THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, November 20, 1994 TAG: 9411190054
SECTION: HOME PAGE: G2 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: GARDENING
SOURCE: ROBERT STIFFLER
LENGTH: Medium: 93 lines
Enclosed is a photo of a plant for which I cannot find a name. We keep it in the greenhouse in winter and it blooms profusely. If you can give me the name, I will appreciate it. We enjoy your Sunday articles. They're the best thing in the paper!
Charles F. Burroughs Jr., Norfolk
It's always good to help a friend like Charlie Burroughs. We're old sidekicks from fertilizer industry days when Royster and Smith-Douglass fertilizers were important in Norfolk.
The answer to your question came the same day your letter arrived in a press release I received from Cypress Gardens in Florida. A woman had written them: ``I'm very fond of a flamingo (jacobinia) plant which has just finished flowering. Do I leave the green `cones' on or remove them?'' The answer from Joe Freeman, horticulturist for Cypress Gardens, was: ``The jacobinia's bright pink, tubular flowers make this native of Brazil a beautiful plant. It's a good idea to lightly prune jacobinia (Justicia carnea) after flowering to keep the plant bushy and rejuvenate its growth. In early spring, prune the plant back to 8 to 12 inches to keep it small and compact.''
I learned of this plant about 10 years ago when Mrs. Hugh Kellum called to give me some lilacs and showed me her plant. She also didn't know what it was. I searched for weeks to find an answer. She grew it outdoors in a protected place near a west foundation of her home. She later gave me a plant and I planted it outdoors. It bloomed and came back the next spring with smaller blooms but didn't make it through the next winter.
It grows 12-18 inches tall, has pink blooms that look like pompoms the size of small apples. Growing it in a greenhouse makes sense, because it will not survive most winters in Hampton Roads.
It's a very interesting and beautiful plant. I don't know where it is available, but I have seen it in some greenhouses and would recommend it. Readers who buy it should have a warm sunny place to winter it over and then move it outdoors in summer.
I have two white, 5-foot-tall, 4-year-old crape myrtles. They bloom beautifully and are in full sun. When do I prune them? They have never been pruned.
Virginia Mittleman, Norfolk
Crape myrtles can be pruned anytime they're dormant, which means as soon as they drop their leaves. Most people prune them in late February or early March before new growth begins. Because they bloom on new growth, you can prune them back as much as you want and still get good blooms next year.
Recently my future daughter-in-law brought me a loofah, the plant you use for scrubbing your body. She bought the loofah in Mississippi. When she bought the loofah, she had to peel its covering off and take out the seeds. I was thrilled with the loofah but even more excited about the seeds but am a bit puzzled.
Can we grow loofahs in Norfolk? If so, when do you plant the seeds? I am eagerly awaiting an answer. I thought loofah sponges came from the ocean!
Linda W. Phillips, Norfolk
Loofah, also spelled luffa, is a gourd. Folks at the Hampton Roads Agricultural Research Center call it the ``dish-rag gourd,'' and it is defined as the fibrous, vascular skeleton pod of a dishcloth gourd. Loofahs do grow here and are easy to grow but can be as rambunctious as kudzu.
Plant your seeds after the soil warms up, most likely around May 1. Give them plenty of room. I have pictures of them growing up a trellis, and I suggest a fence or trellis, so the gourds can freely hang down. Some of them get as large as a small watermelon, and the vines often bear many, many gourds. I threw out half a dozen seeds over a bank a year ago, and the vines produced dozens of loofah gourds that can be made into sponges.
The crickets seem to be taking over our home. I've tried many things, but nothing seems to help. I have been unable to find out how they get in the house, but I know the cooler the weather becomes, the worse they will get. Please help!
Mrs. N.L. Harper, Chesapeake
The best remedy is granular diazinon, sprinkled around all entryways to your house and garage. Sprinkle it around doors as well as any cracks they can sneak through.
If you prefer an organic method, mix a heaping teaspoon each of Borax, sugar and flour. Place this on a sheet of aluminum foil wherever you hear or suspect crickets. The next morning you should have a bunch of dead ones to throw in the garbage.
Be vigilant at keeping them out of your closets, because they eat holes in clothing.
I grew eggplant for the first time last summer and had a real nice crop. My question is when do you know they're ripe and ready for eating?
Hollis W. Miller, Portsmouth
The rule of thumb, according to Virginia Tech experts, is 20 days after flowering, they're ready to pick. Another method is that when they get full size, they'll be glossy. That's when they taste best. If they lose their gloss or change color to orange, they're too ripe. Another method is to press them. When they're firm, they're ready to eat. by CNB