THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 7, 1996 TAG: 9607040091
SECTION: HOME PAGE: G2 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: GARDENING REMINDERS
SOURCE: Robert Stiffler
LENGTH: 133 lines
RABBIT-EYE BLUEBERRIES are vigorous growers and can reach 6 to 8 feet in a few years. Prune them back to 48 inches after harvest, which is beginning now. Plants will have ample time to produce more fruiting wood before frost. Old unproductive canes can be removed back to ground level, leaving a maximum of eight to 10 vigorous canes.
Just as soon as fruiting has finished, start your pruning. If you wait until they are dormant, you will remove fruiting wood, which reduces yields. TIE VINES SEVERAL TIMES
To get cucumber vines to climb a trellis or fence, you may need to tie them several times. Once they catch hold, they will continue to climb and will save space in your garden. WATER GARDENER'S DELIGHT
If you're into water gardening or plan to be in the Chicago area this coming weekend, you may want visit the Watergarden Expo, which features a ``Parade of Ponds,'' a self-guided tour of 57 water gardens in 30 Chicago suburbs.
Headquarters is the Pheasant Run Convention Center in St. Charles. There will be a slide presentation and question and answer session there from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Saturday. The gardens will be open for touring Saturday and next Sunday. Call (800) 306-6227. CARPET OF FLOWERS
Wildflower Carpet is a new method of growing wildflowers. Perennial wildflowers are grown in a square of sod, ready for planting. Spring bloom is past, but English daisies, Basket of Gold, Violas, Prairie Coneflower and Purple Rockcress were still blooming last week in those I saw at Robbins Corner Garden Center in Virginia Beach.
Owner Bob Watlington says they've sold well, and he's cut the plants back, and they come back and rebloom. He says he's surprised they have shown color as long as they have. A square of wildflower sod measuring 19 by 10 inches costs around $12. Only a few are left and the only local outlet is the Robbins Corner location at Independence and Pleasure House roads in Virginia Beach. FIRST SQUASH WILL DROP OFF
Don't be concerned if the first several fruit fall off your squash plants before they reach an edible stage. The first flowers to form on squash in early spring are female flowers, with the miniature fruit. No male flowers are formed at this time, so no pollination takes place. In a few days, the male flowers will be formed and normal fruit set should take place, if you have bees or other insects to pollinate the blooms.
If you must spray your garden, do it in late afternoon so as not to reduce morning bee activity necessary for pollination of squash, cucumbers and other vegetables. Fungicides (Daconil or Funginex) sprayed on a seven- to 10-day schedule enhance the success of such crops. THE QUEEN OF CORN
As you sit around your picnic table chewing on good old Silver Queen sweet corn, think about Gail and Roger Green, who are enjoying seven nights and days on the Royal Caribbean cruise ship Sovereign of the Seas, because they wrote a winning entry: ``We were college friends when Roger invited me to his family's summer picnic. At the picnic table, he whispered, `This Silver Queen corn is as sweet as you.' That afternoon we grew from friends to sweethearts.''
The Greens have grown Silver Queen in their garden ever since. Even after 25 years, Silver Queen is still our favorite, Gail says.
Rogers Seed Co. launched the Silver Queen essay contest to celebrate the variety's 40-year reign as one of the most requested sweet corns in history. Silver Queen is unrivaled as the most popular sweet corn in this part of the country. CATALOG FOR SOUTHERN GARDENS
White Flower Farm, a family-owned nursery in Litchfield, Conn., is now issuing a Southern Edition of its catalog. It contains more than 500 listings. For a free copy, call (800) 503-9624. LOSING A FEW LEAVES WON'T HURT
Remember that most garden plants can stand up to 30 percent defoliation with little effect on their production, whether flowers or vegetables. If you see a few leaves chewed up, be patient and let Mother Nature take her course. Often beneficial insects will take over and solve the problem before you have to dust or spray. DETERIORATED SAMPLES DON'T HELP
It seemed like every reader letter I opened last week had a plant sample, and most were too deteriorated to be of much help. If you send samples, wrap them only in a paper towel. Do not dampen or put them in plastic, because they mold and become useless. PINCH CHRYSANTHEMUMS
Continue to pinch out the tops of chrysanthemums up until July 15. This encourages branching and more compact plants for fall flowering. BLENDS OF BULBS
It's not too early to order spring-flowering bulbs for planting in October and November. If you want to try something different, mail-order supplier Schipper & Co. ship their bulbs in ``colorblends,'' a trademarked method where they mix tulips, daffodils and hyacinth (or all of one type) in colors that blend together. Most of the blends are all tulips. I tried them last year, and they make a beautiful show.
They sell only in quantities of 50, 100 and 1,000. For a copy of its wholesale catalog, send $1 to Schipper & Co., Box 7584, Greenwich, Conn. 06836. KEEP COLEUS COMPACT
Remove flowers on coleus and pinch back vegetative growth to promote new foliage production. PRUNE BACK DEAD FIG LIMBS
Any fig bush or parts of a fig bush that have not leafed out by now are dead. Prune dead branches back to where you can see green in the stem. TROUBLE WITH CUCUMBERS
If you've had trouble getting cucumber seed to germinate, join the club. From three partial packets I planted, only three plants came up. I hear others complaining that they can't get cucumber seed to germinate. I've found that vining vegetables such as cucumbers, melons and squash, grow better and faster from seed than from plants. But we may be forced to buy plants if germination does not improve. HANDBOOK FOR FRUIT GROWERS
``Growing Fruits: Nature's Desserts'' is the newest handbook from the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Guest editor is Lee Reich, a retired fruit specialist from Cornell University. This handbook is designed for backyard fruit growers.
Cost is $7.95 at the Norfolk Botanical Garden garden shop or in other bookstores. You can order direct for $11.70 mailed to BBG, 1000 Washington Ave., Brooklyn, N.Y. 11225. Or order using a credit card by calling (718) 622-4433, Ext. 274. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Silver Queen has been a popular variety of sweet corn for 40 years. by CNB