Moles are tunneling all over Kitsap County. Lawns are especially vulnerable. Master Gardeners from all over Kitsap County have been reporting moles tunneling here and there. What's a gardener to do? The answer is not much can be done. For what it's worth here are a few tips and techniques to try, plus several websites with very good information to peruse.
The reason we're seeing so many mole hills and tunnels this time of year is moles are out looking for mates. It's an amorous pursuit for these somewhat cute but shy creatures. It's mole mating season from February to early March. Soon they'll be having their families estimated at 2.9 pups per litter. Not sure what .9 of a mole looks like. In several weeks (about mid April) the parents kick the pups out of the den and these juvenile moles travel anywhere from 14 to 925 yards away to their own new homes. Guess what? That means more tunneling and mounding. But if you live near a forest, they'll head that way and live happily ever after.
Dave Pehling, mammal and mole expert for WSU Extension's Snohomish County office says the best way to eliminate mole problems is to trap the moles. However, Washington State's I-713 made some traps illegal. But moles can still be trapped alive. Visit http://snohomish.wsu.edu/newsletters/moles/molegazette3.htm, this issue of Pehling's news illustrates, literally, the various kinds of traps you can purchase or buy to control moles.
Pehling's newsletter at http://snohomish.wsu.edu/newsletters/moles/molegazette2.htm discusses baits and other methods of controlling moles that do not work. Moles eat worms and insects and are not attracted to gum or other concoctions, contrary to popular folklore.
WSU's publication EB1028, written by Pehling, describes our moles, shows a great photo of what the mole looks like and gives abundant information on how to control moles in home gardens. Visit http://cru.cahe.wsu.edu/CEPublications/eb1028/eb1028.html to read and download the publication. If you do not have internet access, call 360-337-7157 to order a copy.
Most moles in our gardens are Townsend's moles. They are the largest of the moles, lucky us. But large means 8-9 inches, which is actually not that large compared to raccoons and other critters sometimes found marauding our gardens. Pehling says mole tunnels can be anywhere from 6 inches to 20 inches deep. Moles eat about 40 pounds of insects and worms annually. They enjoy moist soil because it's easier to tunnel and find insects and worms to devour. Pehling also says "moles eject up to 2 gallons of soil through a lateral tunnel to the surface." Quite impressive - 2 gallons! That's a lot of soil.
Pehling admits he has moles sharing his yard. He has studied them through the years. Moles do not hibernate and if you have some in your garden, they may hang around for their entire life. Just flatten their tunnels down or fill in with the 2 gallons of ejected soil. Moles are nature's aerators and rototillers. That's a way to look on the bright side of things. The other positive thing to tell yourself, if you have moles tunneling it's usually because your soil is healthy and full of worms and good insects.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Time to Think Roses
In February many gardeners start dreaming about roses. There are even several gardeners in Kitsap County who literally have more than a hundred varieties of roses growing in their gardens. Other gardeners wouldn't grow roses if their lives depended on it.
Through the years breeders have been perfecting roses for disease resistance, ease of growing and wonderful appeal. Weeks Roses from Wasco, California supplies roses to many of our local nurseries: Bay Hay (Bainbridge Island), Bainbridge Gardens, Valley Nursery, Country Nursery and Gardens, Clear Creek Nursery and Port Orchard Nursery. In late fall and the dead of winter, they receive the current listings of available roses for the upcoming years. Talk to your favorite nursery staff person at these nurseries to find out their favorite varieties for 2009 or to order in new roses for you each year.
Weeks Roses was founded in 1938. The test gardens are at Cal Poly in Pomona. Each year researchers Tom Carruth and Christian Bedard of Cal Poly hand pollinate 50,000 flowers to produce more than 250,000 seeds. Over a period of 8-11 years they come up with the best of the varieties to finally release to the public. Check out the website www.weeksroses to see a fascinating slide presentation on the process, even if you'll never plant a rose, the process is amazing.
Roses receive AARS (All American Rose Selection) ratings. To see AARS rose selections through the years, visit the Woodland Park Rose Garden or the Point Defiance Rose Garden, each not too far away from Kitsap County.
The AARS website http://www.rose.org has a complete listing of roses just perfect for Kitsap County and the Pacific Northwest. I'm coveting Marmalade Sky a 3-foot by 3-foot beauty with five to eight blooms per stem. Each blossom has 17-25 petals. It will bloom for months. Fourth of July is a climber. It's the first climbing rose to win the AARS award in 23 years. Blossoms are red with white stripes. The red actually has hints of orange, the white stripes hint of peach, the center is a bright golden yellow. This climber grows 12-14 feet tall and has the scent of "fresh cut apple and sweet rose."
