High hopes for ‘Paradise Island’ Fuseable blend
Dear Helen: In some of the catalogues I’ve come across listings described as Fuseables — blends of two or three colours in a flower. Are you familiar with Fuseables? I’d like to know whether they are worthwhile growing.
A.W. I tried several Fuseable petunia blends when they were first introduced, a few years ago. In my plantings, only two of the three colours showed up. The effect was still nice, but not precisely what I was expecting.
I often grow two or three colours in the same flower series, for example from among the “Easy Wave” petunias or the “Sorbet” series of violas, to see which colours I like best and to find which ones grow the most strongly and trouble-free. It’s usual to find that not all the different colours in a series perform equally strongly. This could be one possible explanation for certain varieties overpowering others in fused blends.
I notice this year that more Fuseables contain just two colours or two different flowers, as in the petunia-bacopa combinations.
The term “fuseable” refers to the seeds being fused into pellets. As the process is described, one seed of each colour is enclosed in each pellet.
Having given Fuseables a rest for a while, I’m trying a new one this year and hoping for the promised splendid results. ‘Paradise Island’ is the first ever Calibrachoa Fuseable. It is from the excellent Kabloom series, combining the Yellow, Denim (blue), and Rose in the series. Because I’ve had pleasing results from the Kabloom calibrachoas in the past, I’m looking forward to seeing this new introduction in floral action.
‘Paradise Island’ is listed in the catalogues from T&T, Stokes, and Veseys Seeds. Dear Helen: We have a dwarf apple tree espaliered against our fence. For the last two years we’ve had trouble with rats moving along the fence and taking a single bite out of many apples. Are there any natural deterrents we can try? We won’t use poisons, and I think that rats would chew through netting.
S.F. If the tree were free-standing, flexible metal sheeting 60 cm high secured around the trunk would keep rats (and raccoons) from accessing the apples.
In your situation, flexible wire mesh or hardware cloth arranged to exclude rodents is a possibility. It, or some other barrier, would need to bar access from the ground as well as from the fence.
As for repellents, I’ve heard that a sprinkling of ammonia sometimes works to keep rats away. You could try placing cotton balls soaked in ammonia on the fence. I’ve kept mice from snuggling into my garden shed and carport with peppermint extract, from the baking supplies section of food stores, on cotton balls. I’m not certain that would work for rats, but it’s inexpensive and worth a try.
Trapping is another option. Consider inquiring at a local farm supply store about which type of trap would work best for you.
GARDEN EVENTS
View Royal meeting. The View Royal Garden Club will meet this evening at 7:30 in Wheeley Hall at Esquimalt United Church, 500 Admirals Rd. Kate Fraser from Bees Please Farms will speak about backyard chickens and bees. There will be a judged mini-show and a sales table. Non-member drop-in fee $5.
Chrysanthemum meeting. The Victoria Chrysanthemum Society will meeting on Saturday, 2:30 p.m. at 1647 Chandler Ave. Beth Close from Advanced Bionics will discuss pest control in the garden.
Seedy in Sooke. Sooke will celebrate Seedy Saturday this weekend, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Sooke Community Hall. Admission by donation. Information at sookefoodchi.ca. Pruning party. The Fruit Testers are hosting a free pruning party on Saturday, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. in the walled garden at Royal Roads University, 2005 Sooke Rd. Follow signs to the Mews pay parking. Bring secateurs. HCP workshops. The Horticulture Centre of the Pacific, 505 Quayle Rd. in Saanich, is offering the following workshops. To register call 250-4796162. hcp.ca. • Backyard Orchard, Saturdays, March 4 and 11, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Covers selecting fruit and nut tree, blueberry and raspberry varieties, along with directions on their care. Cost to members $90, others $110. • Compost Tea for the Garden, Sunday, March 5, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Learn how to brew compost tea to benefit plants and soil. Take home some tea for your garden. Members $25, others $30.