Iris Society’s annual rhizome sale set for next weekend

Mention the word iris to flower lovers and images of gorgeous flowers pour across their minds in beautiful colors and patterns. Irises have captivated the hearts of gardeners the world over with their rare and exotic blooms.

How can you go wrong with flowers that have three large petals that fall down the stem and three that stand upright? Many petals resemble a "bearded" woolly caterpillar, which is where the name bearded iris comes from.

The Las Vegas Iris Society will be offering some of its award-winning irises at its annual rhizome sale from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 29 at Plant World Nursery, 5301 W. Charleston Blvd. There will be iris rhizomes of every color and size, Tall Bearded, Median, Rebloomers, Space Age, Louisiana, Spuria and Airlbred. If you were at the show in April, don't forget to bring your wish list.

The members of the Las Vegas Iris Society want you to come to the sale so they can help you get started in growing this wonderful flower. You will be amazed at how beautiful they are and how well they grow in this desert. Club members will teach you how to plant and care for them year-round so you will have an amazing iris garden. For those that already have an iris garden, come and learn about the beautiful new introductions that they have for you this weekend. For more information please call 876-1525 or 228-0827.

Here are some questions that captured my attention this past week.

Q: How do I know when to harvest my almonds?

A: They are a long way from ripening, which is in the early fall or when the kernels harden. The hulls are splitting now to help the kernels to mature. The kernels rattle in the shells when they are adequately dry. Knock them from the trees or gather them off the ground. Remove the hull and spread the nuts in the sun for a day or two to finish curing. Store them in a cool, dry place.

Q: How can I keep the birds out of my grapes this year? The birds beat us to them last year.

A: Ferren Bunker, my leader while working with Cooperative Extension before he retired, puts each cluster in a brown paper bag and ties it closed. Paper allows plenty of air circulation while enabling the grapes to ripen.

Q: Why do two of my Black Beauty eggplants produce fruit that are greenish with faint dark streaks as they mature? The others are normal.

A: Certain varieties of eggplants are genetically unstable and the offspring shows up a little peculiar. Strip all the fruit off the plants in question. If it comes back the same, then it is a genetic problem, but I think the fruit will come back normal.

Q: Why does the fruit on my peach tree get a certain size and stop growing?

A: After fruit sets in the spring, stones swell to a point. Then the flesh (the part we eat) grows, and that is the time to give the tree lots of water to make the big peaches. If the stone and flesh grow at the same time, then you end up with split pits at harvest.

Q: We have what looks like tumbleweeds all over our yard. What can we do to get rid of them?

A: Pulling them up is the easiest way. To make the pull easier, soak the ground the day before and they'll come out easy. Chemicals dry them out, and you still have to pull them up. I would 10 times rather pull live tumbleweeds than dry plants.

Q: We have a surprise plant in our yard. It has an ornamental look with brightly colored foliage and flowers. The seeds look like sesame seeds. Do you know what it is?

A: It is probably an amaranthus. In those tassels, you will find thousands of seeds. These seeds are used in bird mixes, and they pass through birds and end up in your yard. Back on the farm, I called this plant red root, as they are red, or pig weed, as the pigs like them. The improved varieties are used in some nations as a substitute for spinach. The seeds are a high protein and used as a grain.

Q: How do you tell when to harvest onions and garlic?

A: Harvest them when tops topple over. Pull them up and remove the tops, clean off the dirt, and store with good air circulation. Onions need to air dry for two weeks to cure for storage.

When garlic leaves start to die off, it's also time to harvest. Dig up the cloves, but don't remove the leaves.

Tie leaves together and let them thoroughly dry. Store in well-ventilated containers or braid together and hang near the kitchen door out of sunlight.

Q: Does zoysiagrass make a good lawn grass?

A: You bet. It forms a thick emerald-green growth and it is a low water user. It is a warm-season grass, so that tells you it will brown out during the winter. It does require a reel mower to keep it looking sharp.

CITRUS GROWING IN LAS VEGAS

Tom Spellman from Dave Wilson Nursery, who has assisted Bob Morris in getting many of the fruit selection at the University Orchard, has nearly 30 years experience in the growing of avocados, citrus, subtropical and deciduous fruit trees. Wilson Nursery has been producing nursery stock for 70 years, becoming one of the largest growers of deciduous fruit, nut and shade trees in California for both commercial orchards and the home garden trade. The nursery produces more than 3 million trees a year. The seminar is at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Cooperative Extension, located at 8505 S. Maryland Parkway. Call 257-5555 to reserve your free seat.

GROWING VEGGIES IN CONTAINERS

You don't have to have a full-fledged garden to have garden-fresh veggies. Let Jim Carollo, horticulturist for Angel Park Golf course, help you discover how to grow veggies in containers. Veggies in containers not only taste great, but are attractive to the eyes and will become a great conversation piece. Vegetables and containers will be provided so you can create your own veggie garden to take home. That is at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Springs Preserve at 333 S. Valley View Blvd. Call 822-7786 to reserve your seat.

BIRDS AT PRESERVE

Come take a tour of the Springs Preserve to help you spot birds and learn how to attract them to your yard. So far, more than 150 kinds of birds have been spotted at the Preserve. Bring binoculars for your watching pleasure. It's Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. at the Springs Preserve. Tour starts at the ticket booth.

SUNSET GARDEN CLUB ANNOUNCES FLOWER SHOW WINNERS

The Sunset Garden Club, which recently had its annual flower show, wants to honor those who walked away with the trophies: Award of Horticultural Excellence went to Midge Wilkerson for her dish garden, which is a miniature landscape of plants and accessories in an open container; Arboreal Award to Jean Engelmann; Awards of Merit, Caroline Arico, Jean Engelmann and Midge Wilkerson. And the design winners were Anna Williams and Bert Ziemski.

Linn Mills writes a gardening column each Sunday. You can reach him at linn.mills@springspreserve.org or call him at 822-7754.