Flower show will feature the ‘Magic of Mums’

The Magic of Mums" is the theme of the Las Vegas Chrysanthemum Society annual "all mum" flower show from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The show is at the Nevada Garden Club Center, located in the northwest corner of Lorenzi Park at 3333 W. Washington Ave. In this day of high prices, this event is free.

You do not have to be a member of the Chrysanthemum Society to enter flowers in the show. If you have mums, try your luck at entering and winning a ribbon by calling 459-4633. Society members will help you groom and arrange your entries.

You'll enjoy your walk through their "Magic of Mums." All the mums you'll see at the show must be grown in Las Vegas, according to the rules. To me, every exhibit is a new experience. You'll see cascading mums, tree mums, hanging baskets full of mums or just pots and mounds of color and these are just the common mums. You are in for a real experience if you haven't seen what the society calls exhibition mums. It never ceases to amaze me what these mum-lovers grow in their backyards. They'll be on hand to receive your accolades and answer your mum questions.

FERTILIZE YOUR LAWN

Near Thanksgiving, it's time to fertilize your lawn. This late feeding benefits your lawn in many ways: expect a gradual increase in top growth, rather than an accelerated flush of growth to mow next spring; you can literally forget next spring's feeding without sacrificing quality; it increases root growth and store nutrients for use next season and you'll have a thicker lawn resulting in fewer weeds.

Purchase a fertilizer with nitrogen and potassium in the mix. Your nursery has several options available. The fertilizer label will tell you the amount to apply. Avoid a striped zebra-looking lawn by spreading half in one direction and the other the opposite way.

Here are reasons why you want potassium on your lawn: It builds in cold tolerance so lawn stays greener; enhances drought-tolerance and pests; Bermuda lawns green up earlier next spring and improves nutrient transfer through plants.

Q: We came home after a week's vacation only to find the driveway covered with a sticky stuff under our live oak tree. What it is and how do I control it?

A: Aphids are infesting your tree. Make up a solution of soapy water and drench tree, then follow with a good wash down.

Q: How do you grow an avocado from seed?

A: You can plant them directly in the soil or in water. If you choose to grow it in water, you need a glass jar, three toothpicks and an avocado seed.

Select a very ripe avocado. Remove seed and wash to remove loose skin. Place the pointed end of the seed up and use toothpicks to suspend the seed so the bottom touches water during the process. Put jar in a warm, dimly lit place. In three to six weeks, the seed will split and the root and shoot will emerge. Move jar to stronger light. When you have strong roots, transfer it to a potting mixture in a six-inch pot. In two months it will be an attractive, stately tree. Given proper care, it will grow up to four-feet high and live for a number of years. An avocado cannot tolerate our winters, so keep the tree inside through winter.

Q: We have a shady area where we haven't been able to get anything to grow. Are there some plants that will take a lot of shade?

A: Look for plants that have large leaves and are darker-green. And forget two-colored plants, it takes lots of light to keep two-toned plants producing their patters. Here are some consideration: botanical wonder, ivies, Japanese aralia, gold dust plant, cat's claw, winter creeper euonymus, potentilla, podocarpus, ajuga and Burford holly. Creeping fig does best on the morning side of the house. In the young stages, creeping fig, Carolina jessamine, viburnum and Algerian Ivy are all good choices.

Q: What can I do to stop olive stains on my sidewalks and carpet?

A: Harvest olives both on the tree and the ground to avoid further staining. Next spring, abort blossoms by spraying trees with a growth regulator when coming into bloom. You get better control spraying the trees twice, as olive blooms open over an extended period of time.

Q: We have a holly oak covered with acorns. Can we plant some?

A: "Of course you can, and they are so easy to do," said arborist Dennis Swartzell. Harvest as many as you need and remove the caps that cover part of the seed. Press seeds into a flat of soil so the seeds are just below the soil surface. Keep soil moist and seeds will germinate and send up shoots for next spring. When shoots get two-inches tall, move plants to larger pots until ready to plant in the garden or to give away. We need to plant more oaks. They take a while to become established, but are beautiful when they mature.

Q: I get confused with the terms, mulching, organic matter, compost and humus?

A: You are right, we often use them interchangeably. Here are the differences.

Mulching is layer of material covering bare soil; it can be organic or rock. I prefer organic products, as they provide food for microorganism in soil. As they decompose the mulch, these forgotten heroes carry it into the root zone to improve the plant's growing conditions. Mulching is also a great way to conserve water, prevent weeds, cools soils and ties a landscape together to give it that tidy look.

Organic matter or material is any product derived from plants. These products are capable of undergoing decomposition and decay.

Compost is a procedure of decomposing plants by microbial activity. Composting is still taking place as long as you can identify the original products such as leaves or grass clippings. You need to add nitrogen to feed the microorganisms to hasten the process.

Finally, humus is the final stages of the composting. At this phase, it is a crumbly, brownish to black fluffy substance that plants can use.

FREE PLANTS

Here's your chance to get some free native plants such as those grown in the Springs Preserve Garden. "We are giving away native plants from 10 a.m. to noon Monday through Nov. 23," said Laura Eisenberg, of the Springs Preserve. "The purpose of the giveaway is to introduce many beautiful native plants into our landscapes."

Drop by Dr. Greenthumb's booth and peruse over plants available, answer the questions attached to the plant and you will be able to take the plant home with you. The questions are not hard and we will be around to coach you through them.

Linn Mills writes a gardening column each Thursday. You can reach him at lmills@reviewjournal.com or at the Gardens at the Springs Preserve at 822-7754.