THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, November 13, 1994 TAG: 9411110120
SECTION: HOME PAGE: G2 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: GARDENING
SOURCE: Robert Stiffler
LENGTH: Medium: 75 lines
FALL IS THE best time of year for planting, and it's just as good for transplanting. If you're moving perennials such as dahlias, lythrum and goldenrod, be sure to cut them back to 6 inches above soil level. Move them with a clump of dirt. We've had frequent showers recently, but if that doesn't continue, water your newly moved plants every other day. LANDSCAPING RENEWAL
Diane Relf of Virginia Tech in Blacksburg says homeowners should be prepared to renew or improve landscaping periodically.
``Most shrubs need to be replaced with younger, more desirable specimens about every 15 or 20 years,'' she said. ``Locate tall shrubs on corners and shorter ones on each side of the front door. Avoid placing large shrubs under windows. Unless they are frequently pruned, they can grow too tall and block the window.'' POINSETTIA SEASON ALREADY
The Virginia Beach Garden Club is holding its annual poinsettia sale, with plants priced from $5 to $27. You can buy red, pink, white, peppermint or marbled. Call 422-3800 or 481-1566 to order. You pick up your poinsettias on Dec. 1 at 6300 Oceanfront. GET THE FEEL OF FLAX
The Francis Land House in Virginia Beach has a ``flax to linen'' program manned by volunteers. Costumed flax teams do a two-day demonstration at the State Fair of Virginia.
Volunteers are needed to work behind the scenes and help farm six 10-by-20-foot plots each year. Gardeners will prepare plots for winter planting of potatoes and wheat, followed by flax in the spring. If anyone wants to help grow flax and learn how to make linen, call Vicki Harvey at the Francis Land House, 340-1732. STEP BACK IN TIME
If you're near Charleston, S.C., later this month, take time to visit Middleton Place. Nov. 19 and 20 are Charleston Plantation Days, designated to highlight plantation crafts of the 18th and 19th centuries. Activities include weaving, spinning, soap making, candle making, blacksmithing, basketry, indigo processing, natural dyeing, sheep herding and folk music.
Middleton Place is on Ashley River Road, 14 miles from Charleston. It's a delightful place to visit. Call 1-803-556-6020. TREES NEED SHELTER TOO
``Young trees are like young children. Shelter them and they'll grow strong and tall,'' says John Miller, owner of Miller Nurseries, a mail-order fruit tree supplier. Miller says people often wonder why some trees seem to shoot up out of the ground, rich with foliage and fruit, and others never achieve the same height, robustness or yield.
``More often than not, it isn't something wrong with the tree,'' Miller says. ``It's whether a deer has chewed the buds, or a lawn mower has gouged the tender bark, or a rodent has chomped on the bark, or a dry spell has left the poor little tree parched.'' BANANAS BEFORE THE FROST
Esty Vollrath, the Virginia Beach banana lady, has a few banana trees left to sell before a freeze. They are available in all sizes, at $5 per foot. Call 486-3217. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
ROBERT STIFFLER/
Autumn is an ideal time to plant Butterfly Bush (Buddleia). Nursery
owner Mike Winsette shows the white variety, popular for attracting
butterflies.
by CNB