Dear Helen: The leaves on my young pea plants developed small notches around the edges. I seeded in the first week of April. Can you explain this damage?
S.L.
The notching indicates feeding (at night) by pea leaf weevils, tiny weevils that are rarely seen. They target mainly broad beans and peas.
Adult weevils overwinter in plant debris and begin feeding and laying eggs in the cool, damp March weather. Egg laying continues through May. Their tiny white larvae feed on the nitrogen-fixing nodules on the pea roots.
Delaying planting until after mid-May is one way to avoid damage. Or, start the peas indoors and transplant after the main egg-laying period.
Though larvae feeding on the pea root nodules will deprive the plants of nitrogen, they will still do well and outgrow the feeding period if the soil is nourished with a nitrogen-rich fertilizer such as a seed meal or blood meal. I use fish compost for this purpose, both in preparing the soil for planting and also as a top dressing for the young plants.
Because adult weevils overwinter in plant debris, decide on the following year鈥檚 pea site in the fall and keep it cleared of debris through the winter.
听
Dear Helen: Do deer eat Japanese maples? I need a replacement shrub, under two metres tall, for a sunny site, to replace a lacy elderberry that the deer demolished.
S.S.
Lists of deer-resistant plants have become a source of considerable mirth in recent years, but they do offer useful suggestions at least for plants that are not among the deer鈥檚 most favoured targets. Maples do not appear on any of the lists that I听have. I presume they must be targets.
Two shrubs that might work for you are California lilac (Ceanothus) and Mexican orange blossom (Choisya). Both are evergreen.
Ceanothus can be seen in some municipal landscapes. 鈥淰ictoria,鈥� a popular variety, grows up to three metres, but can be easily kept more compact with pruning. Deep blue flowers begin appearing in May.
Choisya ternata is a broadly mounded shrub with lustrous, aromatic leaves and perfumed white flowers in late spring. 鈥淪undance鈥� has bright, golden foliage Another, less seen form, 鈥淎ztec Pearl,鈥� has more slim-fingered leaves.
Though the leaves of C. ternata are more attractive, in my garden Aztec Pearl has been the tougher, more vigorous plant. For weeks now, it has been covered in fragrant white flowers.
Garden Events
View Royal meeting. The View Royal Garden Club will meet tonight (at 7:30 in Wheeley Hall, 500 Admirals Rd. in Esquimalt). Diane Pierce will discuss and demonstrate how to rejuvenate garden shrubs. There will be a judged mini show, a sales table, and refreshments. Drop-in fee $5.
HCP workshops for children. The Horticulture Centre of the Pacific, 505听Quayle Rd. in Saanich, is offering the following workshops. To register call 250-479-6162. Details at hcp.ca.
鈥� Tea Cup Fairy Gardens. Saturday, 1 to 2:30 p.m. For ages three and up. Parents/guardians welcome to stay and are required to remain with children under six. $15 per child.
鈥� Mini Pollinator Gardens. Sat. June 2, 1听to 3:30 p.m. Ages five and up. $15 per child.
Plant sale. A Garden Babies for Birthright plant sale will be held on Saturday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., at St. Patrick's Church, 2060 Haultain in Oak Bay. It will feature flowers in cool shades of white, purple and blue, as well as flowering shrubs, perennials, herbs and ground covers. Look for an extensive selection of tomato and vegetable transplants at irresistible prices.
Mill Bay show. The Mill Bay Garden Club is hosting its 71st Annual Community Flower and Garden Show on Saturday, 9听a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Cobble Hill Farmers Institute Hall, 3550 Watson Rd. The show includes 70 different classes of flowers and vegetables, a silent auction, plant sale, commercial vendors, garden accessories, master gardeners and a strawberry tea. Admission $2.
Cowichan show. Cowichan Valley Garden Club is celebrating its 65th year with its 2018 Annual Spring Flower Show and Tea on Saturday, 1 to 4 p.m. in St. Peter鈥檚 Church Hall, 5800 Church Rd. in Duncan. View flowers and plants grown in the valley as well as floral designs and garden photographs. Explore the garden treasures table. Admission $4. Tea $4.
