THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, December 17, 1995 TAG: 9512150096
SECTION: HOME PAGE: G4 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: GARDENING REMINDERS
SOURCE: Robert Stiffler
LENGTH: Long : 105 lines
NOW IS THE TIME to pick up bargains on perennials. You can plant through December.
I ordered some Oriental poppies by mail in the fall and received nice but very small plants. Recently I saw some in one of the best local garden centers being sold for $1.97 each, which is what I paid per plant by mail. Those in the garden center were three times the size of the mail-order ones.
If you need perennials, get them now. Perennials are a burden for garden centers to winter over, so they're usually offered at bargain prices this time of year.
While you're bargain-hunting, bulbs are often marked down before Christmas to clear the inventory, so you might want to buy more of them. GROUNDHOGS GO FOR APPLES
Can woodchucks, also known as groundhogs, and apple trees co-exist peacefully? No, say Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station scientists, reporting in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden newsletter. Nearly all apple trees located less that 5 feet from active groundhog burrows showed evidence of gnawing, while trees located l00 feet away showed no damage.
If you have groundhogs, either trap them or plant apple trees far away. Groundhogs often are a problem around waterways. BECOME A MASTER
It's not too early to sign up for Norfolk Master Gardener training, which begins Feb. 1. Classes are from 9 a.m. to noon Tuesdays and Thursdays at Norfolk Botanical Garden. Trainees are expected to return 45 volunteer hours in approved gardening projects for the city of Norfolk.
Those interested may sign up at Larchmont Library on Wednesday, Jan. 20, from 10:30 a.m. to noon or Thursday, Jan. 22, from 1 to 3 p.m. Call 683-2816 or 588-2187. BOUGANVIELLA[sic] SUCCESS
Almost every gardener who visits Florida is spellbound by the beautiful bouganviella. But most have found it's difficult to grow here because it's a tropical plant. Dr. Dania Karloff of Chesapeake told me she grows huge, beautiful red and orange bouganviella. She says the plant wants to be root-bound, and she feeds them all summer with Miracle Gro. They start blooming in May and bloom through the season.
Before cold weather, she cuts her bouganviella back 50 percent and brings them indoors. This is her second year with the same plants, and she says there's no reason why they shouldn't grow for years. NEW FISH FERTILIZER
If you like to use organic fish fertilizer, it'll be available in dry form in garden centers next spring. Alaska Dry Fish Fertilizer will be available in seven formulas. The supplier says one 7-pound bag will feed nearly half again as many plants as one 9-pound (1 gallon) of liquid fish fertilizer feeds, at the same price. NEW CAMELLIAS TO TRY
You can plant camellias all winter, so long as the ground isn't frozen. Smithfield Gardens has a contact in New Zealand who is propagating new varieties. The first two offered by Smithfield Gardens are Donation and Elsie Jury.
The only person to my knowledge in this area who has grown Donation is veteran grower Ira Heffner. He gave me one he air-layered and it was a beautiful cranberry color. Elsie Jury is said to look like the Debutante but blooms later. Debutante is a beautiful pink camellia that looks somewhat like a carnation. It often blooms so early that cold weather browns its petals. These new plants are small but cost only $10 in 1-gallon containers. Call 399-4331. IN SEARCH OF AN OLIVE TREE
A reader recently asked where she could buy an olive tree. Bear Creek Nursery is as good a source as there is and even they may not have it. Bear Creek is a favorite supplier of unusual plants for J.C. Raulston at N.C. State University arboretum. Bear Creek's catalog is free by writing to P.O. Box 411, Northport, Wash. 99157. FAX (509) 732-4417. LAST CALL FOR FERTILIZING
It's time to give your grass its last fertilization for the year. You might have done it last month, although Virginia Tech recommends December as the right time. Brickman, the large horticultural service organization, says to apply a heavy dosage, of up to 2 pounds of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet and that ``cheaper is better.'' The aim is for chemicals to be drawn into the plant for winter ``storage,'' giving turf a head start next spring while stimulating root growth. ``The expensive, slow-release fertilizers run the risk of freezing up before they are fully absorbed into the plant tissue,'' according to Brickman's. HORTICULTURISTS CONFERENCE
Horticulturists from across the country will gather at the Virginia Beach Pavilion on Jan. 22 for the 27th annual Professional Horticulture Conference of Virginia. More than 60 speakers will enlighten 1,500 professionals on ways to improve their skills. Topics include landscape design, nursery and greenhouse production, interiorscapes, lawn and tree care, xeriscaping, wetlands, retail business practices and retail florist seminars. A trade show accompanies the conference.
Registration before Jan. 6 is only $50 per person for the three-day event. For information, call (804) 523-4734 or fax (804) 366-9604. by CNB