THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, September 1, 1996 TAG: 9608300077
SECTION: HOME PAGE: G3 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: GARDENING
SOURCE: ROBERT STIFFLER
LENGTH: 151 lines
You recently mentioned the Chuck Hayes gardenia as more hardy. We had one but it died. Where can I purchase another? I am also looking for seeds of Dianthus chinensis. It has a brilliant red flower with a very strong perfume. This variety is termed a perennial. Do you know where I can purchase the seed? I grew them on Long Island many years ago.
I am aware this area is too hot to grow old-fashioned lilacs. But I have seen people who do grow them here. I am hesitant to ask for a cutting. Please let me know what varieties can tolerate the heat and will prosper, because I really like the smell of lilacs. I know they like lime and dappled shade, but is there anything else they need?
Mrs. Mildred Walters, Virginia Beach
Most nurseries carry the Chuck Hayes gardenia. Call ahead, but the one nearest you is probably McDonald Garden Center on Independence Boulevard. Wedgewood Garden Center on South Holland Road also carries it. A spokesperson there says the Kleins Hardy Gardenia, which they also sell, is more hardy than Chuck Hayes.
For dianthus seed, Burpee Gardens offers Dianthus chinensis but in mixed colors. Before readers inquire about seeds, they should get Thompson & Morgan and Burpee catalogs. They're each free, and you can bet that if either of them do not carry the seed, it's most likely not available. Call Burpee at (800) 888-1447. Call Thompson & Morgan at (800) 274-7333. or write P.O. Box 1308, Jackson, N.J. 08527.
For lilacs for the South, these varieties will grow in this area: Blue Skies, Lavender Lady, Primrose and Sensation, as well as Korean early lilac, cutleaf lilac, littleleaf lilac and Manchurian lilac. Lilacs for the South are not as fragrant as the ones you're familiar with, but the Korean lilac ``Miss Kim'' is reputed to be the most heat-tolerant and fragrant. It is normally available from Smithfield Gardens or McDonald Garden Center.
Where can I find a copy of Weeder's Digest, if there is such a book?
Lee Jakeman, Virginia Beach
Weeder's Digest is the annual spring gardening supplement of The Virginian-Pilot and usually comes out in mid-March. You might be able to buy a copy from this newspaper. Call the back issues office at 446-2717 and ask about the March 10, 1996, paper.
The nearest comparable guide to gardening in this region is a book by the late Fred Heutte titled ``Gardening in the Temperate Zone.'' Unfortunately it is out of print. I also published a month-by-month gardening guide, titled ``Robert Stiffler's Gardening in Southeastern Virginia and Northeastern North Carolina.'' It is sold in most local bookstores and some garden centers for $16.95.
Am I blaming the wrong critter for my tulip problems? I just can't grow a tulip anymore, and I think the problem is voles. Everything else, gardenwise, has been an earthly delight. I have even tried wrapping bulbs in wire before planting.
Julia Bermann, Virginia Beach
Voles do eat tulip bulbs. There are plastic baskets you can buy to plant the bulbs in to prevent vole damage. I've found that putting gravel in the planting hole before you plant and as you cover the bulbs will do a pretty good job of deterring voles. Remember, too, that in this area, tulips often bloom one year and never again. Bulbs listed as ``botanical'' or ``perennial'' will provide some repeat blooms. For the most part, tulips here should be considered a ``one season'' flower. Read on.
I recently discovered that I have voles, like many other gardeners in this area. After reading your article about using Ramik for control and how difficult it is to find, I decided to try an organic method, using a mouse trap and peanut butter. Voila! Nine voles in a week and a half. Gardeners need to set their traps next to the half-dollar size holes and check traps every day.
Slugs have always been a problem for me but especially on my newly planted seedlings of Asclepsia (Butterfly Weed). With all the rain, we tried crushing up egghsells in a plastic bag and scattering them around my seedlings. That worked like a charm! Slugs cannot tolerate crawling over sharp particles.
