Wait for spring to dig and divide dahlia tubers
Dear Helen: I would like to dig and separate my dahlia tuber clumps, which have been in the ground for three years. My preferred time for doing this is in the fall. Gardening friends tell me to dig and store the tubers for the winter, but I have no suitable place to overwinter them.
I.B.
If the tubers have wintered and regrown successfully over several years, why not just leave them stored where they are, in the ground, for another winter and dig, divide and replant in the spring?
When the tops have blackened with the first frost, cut the stems down and mark the site of each clump. Identify each one, with the variety name if you have it or with the plant height and flower colour. I usually make a mound of soil over each dahlia clump and, for easy visibility and a little extra protection, I top the soil with a shallow layer of aged sawdust or wood shavings.
In the spring, when the soil is no longer wet and has begun to warm (usually in April), dig up the clumps. Look for nubs of growth at the base of the old stem. When dividing a clump, make sure that each tuber you keep for replanting has a piece of stem with a growth bud.
Prepare planting sites ahead of time if possible, digging the soil over deeply and mixing in lime, compost and fertilizer. Plant most types 12.5 centimetres deep, a little deeper for tall, top-heavy plants. Before filling in the planting hole, insert a stout stake for tall dahlias.
Dear Helen: What are these white, fuzzy creatures on my hydrangea?
L.E.
I first thought they could be mealybugs, which live under a mass of white fluff. But some sort of scale was another possibility. In Linda Gilkeson’s Natural Insect, Weed & Disease
Control I found a photo of creatures like yours, identified as cottony cushion scale. The orange-brown females have elongated and fluted white cottony egg sacs attached to their bodies, which makes them look like plump, dark-headed, white fuzzy insects.
Each egg sac contains hundreds of eggs. The scales suck sap from plants and exude a honeydew that often develops a black, sooty mould.
Control measures are similar to those used for mealybug and soft brown scale. If the infestation is restricted to just a few twigs or branches, remove and destroy them. Do not compost. Encourage natural enemies such as lady beetles with a broad range of flowers and herbs. Sweet alyssum, dill and coriander (cilantro) are especially useful.
If the problem is widespread in the shrub, prune away the most heavily infested stems and follow up with an insecticidal soap spray to kill immature stages of the scales. Repeat monthly to catch new generations of vulnerable young.
Dear Helen: A few years ago you had a wonderful recipe for a rhubarb pudding, simply made with eggs, milk, flour and rhubarb. It had been my dessert staple. I put the recipe in a place so safe I can’t find it now. I’ve tried other similar recipes but they haven’t worked well and they all seem to require a million steps. Please repeat the recipe.
H.M. I’m all too familiar with those subsequently inaccessible “safe” places for special items.
I’m thinking that most summer berries and diced tree fruits could be used in this recipe for fruit pudding.
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup sugar (or less, if the fruit is sweet)
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup flour
4 cups diced rhubarb
• chopped candied ginger (optional)
• pecans (optional)
Whisk together first four ingredients. Stir in fruit. Pour into a buttered 1 1/2 quart baking dish. Bake at 350 F for 40 minutes or until firm. Serve with whipped cream.
GARDEN EVENTS
View Royal meeting. The View Royal Garden Club will meet tonight at 7:30 in its new location, Wheeley Hall at Esquimalt United Church, 500 Admirals Rd. Claudia Copley, from the Royal B.C. Museum, will speak about Pollinators. As well, a judged mini-show will feature exhibits from members’ gardens. There will be a sales table with plants and garden items. Visitors and new members are welcome. Further information at 250-658-9495.
Cactus show and sale. The Victoria Cactus and Succulent Society will host its 2016 show and sale on Friday and Saturday in the Tillicum Centre’s lower level, during mall hours.