Question: I am looking for a fairly small flowering tree. I like crape myrtles, but there are a lot of those already in my area. I want something different. Do you have some suggestions?

Answer: Crape myrtles are beautiful and durable, but it is always a good idea to have numerous kinds of plants in an area to increase aesthetic interest though the year, provide more options for pollinators and wildlife and as insurance in case a disease or pest decimates one kind of plant. 

A few alternatives to consider include American witch-hazel (Hamamelis virginiana), Ozark witch-hazel (Hamamelis vernalis) and other witch-hazels, Carolina silverbell (Halesia carolina), flowering dogwood (Cornus florida), Kousa dogwood (Cornus kousa), blackhaw viburnum (Viburnum prunifolium), sarvisberry/serviceberry (Amelanchier spp.), chaste tree (Vitex negundo and Vitex agnus-castus), pomegranate (Punica granatum), Eastern redbud/American Judas tree (Cercis canadensis), Chinese redbud (Cercis chinensis), wintersweet (Chimonanthus praecox), sweetbay magnolia (Magnolia virginiana), saucer magnolia (Magnolia x soulangiana), star magnolia (Magnolia stellata), grancy graybeard/American fringe tree (Chionanthus virginicus) and Chinese fringe tree (Chionanthus retusus). Some of these are larger than crape myrtles and some, such as pomegranate, are more shrub-like but can be trained as small trees.

American smoketree (Cotinus obovatus) and common smoke tree (Cotinus coggyria) do not have typical “showy” flowers, but they are attractive nonetheless. They cover the trees with a misty, smoky haze.

Don’t limit yourself to trees with showy flowers. Consider small trees with colorful fruits. Two examples are winterberry (Ilex verticillata) and possumhaw (Ilex decidua). These native deciduous hollies light up the winter landscape with red berries and can make a display as bright as a tree covered with flowers.

A horticulturist at your local nursery or garden center will be able to tell you more about the plants listed here and even make other suggestions.

Q: I received a bluebird house (nestbox) for Christmas. Is it too early to put it up or do I wait for spring?

A: Go ahead and put it up. The Eastern bluebird is a permanent resident of Georgia and the bluebirds may use nestboxes for roosting on cold nights. For more information visit the website of the North American Bluebird Society (www.nabluebirdsociety.org).

Q: What are mole beans?

A: Mole bean is another name for castor bean (Ricinus communis). Castor beans are sometimes planted to repel moles, but they have not been shown to be effective, especially for a large area. The plant is not a bean. In fact, it is poisonous so children should be warned not to eat any part of plant, especially the seeds.

Castor bean is often grown as an ornamental plant. There are purple and green-leaved varieties. The plants grow six to eight feet tall and have large leaves that can provide a bold, tropical look to a garden. They are easy to grow from seeds which are available from garden centers and catalogs. Prepare yourself before you open the seed packet; the seeds look like bloated ticks. In fact, the genus name Ricinus may come from the Latin word for tick.

Castor bean seeds are the source of castor oil. Heating during the oil extraction process denatures and deactivates the toxic protein ricin that the seeds contain. Trying to extract your own is not recommended.

The castor bean is believed to be the plant (translated as “gourd” in the King James Version) that grew up and shaded the prophet Jonah after the city of Nineveh repented following his preaching there (Jonah 4:6). So besides being an ornamental and a possible mole repellant, castor bean may also be a good choice to illustrate a Bible story in a church garden.

If you have questions about agriculture, horticulture, food safety or services or products regulated by the Georgia Department of Agriculture, write Arty Schronce (arty.schronce@agr.georgia.gov) or visit the department’s website at www.agr.georgia.gov.