THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 7, 1996 TAG: 9607090401
SECTION: HOME PAGE: G2 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: GARDENING
SOURCE: ROBERT STIFFLER
LENGTH: 105 lines
I have become an avid gardener, converting our clay and crabgrass backyard into a wildlife habitat. It's now home to American goldfinches and dozens of other birds. Bluebirds are nesting here for the first time. Our pond is visited by mallards regularly and an occasional heron feasts on our fish. I have 20 beds, but my speciality is weeds. Because I'm such an expert, I thought I should know what I'm producing so prolifically. What's the best weed identification source?
Gretchen Felton, Virginia Beach
The best guide in my opinion is ``Weeds of Arkansas,'' which most likely is out of print now. Try the extension service at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Ark., and perhaps they can help. Next best is ``Weeds of the Southern United States,'' published by the United States Department of Agriculture in Washington. If the Agriculture Department can't help, try the University of Georgia, which did much of the editing for that booklet. Both of these are in color, important for weed identification.
There's also a new book called ``The Weed Book,'' by Barbara Pleasant (Storey Communications, $12.75 paperback). Call (800) 441-5700 to order a copy. It has illustrations, but they are not in color.
Master gardeners in Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Suffolk and North Carolina have ``hot lines.'' If you want to describe each individual weed, they perhaps can help. (See numbers in box.)
You recently mentioned an Asiatic lily having six or seven blooms per stalk. Enclosed is a picture of one in my garden with 30 blooms and buds on one stalk. Several other stalks have many buds, although I haven't counted them.
I also have passion flower vine coming up like weeds. I'll have to dig them up soon or they will take over. If anyone wants some, they're available.
Mary Arneson, 1104 Brandon Road, (428-1036), Virginia Beach, 23451
The picture Mary Arneson sent was of a large orange lily loaded with blooms and buds. I stay confused between Asiatic and Oriental lilies. In a recent conversation with Linda Pinkham of Smithfield Gardens, we believe they're all the same. It's just the listings in catalogs that vary.
I have seen more lilies in bloom and looking great this spring than ever before. I hope more gardeners are growing them. Our winters are a little warmer than they prefer, but they are regal and beautiful when in bloom.
Those wanting passion flower vines should contact Mary Arneson at once.
My two large dogs have done a number on my backyard grass. Rather than patches of dirt, I would prefer some plant life. Even clover, crabgrass or anything would be welcome at this point. Other than getting rid of my dogs, do you have any suggestions?
J.P. Ellington, Chesapeake
The ``warm-weather'' grasses such as bermuda, St. Augustine, zoysia or centipede will all take a lot of traffic and should be as tough as your dogs. You can start zoysia, bermuda and centipede from seed. I think centipede is an excellent, easy-to-care-for grass that most folks overlook. Remember that all of these will brown out in winter.
In reference to Jane R. Hopkins' pleas on March 24 and the help you suggested, I would like to chime in with my two cents, trusting it may be of help. I have three varieties of aucuba, two with the variegated splotchy or yellow-mottled leaves and one with deep green leaves, which is the catalyst to reproduce berries. It has deep red berries. The variegated varieties have smaller berries that are milky colored with a slight tinge of pink, not nearly as pretty as the red ones on the green variety.
I read in a magazine years ago about how they discovered that aucuba would berry. An Englishman visiting in China bought one of the plants and noticed the similarity to one he had in England. So he brought the new one with the berries back to England. I still can't tell which is male and which is female. I have 10 or 15 of the green-leaved variety, most of them with pretty red berries on them, in gallon pots. If anyone is interested, call me at 421-3827.
Harold A. Tyler, Chesapeake
Virginia Tech officials say the only way to make sure yours will have berries when you buy an aucuba at the nursery is to make sure there is a male and female plant in the same pot. They also say the late Virginia Beach nurseryman Charlie Hayes had an aucuba that bore orange berries. One advantage or disadvantage of the female with berries is that you get lots of little aucubas sprouting up every spring under the plant. Those of you who want the green variety with berries should call the number above.
There is reported to be a plant that, when planted adjacent to roses, will attract Japanese beetles away from the roses. What is the plant?
S.J. Thomas, Virginia Beach
The ``preferred plants'' of Japanese beetles are roses, blackberries, raspberries and hibiscus. Because roses head the list of ``preferred plants,'' it's iffy whether planting any of the others will keep Japanese beetles away from roses. Sprinkling Sevin dust on your roses daily will kill the beetles or you can pick them off by hand early in the morning and drop them in a can of kerosene. 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. ILLUSTRATION: Graphic
GARDENING HOT LINES
Need help with gardening problems? Several local Master Gardening
groups operate hot lines you can call:
Virginia Beach: 427-8156, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday
through October.
Norfolk: 427-8156, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday through
October.
Chesapeake: 547-6349, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday
through September.
Suffolk: 925-6316, 9 a.m. to noon Monday through Friday through
Sept. 1.
North Carolina: (919) 232-2262, 9 a.m. to noon Mondays through
September. by CNB