If you're tempted to grow roses, make sure you have lots of sun. Six hours a day is the barest minimum and more sun each day is even better. Roses also love good air circulation. They need regular watering so plant them in a zone of plants in your garden that need regular water (several times a week during July through September). Use a soaker hose or drip system to send water directly to the root zone so you're not wasting precious water resources. Always select varieties that are resistant to pests and diseases. Rose propagators have developed literally hundreds of easy-care varieties.
For gardening in small spaces, try the new ground cover shrub roses or even miniature roses. "Flower Carpet Roses" have been a favorite of mine for about nine years now. You can't go wrong with these beauties, they thrive on neglect with very little watering once established. Once a month is quite sufficient for them. Leaves are glossy and flowers are abundant. Miniature roses live happily for years and years in containers. Water them as you would any containerized plant and fertilize with a liquid organic fertilizer.
Check out "Dig This" archives at http://kitsap.wsu.edu/hort/dig_this/dig_this_toc.htm for nine years of columns on a wide variety of gardening topics.
Through the years breeders have been perfecting roses for disease resistance, ease of growing and wonderful appeal. Weeks Roses from Wasco, California supplies roses to many of our local nurseries: Bay Hay (Bainbridge Island), Bainbridge Gardens, Valley Nursery, Country Nursery and Gardens, Clear Creek Nursery and Port Orchard Nursery. In late fall and the dead of winter, they receive the current listings of available roses for the upcoming years. Talk to your favorite nursery staff person at these nurseries to find out their favorite varieties for 2009 or to order in new roses for you each year.
Weeks Roses was founded in 1938. The test gardens are at Cal Poly in Pomona. Each year researchers Tom Carruth and Christian Bedard of Cal Poly hand pollinate 50,000 flowers to produce more than 250,000 seeds. Over a period of 8-11 years they come up with the best of the varieties to finally release to the public. Check out the website www.weeksroses to see a fascinating slide presentation on the process, even if you'll never plant a rose, the process is amazing.
Roses receive AARS (All American Rose Selection) ratings. To see AARS rose selections through the years, visit the Woodland Park Rose Garden or the Point Defiance Rose Garden, each not too far away from Kitsap County.
The AARS website http://www.rose.org has a complete listing of roses just perfect for Kitsap County and the Pacific Northwest. I'm coveting Marmalade Sky a 3-foot by 3-foot beauty with five to eight blooms per stem. Each blossom has 17-25 petals. It will bloom for months. Fourth of July is a climber. It's the first climbing rose to win the AARS award in 23 years. Blossoms are red with white stripes. The red actually has hints of orange, the white stripes hint of peach, the center is a bright golden yellow. This climber grows 12-14 feet tall and has the scent of "fresh cut apple and sweet rose."
If you're tempted to grow roses, make sure you have lots of sun. Six hours a day is the barest minimum and more sun each day is even better. Roses also love good air circulation. They need regular watering so plant them in a zone of plants in your garden that need regular water (several times a week during July through September). Use a soaker hose or drip system to send water directly to the root zone so you're not wasting precious water resources. Always select varieties that are resistant to pests and diseases. Rose propagators have developed literally hundreds of easy-care varieties.
For gardening in small spaces, try the new ground cover shrub roses or even miniature roses. "Flower Carpet Roses" have been a favorite of mine for about nine years now. You can't go wrong with these beauties, they thrive on neglect with very little watering once established. Once a month is quite sufficient for them. Leaves are glossy and flowers are abundant. Miniature roses live happily for years and years in containers. Water them as you would any containerized plant and fertilize with a liquid organic fertilizer.
Check out "Dig This" archives at http://kitsap.wsu.edu/hort/dig_this/dig_this_toc.htm for nine years of columns on a wide variety of gardening topics.
NW Flower and Garden Show
It's time to pick up your tickets for the Northwest Flower and Garden Show held each year at the Washington State Convention Center, 7th and Pike in Seattle. This annual event is the first harbinger of spring for local gardeners. 2009 dates are February 18 through 22. Several of our Kitsap Peninsula garden talents will be there to entertain, enthrall and educate show goers.
This year's theme is "Sustainable Spaces, Beautiful Places." Gardeners both seasoned and brand new can stroll through 26 differently designed spaces. Each display garden will show ways to restore, reuse and rejuvenate gardens while using sustainable and eco-friendly methods. Show designers this year are concentrating on gardens that could definitely be replicated on our own pieces of the earth.
Sue Goetz from "The Creative Gardener" in Gig Harbor has designed a show garden for the fourth year. The garden is titled "L'eau (water) and sage (wise). She's incorporated gravel elements throughout. Plants are water wise, perfectly suited for sunny spaces. Visit Goetz's website at www.thecreativegardener.com.
