THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 31, 1994 TAG: 9407290103
SECTION: HOME PAGE: G2 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: GARDENING REMINDERS
LENGTH: Medium: 84 lines
MOLES AND VOLES are probably the No. 1 lawn problem of most homeowners in this area. Everywhere you go, they're being cussed and discussed.
The best solution is milky spore, which gives grubs a disease that lasts for 20 years, eliminating most of them. Moles prefer grubs as food. Milky spore is off the market and may never return.
The next best solution is an insecticide that kills beetles and grubs, causing moles to leave. You have a choice of diazinon (Spectracide), Dursban and others. Dylox worked best for me and seems to last up to six months. It's available in garden centers.
As for voles, more and more folks are saying Ramik works. YEARNING FOR YELLOW
Yellow flowers have fallen out of favor in recent years. Karen Cutler, writing in the July/August issue of Harrowsmith Country Life, comments: ``Chromaticians warn that yellow can be tawdry and brassy and its associations aren't all that positive. Yet none of this comes to mind when I look at my yellow border. It beams. It glows. Yellow, as garden grande dame Gertrude Jekyll observed, is like coming into sunshine. While the garden reveals that I like yellow flowers, it's better proof of the fact that many of the best flowers - things that are hardy and don't require staking or spraying - are yellow.''
I agree that many of the easiest flowers to grow are yellow. If you were raised in the country, you'd like Harrowsmith Country Life. It's half country and half modern, so you get a little of the best of two worlds. CRABGRASS CONTROLS
Weeds and crabgrass are everywhere now. They thrive on hot weather and frequent showers. Pulling weeds has never gone out of style, but Roundup, Kleenup or Spectracide Weed and Grass Killers are faster and easier. In lawns, forget trying to spray crabgrass you already have. This damages good grass as well as crabgrass. It also isn't very effective. You can use a pre-emerge control to prevent more crabgrass from starting in late August when it makes a comeback. TOUGH TRELLIS
No need to paint a trellis or lattice in the garden any longer. Tuf-Tex has the attractive look of wood but actually is molded reinforced poly fiberglass. Ideal for the do-it-yourselfer, it can be cut, nailed or screwed without cracking or splintering. It's available in white, cedar and gray, plus three different designs. The cost is less than $30 per 4-by-8-foot sheet at home and garden centers. The manufacturer makes splash blocks for gutters and tree grates from the same material plus potting benches. If you can't find it, call (810) 235-0400. MYSTERY SOLVED
Several readers have requested the name of the rose- colored daylily pictured in the July 17 Home & Garden section. It's called Be Jeweled and is available from the Ballards in Chesapeake. Phone 487-0176. REPLANT GREEN BEANS
You can replant green beans and still get a crop. The same is true of tomatoes. If you grow your own plants for fall, you should seed cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and spinach. PUT PINE STRAW TO USE
Pine straw is falling fast now. Thunderstorms help bring it down. Rake and use it to mulch every plant you own. Since it constantly converts into compost, you can topdress old beds with new pinestraw to give them a fresh look. SOWING SEEDS
Sow seeds of perennials and biennials for blooms next year. This especially applies to native plants, now dropping their seed when growing wild. Hot weather and frequent showers are ideal for starting such flowers. Also divide and transplant iris, daylilies and Oriental poppies. CORRECTION
The Virginia Beach Garden Club's Fall Flower Festival is Oct. 12. The date given last Sunday was incorrect. Call 425-1613 before Aug. 5 to order pansies for pickup on Oct. 12.
Robert Stiffler by CNB