                             THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Sunday, May 19, 1996                   TAG: 9605170108
SECTION: HOME & GARDEN            PAGE: G3   EDITION: FINAL 
COLUMN: Gardening Reminders 
SOURCE: Robert Stiffler
                                             LENGTH: Long  :  166 lines

A FEW SIMPLE STEPS CAN PROLONG BEAUTY OF CUT FLOWERS

PROFESSOR ALLEN ARMITAGE of the University of Georgia, speaking at the recent Williamsburg Garden Symposium, gave these three ``musts'' for when you cut flowers from your garden:

Cut early in the morning, after the dew had dried. In the afternoon, many plants are stressed from the sun and heat.

Immediately after cutting, put the flowers in warm water with a flower preservative. The preservatives available at florists are inexpensive and work, he says.

Cut flowers at their proper state of growth, when one-half to two-thirds of the blooms are open. With lilies, cut when one bloom is open.

If you don't arrange the flowers immediately, put them in the refrigerator in water and recut the stems when you use them.

All abloom

Late-blooming iris are still in full glory and early blooming daylilies are opening at Ballard's Iris and Daylily Farm in Chesapeake. Looking is free. If you want to buy, it's a good time to pick your favorite color of iris or daylilies. Address is 1304 Canal Drive, Chesapeake. Call 487-0176.

Hard to find wallflowers

The English wallflower, pictured several weeks ago with this column, is not a rare plant, but few local retailers grow or stock it. Its botanical name is Cheiranthus cheiri. It grows 1 to 2 feet tall and blooms in small fragrant florets in tones from yellow through orange to brown with intermediate mixed shades.

Smithfield Gardens, and perhaps other outlets, carries Siberian wallflower, Erysimum asperum, which is very similar. It blooms in apricot color and then turns lavender. It is hardy for three years or more. Quart containers cost $4.99.

For English wallflower, two mail-order sources with free catalogs are: Bluestone Perennials, 7211 Middle Ridge Road, Madison, Ohio 44057, call (800) 852-5243; or Park Seed, 300 Cokesbury Road, Greenwood, S.C. 29647. Bluestone sells three plants for $6.95 and Park sells seeds.

Big bonsai event

The Virginia Bonsai Society will hold its annual Memorial Day exhibit Friday, Saturday and next Sunday at the Norfolk Botanical Garden from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. The event includes demonstrations, displays and exhibitions. It's free, but normal garden admission applies. Call 497-0906.

Made in the shade

Readers often ask what ground covers will grow in shady areas. Some are lily of the valley, vinca, hosta, liriope, mondo grass, ajuga and pachysandra. Lily of the valley is slow to spread, but all will grow better than grass in shady areas.

Sweet harvest

The glucose content of lettuce, which makes it sweet, may be 2 1/2 times greater when harvested in the morning than when harvested in the afternoon. For maximum sweetness, harvest before 8 a.m. Pick leaves while they are young and tender.

Prune Christmas cactus

Often this time of year, Christmas cactus will have grown too large. Joe Freeman of Florida's Cypress Gardens says eventually stems of these cactus become woody and unattractive, and the plant becomes heavy. As it shows signs of new growth in the spring, prune it back to a manageable size but try not to decrease the size more than 30 percent, Freeman says. Allow the cut ends of the pieces you remove to dry. Then place them in moist potting soil to root and you can have many new plants.

A living wall

British gardens are usually backed by a brick wall or a hedge, which shows them off to best advantage. A hedge can transform your yard into a garden, defining the areas of the yard. A hedge can enhance the display of flowers, direct the flow of traffic in your yard and protect the house or garden from weather extremes. A thick hedge will give your outdoor living area privacy.

The American Association of Nurserymen recommend a hedge of shrub roses to screen off a compost pile or garden work area from the lawn or vegetable garden. You can also use hedges to make an outdoor room with green living walls.

Talk to your favorite nurseryman about what you want a hedge to do, and he or she can recommend what to use, whether evergreen, with berries, formal or informal. Because of cost, you may want to plant one or two sides now and the rest this fall.

Cankerworm invasion

Virginia Beach reader Vija Cunningham dashed off an urgent note saying she has a caterpillar invasion. They're chewing on her maple trees and roses.

``Never has it been as bad as this year,'' she says. ``Leaves on the maple look like lace. Worms hang down, swing onto my roses and strip new buds and branches bare. They fall on clothes, your hair and leave black droppings all over the place. In two days, my car was covered with their droppings that look like poppy seeds but stick to the paint. These worms start out tiny and green and then develop into big fat worms with black stripes. Rose dust does not kill them, and there are too many to pick off. Hair spray works on roaches. If I tried it, would it damage the roses, since it would form a film over the leaves and the few buds I have left?''

Entomologist Peter Schultz, director of the Hampton Roads Research Center, responds that the worms are cankerworms, common this year. He says they'll be gone in two weeks, the trees will refoliate and life will get back to normal. His advice is not to spray. He added that cankerworms are almost as bad this year as in 1982, when there was a bad invasion. For your roses, if the problem continues, you could dust or spray them with Bt, an organic product.

Merit a try

Aphids are often a problem on crape myrtle. The March/April issue of Fine Gardening magazine gives an update from extension entomologist Whitney Cranshaw at Colorado State University: ``A new systemic insecticide called Merit became available in 1994. It is applied to the soil, and in trials at Colorado State, it gave outstanding control of several types of aphids and soft scales. It takes six weeks for this product to be taken up by the tree and become effective, so if you want to avoid a summertime aphid problem, have Merit applied in early spring or even the previous fall. Contact a licensed pesticide applicator if you want to give it a try.''

Merit is not available for homeowners except when applied by a licensed pest control operator.

Keep out bugs

Warm weather means bugs. These bad guys will soon be trying to get in your house. Check common entry points, including eaves, door and window frames, torn screens, cracks in foundations, utility entry points, attic vents and along the base of the home. Caulk, seal or repair these areas to prevent entry.

If you choose to use chemicals, a perimeter application of Dursban insecticide around the house, especially where the pests could enter, establishes a protective barrier that keeps pests outside. A granular formulation around the base of your house and up to 4 feet wide is effective. Use a product containing Dursban labeled for perimeter treatments and avoid applying on windy days.

Tips and quips

``Don't Throw in the Trowel: Tips and Quips on Gardening'' by Texas Bix Bender (Gibbs Smith, $6.95) is ideal when you need a quick, inexpensive gift for a gardener. The booklet is filled with quotes such as, ``Basil picked at the end of the day keeps twice as long as basil picked in the morning.'' You can read the entire booklet in an hour or less. Any bookstore can order it.

Pinch back annuals

Pinch back leggy annuals to encourage new growth and more flowers. It's hard to do, but you should cut off all open blooms before you plant them in your garden to make for thicker, faster growth. Mums can be divided and transplanted now. Be sure to water during dry periods.

Prune azaleas, gardenias and camellias when they finish flowering. Pruning azaleas after July 1 may remove next year's flower buds if the pruning is severe.