THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, November 27, 1994 TAG: 9411240089
SECTION: HOME & GARDEN PAGE: G3 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: Gardening Reminders
SOURCE: Robert Stiffler
LENGTH: Long : 106 lines
NEXT WEEKEND is the one time of year when White's Greenhouses opens its mammoth poinsettia growing facilities to the public. More than 100,000 red, pink, salmon, white and marbled poinsettias will be in bloom.
For every poinsettia sold during this open house, White's donates 50 cents to the Chesapeake Meals on Wheels program. Take your walking shoes and go. Santa will be on hand for the children. It will be open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dec. 3 and 4 at 3133 Old Mill Road in Deep Creek, Chesapeake. For directions, call 487-2300.
Cure for chapped hands
It's Bag Balm time. Last week I had such a sore heel I was convinced I saw a splinter in it, but it was just a crack in the dry skin of my heel. Sure enough, two nights of rubbing Bag Balm on it and it was well. Working outdoors this time of year, your hands become rough and chapped. Apply Bag Balm for a couple of nights and wear rubber gloves to bed, because the stuff is greasy. You can find it at Virginia Beach Feed & Seed, Princess Anne Farmer's Exchange and some drugstores and garden centers. It's the best.
All about native plants
Brooklyn Botanic Garden has just published a booklet about native plants, a subject every gardener should know more about. The booklet is titled ``Going Native,'' and it's full of detailed, practical advice for creating gardens of native plants.
Cost is $6.95 at the Norfolk Botanical Garden Shop or you can order direct by mailing a check for $10.70 to BBG, 1000 Washington Ave., Brooklyn, N.Y. 11225.
Stow the hoses
It's that time of year again. Put away hoses before water freezes in them and causes cracks. It's a cumbersome job but worth the effort. Drain them and store in a warm, dry place.
Source for organic products
It's sometimes difficult to find all-organic products. One source is Virginia Hydroponics, which was in Hampton but has moved to 368 Newtown Road in Virginia Beach, between Virginia Beach Boulevard and the toll road. Its primary purpose is hydroponics, the technique of growing plants in water. You can see tomatoes with ripe fruit in the front window.
Hours are 1 to 8 p.m. weekdays and 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturdays. Call 490-5425.
A shinier pachysandra
You probably can't find this plant now but next spring look for Green Sheen pachysandra. It's a new variety that will be available locally. It has the same appearance as the pachysandra you're familiar with, which is an excellent ground cover for shade, but this one has shiny green leaves. Remember the name Green Sheen.
Too late for the lawn
If you haven't seeded your grass for fall, you're too late. About all that will germinate now is rye grass, if we have some warm days. It's time for your second or third application of fertilizer, depending on what you've done to date. At least give your grass its second application of food before cold weather.
Advice for healthy turf
Because grass needs sunlight to make food, it's important to clear leaves from a lawn regularly. That's the advice of the Professional Lawn Care Association of America.
Plan ahead for Maymont Show
It's not too early to make your reservation for a one-day trip to the Maymont Flower Show in Richmond on Feb. 24. This trip will be hosted by my wife and me for the benefit of the Norfolk Botanical Garden.
The New York Times calls the Maymont Show one of the best 10 in the country. We'll start with a continental breakfast on the bus, be at the Maymont Flower Show at 10 a.m., hear Pam Harper talk about her new book at 12:30 p.m. and then have lunch. After lunch, you can visit the Monumental Church Flower Festival or the Museum of the Confederacy and be back at the flower show to hear Jim Wilson lecture at 3:30 p.m.
Total cost is $89, which includes a gift to the Norfolk Botanical Garden. Call 486-1911 for reservations. MEMO: EDITOR'S NOTE: We apparently made a mountain out of a mole hill last
Sunday. We ran some old advice from Alice Upham Smith recommending
pouring calcium carbide in active mole runs to kill the pesky critters.
We also passed along a tip from a garden writer in Oregon who suggested
you could find the chemical at welding supply houses. That's apparently
no longer true here.
Spokespersons for several local welding supply houses called to say
they do not carry calcium carbide and do not know of any sources. One
caller said the chemical is no longer readily available because of
tighter safety standards. We also heard from a sporting goods store,
which once carried calcium carbide for use in caving head lamps, but the
manager said they haven't carried it in at least eight years.
With calcium carbide not available, readers bothered by moles will
have to keep waiting for the list of plants that repel the garden pests.
ILLUSTRATION: Photo
White's Greenhouses will display its poinsettias next weekend.
by CNB