October 10, 2003

www.CarrollGardens.com

Ground Hornets & Hurricane Isabel

Featured Items

Dear Fellow Gardeners,

A customer stopped in the store and mentioned something that jogged my memory from something I had heard years ago. I have never tried this myself, but I will pass it along for whatever it is worth.

The customer reports that pouring moth flakes (not moth balls) down the hole that contains a ground hornet nest is more effective than the aerosol pesticides that are sold for this purpose. The customer said that one treatment totally wiped out a hornet nest that professional exterminators tried several times unsuccessfully to remove.

CAUTION: Ground Hornets are particularly vicious when provoked. The entire swarm will chase you and the sting is particularly hurtful - much more so than the stings of other “bees”. Be sure to locate the nest during the day and apply the moth flakes well after dark. Cover your body entirely with heavy clothing; don’t forget your hat and gloves. Wear good running shoes - just in case.

We have been overwhelmed with questions about saltwater damage from hurricane Isabel.

At this point it is extremely difficult to know whether plants that were inundated for hours or days with brackish water are still alive. Some just have leaf damage, some have damage to the stems but the root is alive and will re-sprout next year. And some are totally dead. In general, you will be pleasantly surprised next year with how much survived. Removal of plants that appear to be totally dead is often pre-mature. It is better to wait until next spring. The one exception that comes to mind is conifers where the needles are turning brown and falling off. For these there is probably no hope. A good way to treat salt water impregnated soil is to flush it with clear water. Also, SuperBio® spray has been shown to remove salts from soil and I encourage its use throughout the yard to improve salt water damaged soil.
 

Selected Roses
 

Chesapeake Blue
Crab Compost
 

SuperBio®

A Few of Your Questions Answered

Question
I just noticed large brown patches in my lawn. They showed up right after last week’s hard frost. What is happening?

Answer
What you are seeing is crabgrass that has frozen and died. But each crab grass plant has dropped thousands of seeds awaiting a full prolific reappearance next year. Dimension Crab Grass Preventer applied when the forsythia blooms is the solution. Because of the vast number of crab grass seeds that are in the lawn, we anticipate needing 2 applications of Dimension; the 2nd application is forecasted for early April.
 

Question
Is it too late to transplant peonies?

Answer
No, October is fine for transplanting peonies. Remember peonies like full sun and well-drained soil. Do not plant them too deeply. The eyes should be exactly 1 1/2 inches below the soil. If you are going to divide your peonies, I encourage you not to break them down into pieces that have fewer then 5-8 eyes (buds). If you divide them too finely, they seem to take several years to re-develop into flowering size clumps. Chesapeake Blue Crab Compost is the recommended soil amendment.
 

Question
If I start my paper whites now will they be in bloom for Thanksgiving?

Answer
The speed with which paper whites develop is caused by 2 factors: how warm they are and when they are planted. Paper whites that are in a warm place develop faster than those that are in a cool place. Paper whites that are planted now take about 4 weeks to flower. Paper whites planted in January take only 2 weeks to flower. In any event I think you are too early. Your best bet would be to plant your paper whites just before Halloween.

Paper whites:  5 pack   10 pack   25 pack   Kit
 

Question
Is there any species of bamboo that I could grow in a container?  I really like the plant, but living in a town home, I cannot plant it in the yard. I understand it really spreads…. My neighbors probably won’t want it in their yards. I have heard there is a dwarf bamboo.  Would that work in a pot?

Answer
Both the dwarf bamboo (pygmy) and the tall growing golden bamboo can be grown in containers, especially if protected from the winter winds by moving the container close to a wall for the winter. Both will take a year or two to come into their peak performance, so patience is required. Incidentally, there are other bamboos that are hardy but I do not recommend them for pot culture for starters. Also there is a non-invasive, clump-forming bamboo that will do well planted in the yard (not a container). It’s name is Fargesia nitida and it prefers light shade.
 

Question
I have been trying to grow compacta holly bushes in my front garden for about 4 years now and just when they seem to do well they die. I have an hibiscus and silver (I can’t remember the name of that one) but any way they are doing just fine. I thought maybe it was because they were planted near the others but they were dying before I planted those. Also when I moved to this location there were those evergreen bushes with the red berries on it and they were fine also but just to messy for me. I hope you can give me some pointers.  Thank You

Answer
Although widely planted, Japanese hollies are not always easy to grow. They like perfect drainage (mix in Profile soil amendment), but they must never dry out totally (mix in “water grabber”). They like afternoon shade and they resent winter wind. It is not unusual to lose Japanese holly one by one slowly over a period of years. Incidentally, because of the above problems, we sell Japanese holly only as replacement plants - never in newly installed landscaping. I suggest you consider Boxwood True Spreader, Boxwood Chicagoland Hardy or Dwarf birds-nest Spruce.
 

Featured Plant - Aster - Purple Pixie

Without any doubt, this is the finest aster of any and ours exclusively.  A.n.a Purple Pixie provides all of the beauty, ease of growth and disease resistance of a New England aster on 15-18" plants that can be used in the border foreground.

Royal purple blossoms with greenish gold central buttons.  Discovered by Gene Summers.  Late midseason.

Learn more or place an order

Aster - Purple Pixie

The Garden Club Radio Show

Every Saturday morning from 7:00 am to 9:00 am (Eastern time) you can listen to the highly acclaimed Garden Club Radio Show online through WCBM's website.  Click here for more information about the radio show, including how to listen online.

If you live in or will be traveling in the Maryland or Washington DC area, you can also listen to the show by tuning your radio to 680 AM. Any local listeners that may be traveling out of the area can still tune in to the show online, as mentioned above.  We invite you to call in with your questions at 410-922-6680 or
1-800-922-6680.

Happy Gardening,

Alan Summers