
DATE: Sunday, October 5, 1997               TAG: 9710040059

SECTION: HOME                    PAGE: G1   EDITION: FINAL 

COLUMN: REMINDERS

SOURCE: ROBERT STIFFLER

                                            LENGTH:  108 lines

ROSE SHOW LETS YOU PICK FAVORITES

THE 52ND ANNUAL Rose Show of the Tidewater Rose Society takes place Saturday and next Sunday at the Norfolk Botanical Garden. The Rose Show is a good place to examine roses up close and pick those you'd like to grow in your own garden next season.

Hours are 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. Show admission is free, but regular garden admission applies. You can pick up free garden admission tickets at Wedgwood Garden Center, Southern States on South Military Highway, Gardens In a Flower Pot, McDonald Garden Center, Whites Old Mill Garden Center and Norfolk County Feed & Seed. STILL TIME FOR SPINACH

It's not too late to plant spinach and other fall vegetables. Spinach is difficult to germinate, but you seldom can find plants in garden centers, so you're almost required to start from seed.

This fall, I tried three seeding methods. I put one package of seed in the freezer and another in the refrigerator. The third was opened and individual seeds put into damp paper towels, cut into strips and stored in plastic bags in the freshener pan of the refrigerator, which was a lot of work.

I then planted all three packs. The seed stored in the freezer for two weeks germinated the best - and was also the easiest to do.

When spinach comes up, slugs often eat it, so it's wise to use some slug bait. LAWN ALERT

The rains of last week are just what's needed for your lawn, so spread the grass seed and fertilizer now. You can plant fescue up until mid-October and rye into early winter. Fescue needs warm days to germinate, so don't delay. A WINNING MELON

Virginia didn't fare very well in the Giant Growers Association weigh-off, held in Raleigh, N.C., in September. Only two winners came from Virginia, but One of those was Ray Wilkins of Chesapeake who had a 24-pound cantaloupe, which took seventh place, worth $250.

To enter the contest next year, contact the Giant Growers Association, P.O. Box 37457, Raleigh, N.C. 27627-7457 or call Harry Hurley at (919) 557-5946. PRUNING HYDRANGEAS

It's beyond the recommended time for pruning, but I cut back two hydrangeas recently. They were overgrown and didn't bloom all summer, so I cut them down to almost ground level. They may not bloom next summer, but at least they'll be a reasonable size.

Andre Viette, host of a radio gardening program, recently received a call from a Richmond woman who was having a problem with hydrangeas not blooming. He recommended removing all but a maximum of 15 canes, making sure those show healthy, green life.

Linda Pinkham of Smithfield Gardens says she heard Dr. Marc Cathey give similar advice. You may want to try that method of pruning hydrangeas - remove stalks until you have only 15 per plant left standing.

Pruning hydrangeas is tricky, because several varieties require different pruning. Most bloom on new growth from this year, which is why I'll probably have no blooms next season on the two I pruned.

If you'd like a reprint from the Long Island extension service on pruning hydrangeas, send a stamped, business-size, addressed envelope to Robert Stiffler, Gardening Columnist, The Virginian-Pilot, 150 W. Brambleton Ave., Norfolk, Va. 23510. Mark the envelope ``Hydrangeas.'' I offered this reprint several years back, so if you got it then, it's the same instructions. TCC FALL PLANT SALE

The Pansy/Dianthus Sale by students of the horticulture department of the Chesapeake Campus of Tidewater Community College starts Monday and continues through Oct. 10. They plants available in packs and pots in assorted colors and varieties. Call 822-5284 for times and information. MANAGE YOUR NUTGRASS

If you still have nutgrass, properly named nutsedge or yellowsedge, in your lawn, it's not too late to spray with Manage. This new product eliminates the nutgrass without harming good grass.

Cost is around $15, which makes a gallon of spray. It's available at Abner's Hardware in Oceana, Virginia Beach Feed & Seed, Creekmore's Hardware in Chesapeake and possibly other locations. JOLLY JOHNNY JUMP-UPS

Pansies are a wonderful addition to fall gardening, and October is the recommended month for planting. This year, violas, often called Johnny jump-ups, are back in style.

They're smaller than pansies, but sometimes more vigorous. I grew them all winter last year and they were great. Look for them in garden centers now. MUMS' SHOW IS SHORT

While planting fall color, be aware that chrysanthemums, although a great fall flower for color, have an average bloom period of three weeks. This data comes from the horticulturists at the Norfolk Botanical Garden, where every dollar counts.

At $4.50 per pot, that's $1.50 per week for your color, and often they do not live through the winter. By comparison, pansies and violas planted now will live all winter and bloom into June next year. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo

ROBERT STIFFLER

Fall fragrance

Tuberose is in bloom now and is one of the most fragrant of all

flowers. Botanically named Polianthes tuberosa, its blooms open at

the tip of a 2- to 3-foot stem and are long-lasting as a cut flower.

Bulbs are tender and should be dug in the fall and stored or

heavily mulched if kept in the ground. They also can be planted in a

container in June to bloom in the fall. The container can be stored

in a garage for winter, and the flowers will bloom again year after

year.