Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, November 27, 1994                   TAG: 9412270032
SECTION: HOMES                    PAGE: D1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: JOHN ARBOGAST
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

TRANSPLANT VINCA IN SPRING

A: If you believe predictions for another severe winter in our area, plan to transplant your vinca ground cover in early spring before the weather gets hot.

Prepare the soil in the new bed before you dig the old plants. Include the following tasks: eliminate perennial weeds and grass that might compete; loosen soil in the new bed to a depth of 6 to 8 inches; thoroughly mix in organic matter such as peat moss, leaf mold or compost, plus a balanced garden fertilizer such as four cups of 5-10-10 per one hundred square feet.

Then, to transplant, select individual plants that may be single shoots from random spots in the established bed. Use a pointed trowel to dig up little root balls by digging out about three or four inches from the shoot(s). Push the trowel down to cut any root runners that connect the plant to its neighbors. Then, simply insert each transplant in holes in the newly prepared bed so that the soil comes up on each shoot at the same height as in the old bed. Water transplants well and soak the new bed about once every four days during dry spells during the first growing season.

Q: We have a mature maple tree that provides summer shade for our deck. At the base of the tree, the area has suffered soil erosion over the years. The tree's roots are exposed. We would like to improve this area with a shade garden but do not want to damage the maple tree. Can we fill in with top soil, covering the exposed roots, without harming the tree? C.O.W., Roanoke

A: Maples are shallow-rooted trees that naturally produce surface roots. Covering the roots with six inches or more of soil would slowly suffocate the tree. For that reason as well as the potential for damage to roots that could result from digging to plant shade-loving shrubs there, establishing a shade garden under your maple composed of big plants would not be a good idea. Also, maple roots are vigorous competitors with other root systems trying to survive in their soil. Establishing a shade-loving yet tough ground cover planting like pachysandra under a maple might work with supplemental watering.

Send short questions about your lawn, garden, plants, or insects to Dear John, c/o the Roanoke Times & World-News, P.O. Box 2491, Roanoke, Va. 24010-2491. We need your mail, but this column can't reply to all letters. Those of wide appeal will be answered each week. Personal replies cannot be given. Please don't send stamps, stamped envelopes, samples, or pictures.