THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, March 14, 1996 TAG: 9603130153
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 16 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DAWSON MILLS, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Long : 110 lines
SOME FOLKS TRAVEL the world over in search of what pleases them most. Others find it in their own yard.
Master Gardener Kathryn Pruden, who lives with her husband, Jesse, in the Bethlehem Court section of Suffolk, knows very well what can be accomplished horticulturally with hard work and know-how.
The Prudens have nearly eliminated grass, ``a major polluter,'' from their lawn. ``The chemicals and fertilizer run off into bodies of water and the water supply,'' she said. ``About 90 percent of water pollution comes from homeowners.''
Alternative ground covers include blue rug juniper, ivy and ajuga (for both shaded and sunny areas). They require less maintenance, such as mowing.
Now, she said, is a good time if you're going to make the change from grass to something else. ``Winter is better, but you can do it up until the first of May.''
While Pruden isn't opposed to all chemicals and fertilizers, she stresses that they should be used moderately.
To use them in a healthy manner, a soil test is demanded. Packets with instructions are available, through extension offices, to be sent to Virginia Tech for analysis. For a small fee, you can learn what to add to the soil rather than fertilizing blindly. It can end up saving you money, and now is an excellent time to get the samples.
Beds, Pruden said, should be prepared by adding nutrients and compost; such preparation helps plants adjust. She prefers a slow-release fertilizer to weekly applications. In her beds, she also uses ashes, which can come from the fireplace or from burning leaves. For perennials, she recommends fertilizing around April 1.
If you haven't already, she says, cut back, prune and clean up what is there. After April 20, you can begin to set out annuals.
It's the same for vegetables, notes Pruden: test the soil and add the nutrients you need. Around now, you can put in cold weather crops: onions, cabbage, potatoes, peas, lettuce. The warm-season crops - tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash, cucumbers, watermelon - can go in after April 20.
Strawberries, she explained, require full sun and special beds, and should have been planted in the fall. You can put them in now for the following year, however; pinch the blooms off in May to put nutrients to the plant so they'll produce berries next year.
``It's definitely the time of year to add trees and shrubs to landscape,'' says Pruden. ``Do it before April 15.''
She recommends using plant starter or root stimulator, available at garden centers. Either will help fledgling plants develop new healthy feeder roots.
Now is also a good time to prune crepe myrtles, fruit trees, roses and butterfly bushes, according to Pruden. She recommends pruning evergreens in the winter and hollies at Christmas time, and using the cuttings for decoration.
Mulch can be added to beds now to good advantage, since it protects, conserves water and keeps down weeds. Pine straw is good; vegetable gardeners may also consider straw, hay and peanut hulls. Whatever is used, it should be 2 to 3 inches deep.
Pruden's yard is an officially designated Backyard Wildlife Habitat. At times, she and her husband have observed redwing blackbirds, squirrels, opossums, goldfinches, titmice, woodpeckers, wrens, sparrows, a hawk, and - in the summer - an occasional bat. There are, she notes, special plants that can be put out specifically to attract butterflies and wildlife. Should the thought interest you, now is a good time to start such a garden.
``The older I get, the more I'm drawn to gardening,'' says Pruden. ``As a small child, I remember flowers in my mother's yard, and my grandmother had a vegetable garden. My husband grew up on a farm and thinks vegetables are important. Flowers are OK, he thinks they're pretty and knows I like them.''
Pruden worked for Johnson's Garden Center during the '70s. Her interest and knowledge of gardening, she says, grew as a result of the experience, and her exposure to Virginia Tech grads.
``Tim Johnson,'' she observes, ``is the best.''
When the Master Gardener program came to Suffolk three years ago, she was among the first to sign up. The program earns its graduates a certificate after 50 hours of training. They are then required to contribute approximately 45 volunteer hours back to the state.
``It can be answering phones,'' says Pruden, ``or you can do a lot of things. We work with school children; I worked with the Junior Master Gardener program at Forest Glen Middle School, working with 11- to 13-year-olds. It was the first Junior Master Gardener Program in the state and possibly in the nation.''
Master Gardeners plant and maintain beds for the City of Suffolk, along the highways and other places. Pruden is the coordinator between the volunteers and the city and the Virginia Department of Transportation. There are already some 45 Master Gardeners in the program, and another 19 in a class that will soon graduate.
Pruden is just brimming with good information.
``The Virginia Gardener Newsletter'' is available from Virginia Tech for five dollars a year,'' she continues. ``You can contact a Master Gardener by calling any extension office. And certain yards are open to the public to visit; the extension office has the details.''
There's no doubt that Pruden has found much of her life's treasure right in her own back yard.
``Planting flowers,'' she said, ``can bring joy to others' lives.''
It clearly has to hers. MEMO: For more information, call the Master Gardener Hotline at 925-6409 and
leave a message.
ILLUSTRATION: Photo by DAWSON MILLS
Master Gardener Kathryn Pruden checks a flower bed in her yard,
where the crocuses have started blooming.
Photo by DAWSON MILLS
Kathryn Pruden spreads mulch in her back yard in the Bethlehem Court
section of Suffolk. She recommends a 2- to 3-inch layer of mulch.
by CNB