Q: I was wondering if you could help me develop some ideas for a dog kennel planting. I couldn't find anything specifically tolerant to dogs, but maybe you have an idea what would work in a dog kennel setting.

A: When you say dog resistant, what do you want the plants to be resistant to? No plant will survive with dogs chewing on the trunk, and I don't know of any plants that dogs won't chomp on. I think that would be more of a matter of the dogs' temperament in the kennel. Most dogs aren't going to chew on a tree trunk, but a bored one might. The best way to keep animals from biting on the plants would be to pick plants with thorns, but that won't work in this setting.

Since we are talking about plants for the kennel, I assume it has a gravel or mulch floor, not a concrete one. In this case, my biggest concern is urine salt buildup in the soil. The old adage of “the solution to pollution is dilution” will wash the urine away, but it could waterlog the soil; wet soil could cause a problem by drowning plant roots.

If you are looking for screening and shade with plants around the kennel, and not in it, many plants would do. I would stay away from plants with berries — they could drop in the kennel. Even if edible, berries may discolor the fur, or get in the paws and be tracked indoors.

Dogs running around in the same place all the time will compact the soil. If there is a limestone gravel base in the kennel, it will raise the pH of the soil. So, the plant we are looking for is tolerant of salt, contains a high pH and has excess water in compacted soil. The plant can't have thorns, berries or toxic leaves. And the bark needs to be stronger than a chew toy. The first plant that comes to mind is petrified wood.

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) has lists depicting plants that are toxic to pets on its website. Neither list completely covers all plants. And any individual dog could be allergic to certain plants.

Q: I planted white pine trees in the spring of this year. They seem to be growing quite fast. Can you please advise me as to where they should be trimmed so they will grow taller, but not as full?

A: Since this is your first year with these plants, I am sure they appeared to be growing fast earlier this spring.

During the winter, pines and many other trees have a bunch of tiny leaf buds compacted together in a large bud at the end of the branch. This bud is developed in the summer and fall of the previous year. If the plant is healthy and growing well, it will have a lot of new growth potentially ready to produce in that bud. When the weather becomes favorable for that plant to begin developing in the spring, that bud sends out the new growth.

All of the leaves, including the stem between each leaf expand in size, and growth stops for the rest of the summer as new buds are prepared for next year's reproduction. The tree will not become taller or wider the rest of the year. If the plant is experiencing a problem such as transplanting, drought, flooding, insects or diseases while the new growth is expanding, the new growth may not expand to its full potential size. The leaves or needles will be smaller and the stems and trunk will be shorter.

The full potential length of the new trunk and the branches is mainly determined the summer before it develops. If the plant is healthy, a lot of leaves are prepared in the bud. If the plant experiences a drought, flooding or some other malady while preparing the bud, only a few leaves are set in the bud.

Pine trees hold their needles for several years. When a tree is young and small, the branches have needles running up and down the whole length; however, as they become older, the needles will only be on the ends of the branches — the tree will appear more open.

Pruning the single, center trunk will make the plant shorter not taller. Any other cutting of the branches will cause the branch to send out more limbs, making it fuller. The only pruning that creates a thinner plant is removing side branches at their origin, on a main branch, without leaving a stub.

The pictures of these trees show pines shaped like perfect Christmas trees; they are cone-shaped and full all the way to the ground. I wouldn't do a thing to them.

E-mail questions to Jeff Rugg, Kendall County unit educator, University of Illinois Extension at jrugg@uiuc.edu. To find out more about Jeff Rugg and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

COPYRIGHT 2008 CREATORS SYNDICATE INC.