DATE: Sunday, March 30, 1997                TAG: 9703290044

SECTION: HOME                    PAGE: G5   EDITION: FINAL 

                                            LENGTH:  100 lines

GROWING ROSES FROM CUTTINGS ISN'T COMPLICATED

Will you tell me how to grow a cut rose bush? And what season do you do it?

Mrs. Josephine Moore, Norfolk

Yours is the second such request in recent weeks on how to propagate roses. It's easy. This information is from Patsy Williams of the Nashville Rose Society, printed in the Tidewater Rose Society's newsletter: ``Take a cutting at pruning time in February. Select a stem 8 inches long with four eyes that are not growing. Scarify (scrape) the last inch of the stem, being careful not to damage the eye. Stick the cutting in the soil. Rootone can first be used on the cut end. No bottle is needed to cover it at that time of year, but one may be used to ensure more even moisture. Growth may be a little slow in cooler months. As long as the stem stays green, all is well. You will have to make sure the cutting is always kept moist but not wet. If the cutting dries out any time, you have probably lost the cutting.''

I would like some advice on care of mums. When is the proper time to prune them? Do I cut them close to the ground?

Harry Lombart, Virginia Beach

If you have old, established mums that come up every spring, you can prune them after they turn brown down in the fall. I pruned mine the first week in December. You can and should prune them to ground level. Then apply a mulch of pine bark or pine straw to protect them through the winter.

If you just planted your mums, do not prune them in the fall. Experts have discovered that if you leave the foliage standing all winter, the mums have a much better chance of coming up again in the spring. Prune them back to ground level about March 15. I regularly lost newly planted mums every winter until following that advice. By not pruning until early spring, almost every one came up to bloom again.

I am 71 and have been gardening more than 60 years but always learn something from your articles. My reason for writing is twofold: I would like to know where I can find a Christian Dior tea rose. I have one that produces the most beautiful long-stemmed, scented blossoms. They last for almost two weeks when brought in the house. I have looked around at local nurseries and can't seem to find another plant.

Secondly, I am enclosing two pictures. One is a tomato grown from a Park Seed 5450 OG 50 hybrid plant. It was planted over my drain field. It did not begin producing until late July, but by Nov. 20, I had removed 267 tomatoes from this single plant, with the average size about 5 to 6 ounces. On Nov. 22, I removed another 75 green tomatoes, all a nice size for ripening indoors. There were still 50 or more small tomatoes left on the plant when they were killed by a freeze. I had built a clear plastic frame around the plant the last of October so it escaped earlier frosts.

My second picture is of a castor bean plant. It offered me good shade in late afternoon and kept my other tomato plants from burning. As you can see, it is a rather large plant, about 10 feet tall. I would be glad to provide seeds to anyone who wants them if they will send me a self-addressed stamped envelope.

Billy M. Vaughn, No. 7, 11th Ave.,

Kitty Hawk, N.C. 27949

A Christian Dior rose is difficult to find today. Leon Johnson of the Tidewater Rose Society, who sells roses for Wedgewood Garden Center, says Wedgewood does not keep it, but this source does: Witherspoon Roses, Box 52489, Durham, N.C. 27717-2489. Christian Dior is a very fragrant rose, but I've found it not very vigorous. I've had difficulty keeping one alive for more than a few years. Leon also told me that growers had quit growing First Prize and Brass Band, so those two may be hard to find in the future. Witherspoon also grows Confidence, Invitation and Coulter, all of which are older roses, often difficult to locate.

With your good results with Park Seed 5450 OG 50 tomato hybrid, readers will probably want to try it this season. University officials say that it's OK to grow vegetables like tomatoes over a drain field, but do not grow root crops there, such as carrots, radishes, beets, etc.

Readers who want castor beans seeds should be in touch with you with their stamped, addressed envelopes.

I am writing for information on how to care for peony flowers. I would like to know how to care for them to have blooms this season.

Eunice O. Wyche, Capron

Peonies grow better in colder climates, but there are many being grown in this area. First, buy early blooming varieties. Plant them shallow. The crowns, from which you can see small shoots, should be just under the earth's surface. They need full sun, but if they can be planted in an area where they are shaded from the afternoon sun, it helps. Some people plant them on a mound, to make sure they have good drainage.

Be aware that many of the tubers you buy may be young and not old enough to bloom. Don't be discouraged if you have to wait several years for blooms. If plants are mature and still not blooming, the reason most often is that they're planted too deeply.

We have cactus and sand spurs in our lawn at the Outer Banks. Do you know of any way we can get rid of them?

E.C. Beres, Chesapeake

An old-timey method was to drag an old blanket across the area and collect the seeds and stems. Then destroy the blanket. Virginia Tech weed specialist Laurie Smith says to mow close with a grass catcher and then destroy the clippings. It will take several seasons to completely eliminate them. MEMO: No gardening questions will be taken over the phone. Write to

Robert Stiffler, The Virginian-Pilot, 150 W. Brambleton Ave., Norfolk,

Va. 23510. Answers will be published on a space-available basis. For an

earlier reply, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope. ILLUSTRATION: Photo

BILLY M. VAUGHN

Billy M. Vaughn of Kitty Hawk will share seeds from his 10-foot

castor bean plant.

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