THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, May 12, 1996 TAG: 9605100090
SECTION: HOME PAGE: G2 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: GARDENING REMINDERS
SOURCE: [ROBERT STIFFLER]
LENGTH: Long : 104 lines
APRIL, MAY AND JUNE are important months in which to keep your bird feeders full. This is the time when many birds need more energy for nest building and egg production. Seeds and berries produced during the last growing season have been eaten, and new natural material has not yet matured. The increase in food consumption during the spring surprises some people, who have always thought midwinter was the time of major feeding activity.
This report comes from the National Bird Feeding Society, which publishes an excellent newsletter for $15 per year. Mail your check to NBFS, P.O. Box 23, Northbrook, Ill. 60065-0023. FERTILIZER FROM THE BIRDS
North Carolina is one of the nation's leading poultry producing states. Now some enterprising Tarheels have packaged manure from chickens and turkeys and are marketing it as Environment's Request Natural Fertilizer. It's slogan is ``Going green takes a feathered turn.''
The manufacturer says the natural fertilizer reduces nematodes, soil diseases and fungi and offers a 54 percent retainment of moisture in the soil, reducing the need for irrigation.
The product is not available yet in this area, but you can get details by calling (919) 356-2001 or writing to 436 Capeharts Church Road, Merry Hill, N.C. 27957. GROWING GERANIUMS
The Organic Flower Gardening special late spring 1996 issue has some good advice for growing geraniums. It says: ``Some people think of geraniums as desert plants, but most are actually native to the coasts and stream beds of southern Africa, where water is far from lacking. So go ahead and water your geraniums - just not too much. Overwatering can lead to root rot and other diseases. Let the soil just barely dry out between soakings. Geraniums in the garden hold water better than those in pots, so they're easier to keep happy. Just make sure they get at least 1 inch of water per week.
``Container-grown geraniums, like all potted plants, require closer attention. Most soil mixes used to grow geraniums contain peat moss. When the peat moss dries out, the soil mix shrinks and pulls away from the inside of the pot. Then when you water, all the water runs straight down through those openings instead of soaking the soil. If the soil gets too dry, just set the whole pot in a bucket of water to re-wet the peat.''
The magazine can be purchased on newsstands. MANY MEAL MOTHS AROUND
There have been many inquiries recently about Indian meal moths. Meal moths infest flour, cereal, grains and seeds, chocolate, cake mixes, rice, nuts, dried fruit, dog food, powdered milk, bird seed - even tea, herbs and spices. Getting rid of them can be disheartening and discouraging.
Check all those products in your house, especially opened packages and throw away any where you find moths or small white worms. Then get a Pantry Pest Trap, which attracts meal moths with powerful sex pheromones and catches them on sticky inner surfaces. Use in cabinets and pantries with food products. The traps also attract seed moths, raisin moths, almond moths and tobacco moths.
Cost is $8.95 plus shipping for two traps from Gardeners Alive. Get their catalog by writing to Gardens Alive, 5100 Schenley Place, Lawrenceburg, Ind. 47025 or fax (812) 537-5108 or call (812) 537-8650. PLANTS FOR MANY PURPOSES
Plants With a Purpose has two plant sales scheduled in the next few weeks where you will be able to buy herbs, perennials, shade plants and plants for songbirds, butterflies and hummingbirds.
The first is 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at Wild Wings Nature Store in Newport News, 27 Hidenwood Shopping Center. The second is 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 8 at 5520 Del Park Ave., near Virginia Wesleyan College. For directions or information, call 497-6974. WHAT'S HOT FOR THE SUMMER
What's hot and what's not in flowers for 1996? Blue Wonder Scaevola with profuse blue blooms that survive in the heat is the hottest flower around. It needs full sun and grows a foot in every direction. The super petunias - purple, pink and white - are almost as much in demand. They grow like ground covers but they tend to be bloomless for a foot in their center near the roots. So always buy three so they crawl over one another.
Verbenas of all colors are also in demand and many are now hardy perennials. There is a red in the very popular ``Homestead'' series.
Tithonia or Mexican Sunflower is another hot one. This is an old-fashioned flower that's been around for eons. Master gardener Dale Ward first gave them to me. With the keen interest in butterfly gardening these days, Tithonia is one of the best to draw butterflies. Continuing strong in 1996 are Evolvulus Blue Daze for hanging baskets. It grows in full sun. Penta, in colors red, white and pink, is still good for picking and remains a strong seller.
Hottest geranium is Cotton Candy. It's a salmon pink with no outstanding qualities, but the name sells it. Geranium interest has leveled off, with petunias and other vining plants gaining favor.
Going out of style is Mexican heather, which was hot two or three years back.
Two flowers that everyone should grow but few do are Niermbergia Mont Blanc, a great white ground cover, and Melapodium, a trailing zinnia-like flower that is ideal for our hot summers. Most of these plants are available at Lynnbrier Nursery and White's Old Mill Garden Center in Chesapeake; Smithfield Gardens in Suffolk; McDonald Garden Centers in Chesapeake and Virginia Beach; and Gardens in a Flower Pot in Norfolk. by CNB