THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 21, 1996 TAG: 9607190074
SECTION: HOME PAGE: G3 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: GARDENING
SOURCE: ROBERT STIFFLER
LENGTH: 62 lines
My husband and I live in the Churchland area and have much solid-green leaved liriope we want to give away. Our plants are 12 inches or more across. We will give it to anyone who will come and get it. My one request is that after calling and making arrangements, please show up at the agreed time. Our phone number is 483-3145.
Susan D. Johnston, 3900
Gertrude St., Portsmouth 23703
Here's a chance to save $3 to $5 for every clump of liriope, which is what it usually costs at a nursery.
I am planning to plant an ivy border along my straight concrete sidewalk in the hope of softening its visual lines. In summer, the walkway receives full sun until 3 p.m. each day. My soil is clay-like and has rather poor drainage. I plan to build the bed up 6 or 8 inches.
Can you recommend an ivy that will grow in these conditions?
Suzanne McGowan, Chesapeake
English ivy, the kind you see around hundreds of homes, is your best bet. It prefers shade but will grow in the conditions you describe. The least expensive way to get it is find a friend who has ivy. Plant the young cuttings. Try to get sections that have rooted themselves down and plant one every 8 to 10 inches, staggering your planting pattern. Or you can buy young ivy plants in a garden center. It will require two or more years to fill in, and then you'll be trimming it several times a year to keep it in bounds. If you want to fertilize it, use 8-8-8 each spring.
My fig bushes have been bearing fruit for the last two seasons, but the fruits have failed to ripen. I have used potash and 8-8-8 fertilizer around them, but it did not correct the problem. What should I do?
Nathaniel Pearson, Portsmouth
Virginia Tech fruit experts say the only good answer, which you won't like, is to change varieties. Some varieties don't ripen properly in this area and occasionally you get a ``bad'' bush, no matter what the variety. The fig most gardeners prefer is Brown Turkey or Celeste.
Enclosed is a rose-care chart I clipped from the San Diego Union. Any chance you could put one in The Virginian-Pilot, redesigned for this area? Also enclosed is another brochure I received from the Spray-N-Grow Co. I asked about this product at the gardening symposium a few years back, but no one had heard of it. The concensus of the symposium panel was that it was probably a scam. Could it be legit?
Would you recommend a small tree that produces white blossoms in the spring and would fare well near a brackish canal on Bay Island? I fear damage from salt spray and brackish ground water.
Gretchen Fisher, Virginia Beach
I'll turn the rose chart over to a member of the Tidewater Rose Society for possible revisions, and perhaps it can be reproduced in the future. At first glance, it appears too complicated for me. Who wants to be putting 1 tablespoon of urea around a rose bush once a week?
As to Spray-N-Grow, it's been around a good many years. Their testimonials sound great, but I've not used it so can't comment. Whenever anything sounds that wonderful, I am suspicious.
For your tree, any pear or apple tree will not be bothered by salt winds or brackish water. My choice would be an ornamental pear. MEMO: No gardening questions will be taken over the phone. Write to
Robert Stiffler, The Virginian-Pilot, 150 W. Brambleton Ave., Norfolk,
Va. 23510. For a speedy reply, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope. by CNB