THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, August 13, 1995 TAG: 9508130126
SECTION: HOME PAGE: G2 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: GARDENING
SOURCE: ROBERT STIFFLER
LENGTH: Medium: 95 lines
I have the most beautiful herbs, growing in pots on my patio - tarragon, chives, oregano, mint and sage. How do you store them so they will keep indefinitely? I know you can freeze them in water, but I'd prefer to dry them.
Suzanne M. Panneton, Virginia Beach
Norma Jean Lathrop in her book ``Herbs - How To Select, Grow and Enjoy'' gives this information on saving herbs: ``Cut herbs on a dry, sunny morning after the dew has dried. Remove seed heads and flowers just below the blossom. You can preserve herbs between layers of salt or in olive oil. The most convenient methods are drying and freezing. Hang the herbs in bunches to dry. This works best with long-stemmed, heavy herbs. Another method is to use a drying screen or an ordinary window screen. But the easy and considerably quicker way is in a microwave oven. Spread one layer of herbs over a paper towel on the bottom of the oven. Lay another towel on top. Run the oven on low for two minutes. If herbs are not fully dry, turn them over and run for another one or two minutes. Store in air-tight containers.
``Many leafy herbs such as mint, tarragon and sweet marjoram can be frozen. Herbs such as basil, fennel, dill, parsley, chervil and chives do not dry well but freeze perfectly. After washing, gently pat them dry, remove the leaves from their stems and place leaves in a small plastic sandwich bag; press out all excess air before sealing and put in your freezer. To salt herbs, alternate layers of salt and herbs in a covered crock or jar. Middle layers of salt should just cover herbs. Kosher salt is preferred. Basil and tarragon are two of the best herbs to preserve this way. Salting herbs not only preserves them for future use, but the salt takes on the herb flavor as well.''
My roses have always been beautiful, but last year I had a problem with white flies and black spot. A fine lady who is a 92-year-old organic gardener advised me to put nicotine water around the base of the bushes to prevent disease. Nicotine water consists of clean cigarettes without the filter, soaked in water. Do you have any knowledge of this preventive measure's effectiveness?
JoAnn Small, Southern Shores, N.C.
I am surprised that white flies bothered your roses, because they find other plants more to their liking. Are you sure it was not red spider mites? The damage often looks the same. To eradicate spider mites, spray under their leaves with a strong stream of water from a hose or spray with any product containing kelthane. Black spot is always a problem with roses. To prevent it, spray regularly with Funginex or 1 teaspoon baking soda, plus 1 teaspoon insecticidal soap in 1 gallon of water.
I am not familiar with nicotine water but doubt it would prevent black spot. Nicotine is used in some products for insect control, so nicotine water might keep some pests away. Many new roses for 1996 are shrub-type that require no spraying, so perhaps there are better days ahead. If you're interested in organically growing roses, buy one of the Rodale books on organic gardening.
I have a 5-year-old peony bush. Every year it produces dozens of buds, but they never bloom. The buds begin to open, turn brown and fall off. Can you tell me how to fix the problem?
Kathy Barton, Virginia Beach
Your peony may be planted too deep. Dig it up this fall and replant so the crown (sprouts on top of roots) is only an inch under the soil. Another problem could be botrytis blight. This can be prevented by carefully cleaning the bed in the fall and keeping it clean of dead leaves all season. Spraying with Bordeaux mixture every 10 days from the time leaves show until the flowers open will give good control. If there is no sign of disease, your peonies may have had bud blast, a physiological disorder. Its cause is uncertain but has been attributed to potassium deficiency, poor soil, low spring temperatures, drought, shade or root-knot nematodes. A late frost can kill buds, but is unlikely to do so five years in a row.
Can you help me find a supplier for pots, containers, tools and other supplies for bonsai?
James Bush, Norfolk
Landscape architect B.H. ``Pat'' Bridges, who is the local bonsai guru, says there is no local supplier who has more than a smattering of material. He says your best bet is to join the American Bonsai Society and receive their quarterly magazine. Send $20 to ABS Executive Secretary, Box 358, Keene, N.H. 03431. You also might like to affiliate with the local chapter, which meets the first Thursday of each month. Guests are welcome. For info, call 340-1829.
Help! WTAR Radio has pulled the plug on ``In the Garden'' with Andre Viette. The show, which aired Sunday mornings from 9 a.m. to noon, is one of the best sources for practical garden information. I urge your readers to write Jack Ankerson, Program Director, WTAR Radio, 168 Business Park Drive, Virginia Beach, Va. 23462 and ask him to bring back Andre.
Aubrey Beach Jr., Norfolk
Those who want to hear Andre Viette again now know where to write. MEMO: No gardening questions will be taken over the phone. Write to Robert
Stiffler, The Virginian-Pilot/Ledger-Star, 150 W. Brambleton Ave.,
Norfolk, Va. 23510. Answers will be published on a space-available
basis. For an earlier reply, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope. by CNB