THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, February 2, 1997 TAG: 9701310080
SECTION: HOME & GARDEN PAGE: G2 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: GARDENING REMINDERS
SOURCE: Robert Stiffler
LENGTH: 90 lines
THIS TIME OF year can be dreary, both in and out of the house, but winter-blooming flowers can change that.
The American Orchid Society reminds readers that February is the beginning of the main season of orchid availability. Many of the most popular orchids naturally bloom this time of year.
Here are the main types you can expect to see in your garden center:
Ascocendas - Vana relatives from warmer areas.
Cattleyas - Both large-flowered traditional types and the multiflora ``cocktail'' charmers.
Cymbidiums - Grassy leaves and long-lasting blooms.
Dendrobiums - All types, including Nobile and Phalaenopsis.
Oncidiums - A wide range of spray types.
Paphiopedilums - These are the lady slipper orchids, long lasting and exotic.
Phalaenopsis - Moth orchids, the most popular for indoor use.
Vandas - Highly exotic and tropical, but can be expensive.
Order seed for portulaca
Now's the time to order flower seed. Michigan State University horticulturists remind us that for a desertlike problem spot in your garden, you can't beat portulaca or moss rose.
This tough plant with its roselike flowers quickly covers an area with its succulent stems. Individual flowers are short-lived, but the plants produce dozens of blossoms in a variety of colors throughout the summer. You can start with seed by just raking it in. Often it will reseed and come up again next year.
Source for gourds
If you can't find enough variety in gourd seeds, write to Gourd Village Garden Club, 4008 Green Level Road, West Apes, N.C. 27502. Send a stamped, self-addressed envelope. You also can get information about joining the group.
Weed battle must wait
Chickweed is growing everywhere. This winter weed is one of the worst pests of the area, both the annual and perennial variety. On warm days I have been spraying with Roundup or Finale but wondered if it was working. I thought that either herbicide was supposed to kill the weed, as long as the weed was growing. But when I called Monsanto, manufacturer of Roundup, a spokesperson said no. The temperature must be 65 degrees or above on the day you spray and for several days afterward or the product will not work.
So save your weed sprays for warmer weather, which may yet be awhile.
Time-tested zoysia
There are more and more reader inquiries about zoysia grass. Homeowners want to turn their lawn into a carefree experience. I've mentioned before that once you get a good zoysia lawn, it lasts forever.
Pat Williams of Norfolk recently wrote: ``Alex Bell planted our zoysia lawn 40-50 years ago, and most of it still looks great.''
So when you get a good zoysia lawn, it lasts a long, long time, if properly tended.
Learn what's in your yard
Horticulturists agree that one of the first things you should do when you move into a home with an established landscape is to find out what you have and learn what to do with it. If you're not familiar with plants, it could pay to hire an expert.
George Baker, who used to be in charge of the Norfolk Botanical Garden, now lives on the Peninsula and specializes in helping you ``learn what you have and then decide what to do with it.''
He charges an hourly fee. You can talk to him at (757) 357-3777 or write to 22581 Tally-Ho Drive, Carrollton, Va. 23314.
Rub out vine borers
Squash vine borers have been killing squash, melon and pumpkin vines as long as most of us can remember. David A. Schaefer of Concord, Mass., writing in the January issue of Organic Gardening magazine, tells how he controls them. He rubbed the bottoms of his squash and pumpkin vines with a generic version of Vicks VapoRub, which contains camphor. He repeated this every week for several weeks and said he hardly had any borer damage.
In the same issue, a reader talks bout Silvery Fir Tree, a tomato that is as small as a Gem marigold, but was loaded with tomatoes all summer. They grow only a foot tall. They are an heirloom tomato and available only from Seed Savers International, 3076 N. Winn Road, Decorah, Iowa. 52101. You can write Seed Savers for a free price list.