Garden letters

How do you care for a heliotrope in South Texas? One gardening book I read says it's a perennial in the South, but I haven't had any luck with it.

MIKE REESE, JR. - BAYTOWN, TEXAS

Maybe they meant it was perennial in South Jersey. An old favorite of gardeners in England, New England, and the West Coast, sweetscented heliotrope doesn't do as well in the South. It doesn't like our hot, humid summers, so it's best to treat it as an annual. Give it moist, well-drained soil and good air circulation. Morning sun is okay, but shade during the hot afternoon is a must.

As soon as my gladioli begin to bloom, they fall over. I've limed and fertilized to no avail. Any advice? CHARLES C. BASKIN

MOBILE, ALABAMA

Many gladioli selections have nice flowers but grow so tall and top-heavy that wind or rain can break them. Use firm garden stakes or replace your selections with low-growing types, such as butterfly hybrids or baby glads (also called Gladiolus nanus). These grow only 2 to 3 feet tall and don't need support.

How do I get rid of pesky squirrels in my garden? They're digging up my plants.

LISA ALVAREZ

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS

The best way to discourage squirrels is to blacktop your yard, but this may seem a tad extreme. So our advice is to trap the pests using a Havahart squirrel trap. You can purchase one at a home-supply store. Sunflower seeds serve as an effective bait. After you trap the squirrel, the next step is up to you. If you're a very nice person, you can take it off to the woods and let it go.

I've heard there's a fern that can take the sun even in a hot Texas summer. Can you tell me more about it? KELLY PARROTT

FORT WORTH, TEXAS

The fern in question is Southern shield fern (Thelypteris kunthii), often called wood fern in Texas. It grows 2 to 3 feet high with light green, finely cut fronds that die down in winter. The fern spreads steadily and is easy to divide, so a half-dozen plants can quickly become a border. Unlike most ferns, it'll take lots of sun as long as you give it rich soil containing plenty of organic matter and water it during dry spells. It will also thrive in light shade, where it tolerates drier soil. But it won't do well in deep shade. When I was growing up, our yard was filled with yellow forsythias. I've loved them my whole life. Yellow is my favorite color. Will they grow for me in my new home In Central Florida? NANCY SAUER

SPRING HILL, FLORIDA

Unfortunately, forsythia does poorly in Central Florida, because the winters are too short and mild. You might consider substituting primrose jasmine (Jasminum mesnyi). Like forsythia, this large evergreen shrub has long, arching branches. Bright lemon yellow flowers appear from winter through spring.

Tip of the Month

Fill a yellow dishpan halfway with water, and set it in the garden. Aphids are attracted to yellow, so they will land in the water and drown. You'll have fewer insects on your plants.

ANNA VICTORIA REICH ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO

Tips of the Month are ideas readers say work for them. We do not test them. Submit tips on a postcard with your name, address, telephone number, and e-mail address to Garden Tips, Southern Living P.O. Box 523, Birmingham, AL 35201 or by e-mail to southemlivingqcustomersvc.com. For each published tip you will receive $25.

where to find it

GARDEN LETTERS

Page 72: Gladiolus nanus is available from Dutch Gardens, 1-800-818-3861 (0); Southern shield fern is available from Woodlanders, (803) 648-7522 (0).

(D) Available only through a designer or an architect; (M) Contact the manufacturer for a retail source near you; (0) Mail order; (R) Retail store. Unlisted items are one of a kind or unavailable.

Copyright Southern Progress Corporation Jul 2002
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