Answers to Your Questions: Crabapple Trees, Northern Grasses, and Rhododendrons

Do Apple Trees and Crabapple Trees Crossbreed?

Question

We have two apple trees, but would like to cut one down. There are no other apple trees in the neighborhood, but there are several crabapple trees. Can crabapple trees pollinate apple blossoms?

Answer

Yes, pollen from crabapple flowers can fertilize apple blossoms. So even if your apple tree no longer has a “partner,” its flowers will be pollinated and you will have apples. However, the flowering periods of the two trees must overlap.

Grasses for the North

Question

I would like to know some varieties of ornamental grasses for zone 2.

Answer

There are few trial gardens in zone 2, so it is difficult to know which grasses are hardy in this zone. However, here is a list of ornamental grasses that are hardy in zone 3: many of these will probably grow well in zone 2.

• Lyme grass – Elymus arenarius
• Canada wild rye – Elymus canadensis
• Sheep fescue – Festuca ovina
• Red fescue – Festuca rubra
• Blue hair grass – Koeleria glauca
• Sedges – Carex spp.
• Tufted hairgrass – Deschampsia caespitosa
• Frost grass – Spodiopogon sibiricus

Rhododendrons and Springtime Stirrings

Question

I have a beautiful rhododendron that I protected over the winter and recently brought out of dormancy. However, we have had frost and even snow since then. Should I cover it again?

Answer

Do not cover it! “Winter protection” often does more harm than good if left in place for too long! Remember that the purpose of winter protection is not to protect against the cold (unfortunately, this is impossible), but to reduce the drying effect of the super-cold winter winds. However, there is no longer any danger of temperatures dropping to -35°C (-31?), so your plant no longer needs protection.

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Larry Hodgson has published thousands of articles and 65 books in French and English over the course of his career. His son, Mathieu, has made it his mission to make his father’s writings accessible to the public. The text was originally published in Le Soleil on May 13, 2006.