THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, February 25, 1996 TAG: 9602230066
SECTION: HOME PAGE: G3 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: GARDENING REMINDERS
SOURCE: Robert Stiffler
LENGTH: Medium: 83 lines
MARIGOLDS ARE A good cut flower, but few gardeners use them because of their odor. Anna Rose Kiesow of Wauseon, Ohio, in the February/ March issue of ``Birds & Blooms'' magazine, writes: ``Marigolds certainly are colorful and cheerful in a garden and can be the same inside the home. You can make nice bouquets by sweetening them first. Put a couple of spoonfuls of sugar in the water and let the flowers stand overnight in the garage. That usually eliminates the odor for me.'' NEW WEAPON AGAINST SLUGS
There's a new way to control slugs, described by C.L. Galvan of Eureka Springs, Ark., in the new ``Organic Flower Gardening'' magazine. ``All my gardening is done in containers, and the slug situation was unbelievable,'' Galvan writes. ``I bought big bags of inexpensive cat food and poured it on the ground for the cats. Turns out the slugs loved it. Every night they cleaned up what the cats left. My container plants grew huge and the slugs never bothered them.'' MAGAZINE FOR COOKS
``Kitchen Garden'' is a new magazine from the publishers of Fine Gardening, considered by many one of the best garden magazines published today. ``Kitchen Garden'' is a new kind of food gardening magazine for those who like to cook and for cooks who cherish the flavor and purity of garden-fresh vegetables. The first issue, on newsstands now, is colorful and helpful, including many recipes. Cost is $24 for 6 issues. Call (800) 283-7252. CHECK YOUR MOWER
It's not too early to sharpen your lawn mower blade. It needs sharpening before the season begins and again around July Fourth. Check your mower now and make sure it has fresh oil. Remove stale gasoline and add fresh before mowing. LESSONS FROM THE ZOO
The Virginia Zoological Park has many gardening classes scheduled throughout the spring.
Here's a schedule:
Horticulture Volunteer Class, four-week program starts March 6, 9 a.m. Learn about houseplants, roses, perennials, annuals and landscaping. Call 441-2374.
4-H Children's Garden, March 2, 8:30 a.m. Children ages 7 to 11 cultivate a vegetable, herb and flower garden. Call 441-2374.
Garden for the Blind and Children, March 2, 10:30 a.m. Participants start plants in the zoo's greenhouse and move them to individual plots. Call 441-2374.
Garden for the Mentally Challenged, March 9, 8:30 a.m. Participants grow their own vegetables. Call 441-2374.
Early Bloomers, Saturday mornings from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Children ages 3 to 5, with an adult. Topics: worms, March 16; birds and plants, April 20; butterflies, May 18. Call 626-0803. SET UP A ROADSIDE STAND
If you want to start a roadside produce stand, you'd probably be helped by a new publication called ``Growing for Market.'' It's a monthly newsletter for those who direct-market produce and flowers. Cost is $27 for a year's subscription (12 issues) mailed to GFM, P.O. Box 3747, Lawrence, Kansas 66046. MOVING TIME
Now is a good time to move shrubs or small trees, but there are a some guidelines to remember. ``Gardenias and daphnes do not like to be moved. Privets, hollies and euonymous don't mind,'' says Dot Wilbur in the North Carolina Botanical Garden bulletin. ``Sasanqua camellias mind, but they can be moved. Although everyone doesn't agree, most believe that it's smart to prune the plant back by at least one-third after moving. Also keep it well-watered and provide a good layer of mulch around the plant.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Burpee Seeds
Marigolds can be used inside if you get rid of their odor.
by CNB