THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, August 20, 1995 TAG: 9508170076
SECTION: HOME PAGE: G2 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: GARDENING
SOURCE: ROBERT STIFFLER
LENGTH: Long : 130 lines
For years, I have wanted to grow a garden at our townhouse. Because we are renters, we are limited in what we can plant or what I would want to leave behind. I have two hydrangeas in plastic pots on the patio. Last summer they died back, then grew and died back many times. I watered often and kept them in the shade. What can I do to keep them healthy? I protect them in winter, but how long can they grow in pots before they should be put in the ground?
I also have several trees in large pots that started as seedlings from the yard and are incredible - over 6 feet tall. I am concerned they may not survive in pots much longer. The veins of some of their leaves are red. Could they be maples or more likely gum trees?
Our crape myrtle in an extremely sunny front yard has been brown for a while now. We can't seem to water it enough, and last year it bloomed slightly before turning brown again. How often should it be watered?
There is a small azalea in the same location that has done the same thing. Brown, small blooms; then brown again. We have put Miracle Gro on it, which I now know could have contributed to the problem.
The one thing I seem to be able to grow well are moon flowers. I collect seed pods in late fall, dry them and store in mailing envelopes. How long can they be stored before they will not germinate? They are fourth-generation plants from those my grandparents had.
I planted a rosy-peach chrysanthemum from a florist a few years ago and it bloomed beautifully. The following years nothing grew and I figured it died. Is it still possible to save the plant?
I look forward to your book this fall and would love to know where to find it. Like many others, a January to December calendar of plant care is what I have needed for years.
Martha Kimbrel, Chesapeake
Your hydrangeas need a cool spot and larger pots. Repot them in large cedar or plastic planters, keep them in shade and they should thrive.
For tree identification, if yours have opposite leaves, they are maples. If they have alternate leaves, they are gum trees. Trees, hydrangeas and many plants can be kept healthy for years in containers, but you need large containers, good potting soil and regular feeding and watering.
As to your azalea and crape myrtle problems, are they in a low spot that would keep their roots wet? If not, have you used weed and feed on the lawn around them? That would play havoc with either plant. Check your crape myrtle for aphids early in the season and spray with Orthene if needed. Aphids will limit their blooming. Miracle Gro is an excellent product, but it contains too much nitrogen for azaleas and many flowers.
As to your moon flower seed, it is not known how long germination may be viable. But keep it protected from moisture. Make sure the seed is dry, keep it refrigerated and Virginia Tech authorities say it should be good for four years.
If your mum has no foliage, it's gone. Most chrysanthemums sold by florists are meant to be houseplants and will not stay alive through the winter. I always cut off their tops after they fade and plant them outdoors and occasionally you'll get one that repeats.
My book is due out in October and will be a month-by-month review of what you should be doing in your garden. You'll see announcements soon on where it can be purchased.
Several years ago, you listed Sweet Inspiration rose as one that had little or no black spot. I bought some, and they are very disease resistant, as good or maybe even better than my Fairy roses. My Meideland ground cover red roses need more spraying, which disappointed me.
Is the enclosed ad on a tomato tree for real. What kind of plant is this really? Also is there a particular nursery that you recommend for daylilies? I am looking for evergreen, repeat bloomers and specialty types.
Some of my azaleas have yellow leaves. How can I determine if this is an iron, nitrogen or pH problem? My pH is 6.15. Should azaleas and rhododendrons be sheared after blooming? Finally, how big do Windmill palms get in Hampton Roads and how much space do they need?
Donna Brinegar, Chesapeake
The magazine ad you sent is for a ``tomato tree.'' It tastes like a tomato but is not a tomato. It is a Cyphomandra and is in the nightshade family (eggplant, etc.)
As to daylilies, three local growers can provide anything you want. They are Ballards in Chesapeake, Sterrett's on the Eastern Shore and Jerry Dickerson near Gloucester.
If new leaves on your azaleas are yellow, Virginia Tech authorities say it may be a nitrogen deficiency. Your pH is related to iron, but a pH of 6.5 is good for azaleas. In some varieties, older leaves turn yellow and drop off and that is a natural process. Never shear an azalea or rhododendron. For pruning, cut off some new growth each year or reach down into the base of the plant and remove a complete section.
Windmill palms in this area need winter protection. They grow 20 feet high and half that wide.
Sweet Inspiration is a good floribunda rose, and I can't say enough good things about the Fairy. Like you, I have found the Meideland ground cover roses do require spraying.
Do you have any recommendations to get rid of pigeons? A few months ago 10 to 12 appeared around my house in Kill Devil Hills. I had never before seen pigeons in our neighborhood and didn't realize how tremendously grateful I should have been.
I have many bird feeders and fill them with only black oil sunflower seed, following the advice of a seed merchant who said that black oil was not a favorite of pigeons. Millet and corn is preferred by those pests, he said. But the absence of corn/millet in my feeders has not deterred the pigeons. I have feeders with short perches for relatively small birds - finches, cardinals, chickadees - the Yankee Droll tube feeders primarily - but I even observed a pigeon hovering, wings embracing the feeder while he tried to perch on the short perch and actually had his head in the feeder.
Do you have any recommendations, short of gunfire or other acts of violence, or just not feeding any birds, for discouraging pigeons?
M. Gail Stagg, Kill Devil Hills, N.C.
There are two methods that work best to discourage pigeons. One is false owls, which must be moved regularly.
The other, and probably best method, is to use Tanglefoot on gutters, the roof and wherever pigeons light or roost. Determine where they are roosting at night and use Tanglefoot there, because pigeons don't like sticky feet. Tanglefoot is available in tubes in garden and home centers. Do not discontinue feeding the other birds, because they have grown to depend on you.
Last year I planted daffodils. Unknowingly, I removed their foliage after they bloomed. This year my daffodils came up with only foliage and no flowers. If I leave the foliage intact this year to nourish the bulb, can I expect flowers next year?
Ellie Cullom, Virginia Beach
Fertilize the bulbs now, remove the foliage after it browns and you should have blooms next spring. If not, give them another year to replenish their strength. Daffodils also don't bloom if they're in too much shade or the bulbs are overcrowded. Yours are newly planted, so that should not be a problem. MEMO: No gardening questions will be taken over the phone. Write to Robert
Stiffler, The Virginian-Pilot, 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