By Joel M. Lerner
Saturday, February 2, 2008
You've been reading about gardening over the years. Now it's time to see if you've been paying attention, by taking a challenging quiz. There is only one correct answer for each question. The answers can be found by reading my columns, or on Page F11, with ratings to tell you how you've done.
1. What are three proven deer-resistant plants?
a) Viburnum, English ivy and Japanese euonymus.
b) Barrenwort ( Epimedium), hosta and astilbe.
c) Bleeding heart, rohdea and hellebore.
2. How do plants obtain nutrients from granular fertilizer?
a) Absorb the granules through roots and leaves.
b) Absorb the nutrients as liquid by osmosis through mycorrhiza and "feeder" roots.
c) Absorb granules, as crystals, through large surface roots.
3. What chemical process does a plant use to make food?
a) Photosynthesis.
b) Respiration reduction.
c) Symbiotic relationship with soil.
4. What is often the reason that insects and diseases attack plants?
a) Healthy and vigorous growth makes them good subjects.
b) The plants go dormant in winter.
c) Poor site conditions stress the plants.
5. Do all plants
have flowers?
a) Yes. Flowers are necessary for all plants to procreate.
b) No. Plants in heavy shade don't produce flowers.
c) No. Flowers are produced by only a part of the plant kingdom.
6. What native plant has fruit that is excellent for making pies?
a) Serviceberry ( Amelanchier).
b) Sweetbay magnolia.
c) Summersweet ( Clethra alnifolia).
7. When were green roofs first built?
a) In the early 20th century, when Frank Lloyd Wright designed one in Chicago.
b) In the 15th century, the end of the medieval period, when gardens could safely move outside European castle walls.
c)2,500 to 3,000 years ago in Rome, and in the Tigris and Euphrates river valleys.
8. What's a shade-tolerant, low-growing (one to two feet) evergreen?
a) Sweet box ( Sarcocca hookeriana"humilis").
b) Andorra juniper ( Juniperus horizontalis"Wiltonii").
c) Mugo pine ( Pinus mugo var. mugo).
9. How do you know where to install a native plant?
a) Locate according to cultural requirements: moist or dry, sun or shade.
b) Plant where it will be most aesthetically pleasing.
c) Install only in the region where it's deemed native.
10. What's the best way to escape high pollen counts?
a) Line-dry your laundry.
b) Move to the Southwestern United States.
c) Go for a cruise way out into the ocean.
11. Which plant flowers in winter in this region?
a) Hellebore.
b) Tulip.
c) Dianthus.
12. Which plant is not native to this region?
a) Swamp azalea ( Rhododendron viscosum).
b) Hardy orange ( Poncirus trifoliata).
c) Virginia sweetspire ( Itea virginica).
13. Of the following plants that offer fall fragrance, which is a native?
a) Elaeagnus.
b) Osmanthus.
c) Common witch hazel.
14. When do you perform hard renewal pruning on broadleaf evergreen hollies?
a) Last week of February.
b) First week of May.
c) Middle of October.
15. Compost should never contain which of these organic substances, especially in urban areas?
a) Shredded paper, seeds and seed hulls.
b) Chicken guano, horse manure and coyote urine.
c) Cooked food, meat and diseased plant material.
16. What plant family feeds about one-third of the world's population?
a) Legume.
b) Cabbage.
c) Grass.
17. What has proven an excellent tree to line city streets?
a) Katsuratree ( Cercidiphyllum japonicum).
b) Goldenchain tree ( Laburnum X wateri).
c) Hophornbeam ( Ostrya virginiana).
18. What four conditions do seeds need to sprout?
a) Light, heat, fertilizer, water.
b) Light, heat, soil, water.
c) Light, heat, air, water.
19. When is the best time to prune deciduous trees?
a) During dormancy, after leaves fall and expose branching habit.
b) Before flowering or immediately after new growth in spring.
c) When they have grown so large that they need major pruning.
20. When should deciduous shrubs be pruned?
a) Generally, after flowering.
b) Spring-flowering shrubs in fall.
c) Fall-flowering in spring.
Joel M. Lerner is president of Environmental Design in Capitol View Park, Md. E-mail or contact him through his Web site,http://www.gardenlerner.com.
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