THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, November 27, 1994 TAG: 9411240100
SECTION: HOME & GARDEN PAGE: G3 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: Gardening
SOURCE: Robert Stiffler
LENGTH: Medium: 77 lines
I have a mandevilla plant growing on a trellis next to my front door. I would like to know when I should bring it indoors and how far back I should cut it at that time. I would also like to know what kind of care it needs over winter. Should it be in a very sunny window, should I fertilize and water it often and should I clip back any green growth that appears? How early can I put it outside next spring?
Joan Kamrad, Virginia Beach
You should have taken your mandevilla in when nights became cool. They are a tropical plant from Chile. I hope you kept it in a pot, because they do not like to be transplanted.
There are several ways to winter it over, but most prefer to cut it back to 3 to 4 feet and put it in a cool room where there is light. It need not be in direct sunlight. Water it once every two weeks but do not fertilize it. You want to keep it alive but you don't want it to grow.
This plant is like a Holiday Inn for white flies. Check it often, because they can kill the plant. If you see or suspect any, get some white fly spray for houseplants and use it regularly.
Because mandevilla is tropical, do not put it outdoors before mid-May. If you do, it will sulk and not grow until the weather gets hot.
I'm enclosing a circular on the Virginia Urban Forest Council. I hope you can print information about our conference in your Sunday section.
Reba McClanan, Virginia Beach
Reba McClanan has been a real champion for trees in her many years of civic work and as a member of the Virginia Beach City Council.
The Virginia Urban Forest Council is a private, non-profit organization whose mission is to ``champion an improved community environment.'' Established in 1993, the council promotes an awareness of our community forests and the value of our trees. If you'd like to join, send them a check for $10. For information, write to Virginia Urban Forest Council, P.O. Box 3758, Charlottesville, Va. 22903.
In reply to a letter on a recent Sunday regarding woodpeckers, it is true that they do eat insects found in trees. However, they attack houses built from wood, looking for insects. My son is building a home in Duck, N.C. One morning, to his surprise, he saw eight holes in the side of his new home. At first, he thought it was done by children. Later he saw a large brown woodpecker pecking holes in his house. He has a picture of the bird doing it.
A neighbor told him the birds had ruined his house. The neighbor had to continually repair the shingles. My son called the animal control office, and they told him they did not know what to tell him to do. He tried to get the Cape Henry Audubon Society but had no luck.
He was told by friends to put rubber snakes in the windows and owls in the trees. He has done that. Since then, he has seen only two birds flying around. So don't let anyone say woodpeckers are harmless. They could destroy a house.
Mrs. Hazel P. Wilson, Virginia Beach
For some reason, the pecking birds in the Nags Head area seem to be more vicious than anywhere else around. Most letters complaining about woodpeckers come from that area. Because your son saw brown birds, they may have been yellow-bellied sapsuckers, which I'm told do more harm than woodpeckers.
There are various remedies, including putting a loud-ticking clock inside the house in the area where they peck. That is supposed to scare them away.
Tell your son to talk to Betsy Nugent, a veteran Audubon Society member, who may have better ideas. Her phone is (804) 428-4434. I'm sure readers who have had the same problem will be willing to share their solutions, so let's hear from some survivors. 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