THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, February 11, 1996 TAG: 9602090076
SECTION: HOME PAGE: G3 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: GARDENING REMINDERS
SOURCE: Robert Stiffler
LENGTH: Medium: 93 lines
WHAT DAMAGE DID last weekend's storm do to your plants? Not much unless you lost tree limbs, which many homeowners did.
Cold temperatures after the storm did the most damage, but snow and ice provided some insulation for plants. It's too early to tell, but Virginia Tech horticulturists say there may be damage to plants that are marginally suited to this area's winters - such as pittosporum, eucalyptus and fatsia. Fatsia usually comes back from its roots. The others sometimes do, sometimes don't.
Palm trees may have been damaged by the freezing weather, but Kathleen Denton of Pungo Palms says not to yank them out yet. For windmill palms, which are the most popular in this area because they are the hardiest, leave them alone until spring. If a central shoot comes out in the spring, the plant is alive. Spray immediately with a fungicide, Denton recommends. If you get a foul smell from the palm, it means the center is rotting, so hose it out and spray with the fungicide (Daconil is a good one) again every two weeks.
Kathleen and Ralph Denton started Pungo Palms last year after growing palms as a hobby. For more palm information, call them at 426-3677. HOW TO KEEP INCHWORMS AWAY
If inchworms drove you nuts last spring, there is a remedy. Inchworms are those tiny green caterpillars an inch long that drop onto you, your car, the fresh wash on the clothes line and other places where worms are not welcome.
Officially, they're called the ``spring and fall cankerworm.'' Extension agent Bill Dimock of Newport News, speaking at the recent Professional Horticulture Conference of Virginia in Virginia Beach, said they're a ``people problem'' rather than a plant problem, because they do little harm to plants.
He recommends wrapping duct tape around oak and other trees where they overwinter, and then wrapping Tanglefoot sticky tape on top of the duct tape. Worms trying to crawl under the duct tape are caught, and if they try to crawl over the tape, the Tanglefoot stops them. Dimock says that Tanglefoot wrapped directly against the tree trunk has sometimes caused problems. That is why he recommends using duct tape first.
Inchworms begin to hatch in March so you should take necessary precautions now. UNUSUAL GIFT FOR VALENTINE'S
If you're still unsure about what to buy your Valentine, how about persimmon cap earrings? They're made by hand by Esty Vollrath, the Virginia Beach banana and persimmon grower. They're available in gold, silver, natural, black, red, pink or white at McDonalds Garden Center, Virginia Beach; Peter Kwick copying center, 3253 Virginia Beach Blvd., Virginia Beach; and the Little Creek Amphibious Base tennis pro shop. If those locations are not convenient, call 486-3217. FANTASY IN FLOWERS
Flowers at Disney World's Epcot Center in Florida are always breath-taking but even more so in the months ahead. The gardens of Epcot are at their finest during the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival, April 19 to June 2. This is Epcot's third annual flower festival and will include a giant display of international flags ``painted'' with tens of thousands of flowers. For more information, call (407) 824-4321. CAPTURE BUTTERFLIES ON FILM
Want to know how to photograph butterflies? Dr. David Ahrenholz, butterfly authority and photographer, will address the Butterfly Society of Virginia at 2 p.m. next Sunday in the Virginia Beach Central Library auditorium. Local butterfly collector and authority Stan Nicolay says he met Ahrenholz, who is a nationally known burn surgeon in Minneapo, ``crawling around in the Amazon jungle years ago, and we've been traveling friends ever since.'' The meeting is free and open to the public. COLLECTED WISDOM
Now you can collect the wisdom of the Old Farmer's Almanac in one book. The Old Farmer tells how to grow your own cure for migraine headaches as well as re-use recycled soapsuds, do lunar harvesting and and recognize what perennial can kill you.
For a copy, send $19.95 for the ``Book of Garden Wisdom,'' to The Old Farmer's Almanac, P.O. Box 10214J, Des Moines, Iowa 50380-0214. Or call (800) 308-7658 for a free 15-day examination of the book. PRECAUTIONS FOR PECAN PLANTING
If you plan to plant a pecan tree this spring, be aware they don't produce many nuts until they are 7 to 9 years old. You'll get a lot more nuts if you plant two trees, with the second being a different variety. This allows both trees to cross-pollinate and bear. Make sure you have enough room, because mature pecan trees are huge. They need to be fertilized two or three times per year with a special pecan fertilizer. by CNB