Dan Robinson from Elandan Gardens in Port Orchard is a featured designer each year at the show. This year Dan becomes a living model in the garden's vignette. "Restoring a Garden to Former Glory" is the theme. The storyline is about a grandfather who now has more time on his hands. He sets out to restore an overgrown, neglected garden to its former glory. Show goers will witness Dan in the display garden demonstrating hands on techniques throughout the show's run. He'll answer pruning, training and planting questions in addition to creating a feast for the senses.
Don't miss renowned garden expert and author, Dan Hinkley: "Plant Lust, Drama Queens - Bold Plants for Show Stopping Effects" on Friday February 20 at 9:45 a.m. and again on Friday at 1:15 "The Garden In Winter - Celebrating Texture, Color and Form." Garden Designer and writer Colleen Miko (Colleen's) will demonstrate "Mosaics, How to Make Mosaic Garden Art" on the DIY Stage on Saturday February 21. Susan Harrington (Labyrinth Hill Lavender) will show children, parents and interested adults the "Five Minute Greenhouse - Make Your Own Mini-Greenhouse" on Saturday and Sunday February 21 and 22. Garden Designer and writer Susan Goetz (The Creative Gardener) will speak on "In Love With Lavender, Creative Uses for Fragrant Lavender" on Sunday Feb. 22.
Early bird tickets for the show are $16 purchased locally at: Bay Hay, Bainbridge Gardens, Town and Country Market, Central Market, Valley Nursery, Bremerton City Nursery, and Rosedale Gardens. According to the Garden Show website the early bird rate is good until February 17. After that the price is $20. Visit the show's website for more details http://www.gardenshow.com/seattle/index/index.cfm
If journeying to Seattle is too daunting come explore 6 hour gardening classes on select Fridays from January through March 2009 at the Norm Dicks Government Center in Bremerton. Horticulture topics vary each Friday. Find the complete listing of classes and registration details at http://kitsap.wsu.edu/events/pdf/2009_Gardening_Courses.pdf. Each class is $35 payable in advance. If you do not have access to the Internet call 360-337-7157 and the WSU Kitsap Extension Office will send you a printed schedule and details.
This year's theme is "Sustainable Spaces, Beautiful Places." Gardeners both seasoned and brand new can stroll through 26 differently designed spaces. Each display garden will show ways to restore, reuse and rejuvenate gardens while using sustainable and eco-friendly methods. Show designers this year are concentrating on gardens that could definitely be replicated on our own pieces of the earth.
Sue Goetz from "The Creative Gardener" in Gig Harbor has designed a show garden for the fourth year. The garden is titled "L'eau (water) and sage (wise). She's incorporated gravel elements throughout. Plants are water wise, perfectly suited for sunny spaces. Visit Goetz's website at www.thecreativegardener.com.
Dan Robinson from Elandan Gardens in Port Orchard is a featured designer each year at the show. This year Dan becomes a living model in the garden's vignette. "Restoring a Garden to Former Glory" is the theme. The storyline is about a grandfather who now has more time on his hands. He sets out to restore an overgrown, neglected garden to its former glory. Show goers will witness Dan in the display garden demonstrating hands on techniques throughout the show's run. He'll answer pruning, training and planting questions in addition to creating a feast for the senses.
Don't miss renowned garden expert and author, Dan Hinkley: "Plant Lust, Drama Queens - Bold Plants for Show Stopping Effects" on Friday February 20 at 9:45 a.m. and again on Friday at 1:15 "The Garden In Winter - Celebrating Texture, Color and Form." Garden Designer and writer Colleen Miko (Colleen's) will demonstrate "Mosaics, How to Make Mosaic Garden Art" on the DIY Stage on Saturday February 21. Susan Harrington (Labyrinth Hill Lavender) will show children, parents and interested adults the "Five Minute Greenhouse - Make Your Own Mini-Greenhouse" on Saturday and Sunday February 21 and 22. Garden Designer and writer Susan Goetz (The Creative Gardener) will speak on "In Love With Lavender, Creative Uses for Fragrant Lavender" on Sunday Feb. 22.
Early bird tickets for the show are $16 purchased locally at: Bay Hay, Bainbridge Gardens, Town and Country Market, Central Market, Valley Nursery, Bremerton City Nursery, and Rosedale Gardens. According to the Garden Show website the early bird rate is good until February 17. After that the price is $20. Visit the show's website for more details http://www.gardenshow.com/seattle/index/index.cfm
If journeying to Seattle is too daunting come explore 6 hour gardening classes on select Fridays from January through March 2009 at the Norm Dicks Government Center in Bremerton. Horticulture topics vary each Friday. Find the complete listing of classes and registration details at http://kitsap.wsu.edu/events/pdf/2009_Gardening_Courses.pdf. Each class is $35 payable in advance. If you do not have access to the Internet call 360-337-7157 and the WSU Kitsap Extension Office will send you a printed schedule and details.
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