THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, February 12, 1995 TAG: 9502100086
SECTION: HOME PAGE: G2 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: GARDENING REMINDERS
SOURCE: Robert Stiffler
LENGTH: Long : 113 lines
CHARLES COVELL, the author of the Peterson Field Guide to Eastern Moths, will speak to the Butterfly Society of Virginia at 2 p.m. Saturday in the Norfolk Botanical Garden auditorium.
Covell is a professor of biology at the University of Louisville and curator of the University of Louisville Insect Collection. He also attended Virginia Tech and the University of North Carolina.
The illustrated talk about butterflies and moths is free and open to the public. Call 423-1682. ALL ABOUT CAMELLIAS
Members of the Virginia Camellia Society will present one of the most helpful workshops of the year at 8 p.m. Feb. 21 at the Norfolk Botanical Garden auditorium.
Members will teach how to do air layering, grafting, cuttings, pruning and disease control of camellias. For information on the free workshop, call 625-0374 after 6 p.m. PHILADELPHIA FLOWER SHOW
The Philadelphia Flower Show, the largest in the United States and often considered best in the world, runs March 5-12. The theme will be ``Moments in Time - A Galaxy of Gardens,'' and exhibits will include a World War II victory garden by Organic Gardening magazine and a moving spaceship with a 2005-style garden.
The show is least crowded in late afternoon and early evening. Call (215) 625-8280. IN SYNC WITH THE MOON
The 1995 Organic Gardening Almanac is just off the press and delves into growing healthier, tastier crops by working with the Earth and moon. It tells you the best times to plant by the moon. I found even more interesting the articles on planting a medicinal garden, keeping bees and how to make home-brew and ``drink your way back to good health.''
Cost is $5.95. To order, call (800) THE MOON or fax (612) 291-1908. Publisher is Llewellyn Publications in St. Paul, Minn., which has a host of similar books, including a moon sign book, sun sign book and a daily planetary guide. SLAVES OF MONTICELLO
At Monticello, slaves raised Jefferson's crops, tended his garden, built his house and cared for his children. This month, Monticello highlights the lives of slaves in a series of free Sunday events, commemorating African-American History Month.
The programs begin at 2 p.m. each Sunday. Monticello is a three-hour drive from Hampton Roads. Admission is $8; $7 for seniors; $4 for children 6 to 12; and free to children under 6. Call (804) 984-9822. GOOD NEWS FOR ROSE GROWERS
Here's good news for gardeners who want New Dawn, one of the best climbing roses in existence. Leon L. Johnson of the Tidewater Rose Society mailed a list of roses that will be available at Wedgewood Garden Centers this spring, and it includes New Dawn. Wedgewood also will offer The Fairy, another hard-to-find floribunda or small shrub rose.
Wedgewood, with locations at 1806 E. Little Creek Road in Norfolk and 3168 Holland Road in Virginia Beach, specializes in roses. There current order form lists up to 125 varieties, including tea, grandiflora, floribunda, climbing, miniature and old-fashioned roses. The plants are expected in March. To order, call either location. LEARN MORE ABOUT HERBS
Marilyn Sinkez, who has nurtured the herb garden at the historic Adam Thoroughgood House for 12 years, will speak to the Herb Society of America today at the Norfolk Botanical Garden. The lecture is free and open to the public, beginning at 1 p.m. Call 467-2979. PERK UP THE PANSIES
Gardeners continue to ask why their pansies look so lousy. Those I see growing in the ground look much better than pansies in containers. If yours don't meet your expectations, feed them now with an organic, long-lasting fertilizer and water them regularly. Pansies cannot stand wet feet so make sure your container or planting bed has good drainage. GARDENING IN THE WINTER
If you want to garden in winter, one method is growing hydroponically, without using soil. Several garden magazines have done product testing and written glowing reviews about HydroFarm grow lights. HydroFarm offers a catalog of lights, hydroponic supplies and all the things you need for growing under lights or hydroponically. Call (800) 634-9999. SAY IT WITH ROSES
Only two days left to order roses for your Valentine. Roses Inc. say that 84 million roses will be sent on Valentine's Day. Most are sold within 24 hours of Feb. 14.
Rose growers in the United States will provide 45 percent of the roses sold this Valentine's Day. Local growers provide fresh blooms to retail outlets within 48 hours, say Roses Inc. Imported roses may take four days to a week to reach the retailer. Given the perishable nature of roses, it is wise to ask for American-grown roses.
Roses Inc. recommends adding a floral preservative, available from florists, to the water in which you place your roses. According to the February issue of Organic Gardening magazine, researchers at the University of Arkansas disagree. They say this homemade recipe works better: 1 teaspoon vinegar, 1 aspirin tablet and 2 tablespoons sugar in 24 ounces water. They also found that the conventional advice to change the water in the vase every few days did not extend the life of the flowers. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Learn all about how to grow healthy camellias at a Feb. 21
workshop.
by CNB