticide to produce the desired results. Surfactant is a sticker much like a mild glue that will keep the insecticide on the branches even after a rain. Spraying the ground will keep any critters from crawling up the tree. I would say that the tree may have experienced some stress, such as drought, that weakened it enough to make it more susceptible to insects.

The Plant Man is here to help. Send your questions about trees, shrubs and landscaping to steve@landsteward.org and for resources and additional information, or to subscribe to Steve’s free e-mailed newsletter, visit www.landsteward.org