THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 31, 1994 TAG: 9407290102
SECTION: HOME PAGE: G2 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: GARDENING
SOURCE: ROBERT STIFFLER
LENGTH: Medium: 88 lines
I love Queen Anne's lace but had no idea how to grow it until you printed an article on it last summer. Until then, it seemed like a roadside weed. I gathered up some dried tops along a nearby road and scattered them beside my garage. Now I see several plants coming up, and a couple have flowers. They are smaller than in the wild, but I hope they survive and grow bigger next year.
Mrs. J.H. Gray, Norfolk
A year or so ago, I received several inquiries about how to start Queen Anne's lace. The best plan seemed to be to gather seed, which should mature in the next 30 days, and scatter it wherever you want plants next year. That is the way nature does it. This plant is a member of the carrot family and is a biennial. The small plants of this year should survive and produce large bloom heads next season. The seed is very slow to germinate.
This is in response to your article on vines. I have many cypress vines that I would be glad to share with readers. I also have five-leaf Akebia all over my fence, if someone would like to try to propagate it. It was purchased from Wayside Gardens. I also have these invasive plants to share: Obedient plant, goose-neck lysmachia, blazing star hibiscus, mint and vinca. Anyone who wants some can come dig them. It's hard to catch me at home, since I work a full-time job as well as operate my flower business. Best time to call is after 6:30 p.m. or on weekends. I live in Las Gaviotas in Chesapeake. Call 436-0955 before coming.
Glenda Fowler, Lasting Impressions, Chesapeake
I've been to Glenda's garden, and she's a good gardener. Here's your chance for free plants, but keep them watered this time of year.
After reading recently about Squirrel Away, a product designed to discourage squirrels at bird feeders, I thought you would be interested in the question-and-answer article I am enclosing.
Mary Harlow, Eastville
Squirrel Away is a natural product formulated from capsicum (pepper) seed pods. The article Mary Harlow sent is two pages of debate between the manufacturer, Scrypton Systems Inc., and Kevin Cook, who writes for Bird Watcher's Digest. If you want to read the entire article, you need the July/August issue of Bird Watcher's Digest, available at most libraries. I'm using Squirrel Away, and it certainly doesn't deter birds. It doesn't deter squirrels 100 percent, either. I've found that using it double-strength helps.
Recent dry weather in Great Bridge caused us to water our fescue lawn more than normal. As a result, we have an abundance of mushrooms growing all over the yard. In addition, we have greenish-white fungus appearing suddenly in our flower bed and sometimes at the base of our trees. What are your suggestions for dealing with these?
D.R. Burgoyne, Chesapeake
Mushrooms almost always are a result of organic matter in the soil such as decayed wood, an old stump or similar debris. If they're all over your lawn, that is puzzling. Spraying with a fungicide may help. This fall, lime your lawn thoroughly. Mushrooms don't last long in hot weather, so they may be gone by now. This fall, dig in the spot where you have the most mushrooms to see if there's an old log, tree roots or similar debris. If so, dig it out.
The white fungus in your flower bed is powdery mildew, a problem that often arrives this time of year. Zinnias, crape myrtle and roses are usually the first victims. Spray with a fungicide such as Funginex or Daconil. Repeat sprayings will most likely be required. There's little in the way of organic controls except to water roots only and not the foliage. Damp leaves help the disease spread.
Do you have more information on Arum lily, pictured in your recent story on ground covers for shade? The leaves of my plant seem to be the same as in the picture. I have had mine for years but have known it only as Winter's Heart, because they are out during the cold but die back when weather gets warm. They normally are gone by July 1. They have a rather drab, hooded flower but later have a stalk covered with orange seeds, which is quite showy. The seeds often are still there after the leaves have gone. They originate from a small bulb and have increased some.
Dorothy McNicholas, Virginia Beach
You have aptly described Italian Arum, often called wild ginger. It grows to 2 feet tall, with spear-shaped leaves and yellowish-green blooms in early spring, followed by orange-red fruit in summer. It spreads all over your garden from the seed heads. The foliage is attractive in winter, with large green triangular leaves and veins of white. It prefers moist, humus soil. MEMO: No gardening questions will be taken over the phone. Write to Robert
Stiffler, The Virginian-Pilot and The Ledger-Star, 150 W. Brambleton
Ave., Norfolk, Va. 23510. Answers will be published on a space-available
basis at the proper time for their use in the garden. For an earlier
reply, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope. by CNB