Louise Roesser, Landscapes by Louise, Portsmouth
I've also caught voles in mousetraps using peanut butter and, as you say, it works. A Suffolk reader once wrote that she caught 30 in a day, baiting the trap with a pecan morsel and putting a bucket over the trap to keep the area dark. My experience (and yours) is that you don't need to use a bucket, but George Balzer, king of Hampton Roads vole-catchers, with a record of nearly 100 per year, says Jif crunchy peanut butter is the bait they prefer, and that you should cover the trap with a dark bucket. I've been told that a chunk of apple is also good bait. The real problem is that there are so many voles you may never catch enough of them to make a dent in the population.
Eggshells will ward off slugs. Two similar natural slug enemies are gritty sand or diatomaceous earth. Slugs do not like to crawl over either.
This spring I noticed a marked increase in ant activity around and in my flower garden. I don't like to use a lot of insecticides. The people at Bug Stop Pest Control outlet recommended a granular bait, saying that it is more effective and contains less insecticides than most sprays or dusts. Is this the safest and most effective method? How will it affect my flowers?
Mary Lee Chapman, Norfolk
Without knowing the name of the product you're using and what it contains, it is not possible to answer your question. Virginia Tech recommendatinsa say, ``A general control program for ants is not recommended. If they are a serious pest, the nest should be located and treated. Place the spray or dust in the nest openings; then cover with dirt. Products recommended are Dursban, Spectracide, Ficam, Baygon and Sevin.''
Organic controls include hot pepper dusts or sprays. You can make your own, or they're available in garden centers. Also diatomaceous earth kills slugs, ants, roaches, earwigs, fleas, beetles and other crawling insects and is organic. Ants are not considered harmful insects by most people. Any product you use to control them should not harm your flowers.
In reference to the question from Mary R. Davis, Severn, N.C., on June 16, concerning Christmas cactus and their reblooming, I had the following experience. I cared for two Christmas cactus plants as follows: Put outdoors in a shady area between May and October; fertilize every two weeks with Miracle Gro; water naturally except in extreme dry conditions. When I brought them in last October, they were full of buds and in two weeks were in full bloom, as seen in the photo enclosed. It is my experience that darkness and cool weather are not necessary to have a beautiful Christmas cactus year after year.
Bonnie K. Langer, Suffolk
Your cactus care plan works for you and will work for others and is usually reliable. Remember, however, that when you left the cactus outdoors until October, you were giving them cool or cold nights, which they need to set buds. Either long nights or cool nights are needed for bud set. My experience has been that putting them outdoors in the shade and leaving them there until just before a frost is the easiest and most reliable way to get them to rebloom.
Enclosed is the scariest looking bug I've ever encountered. What is it, and how do I make sure to never have another one?
I've also planted my first oriental persimmon tree and it is attracting black flies. Are they harmless or do I need to spray or powder my new baby?
Cheryl Ross, Norfolk
I hope you can help me get rid of the insect enclosed. They come out mostly at night and mainly in the kitchen or bathroom when the light is off. When a light is turned on, they act stunned and I can kill them with a fly swatter. As you can see, these bugs resemble crickets. They also are on a wall leading upstairs. How do they get inside?
Mrs. Katie V. Hill, Chesapeake
Entomologist Peter Schultz, director of the Hampton Roads Research Center, identifies these scary insects as camel crickets. They are wingless, black-brown in color and have big black legs. They feed at night and are found mostly in sandy areas. Spectracide or diazinon will control them. For organic control, use a product containing pyrethrin.
The camel cricket's favorite foods include tomatoes, watermelon, cotton, cowpeas and other seedling plants. There are many ways they can get into a house, around windows, doors, etc. You can sprinkle a granular insectide (or Borax) around those openings, which will help prevent their entry.
The black flies on Cheryl Ross' persimmon are adults of the seedcorn maggot. Schultz says the adults are harmless, but their larvae attack germinating seeds in early spring.
I have enclosed a sample of some grass blades from my front lawn. As you can see, the tips are black, and at first glance, they appear to be oil coated. Upon touching them, I found some sort of powdery substance. One half of my front lawn is in this condition. What is it and what is the cause? More important, what can I do to solve the problem?
Janice Pittman, Portsmouth
Virginia Tech pathologist Tom Banko identifies your problem as slime mold, a fungus that grows on the surface of grass during wet weather. It is not particularly harmful. You can wash or brush it off. You won't see it again after hot, dry weather arrives. by CNB