Print edition: 
The Extension Master Gardener Hotline is open for questions about gardening from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. weekdays at 316-660-1000 through October. The master gardeners also can diagnose plant problems; bring samples to the Sedgwick County Extension Education Center at 7001 W. 21st St. (21st and Ridge Road) for diagnosis.
Here are a couple of questions the master gardeners fielded this week.
How do you keep tree roots from coming up into raised beds?
If you are placing a raised bed within the root zone of trees, line the sides and bottom with landscape fabric before putting the soil in. Silver maple can be one of the "rootiest."
What are the pinkish red beetles with black spots that are congregating at the base of trees?
This oval insect (less than 1/4 inch long) is the pink spotted lady beetle. This species ranks second to the convergent lady beetle (all kids call these lady bugs) in numbers in Kansas. During the winter, lady beetles gather under leaf litter at the base of trees and under loose bark and start to emerge in the warm days of spring. These lady beetles will be on the lookout for the first aphids of spring. They are beneficial insects.
