Dear Helen: The leaves on听my fuchsia plants are turning a wine colour. Their pots are kept adequately watered. P.S.
Foliage turning purple-red to bronze usually indicates inadequate phosphorus levels in the soil. You will likely be able remedy this with selective fertilizing. Fertilizer labels indicate the relative strengths in the product of three major nutrients in the order: nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium (NPK).
The solution, however, is not to dump a load of high-phosphorus fertilizer into the soil, but to water weekly with a very dilute (a quarter of the recommended label strength) solution of a balanced fertilizer or one with a slightly elevated phosphorus content. This will help to remedy the problem without throwing the soil out of balance and causing further problems.
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Dear Helen: Do you recommend cutting off the growing tips of butternut squash vines at any time?
M.S.
To give all the fruits that have developed on the vines a chance to size up and ripen, I usually cut the tips off winter squash, pumpkin and melon stems early in August, making the cut above the last formed fruit.
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Dear Helen: A physical injury in听the spring depleted my energy and prevented my caring fully for the garden and now it鈥檚 a mess. I鈥檓 on my own and can鈥檛 afford to听hire much help. I听don鈥檛 know where to start or听how to get things back on track.
B.H.
As one who does all the heavy lifting in my garden, I can empathize. Just one hefty burden too many can sometimes be enough to put a back out of order for months.
While the injury is healing and you are giving your body the recommended amounts of rest and care, limit gardening to short periods that can be increased as听healing progresses.
Address the most pressing issues first, such as produce that needs picking and weeds going to seed. Call in friends and neighbours to help with harvesting in听return for a share of the bounty.
Find a limited project that appeals to you. That might be cleaning up a favourite corner of听the garden, or preparing a plot for planting garlic 鈥� ideally done next week or soon after.
To limit wear on the body, get some help 鈥� whatever you can afford 鈥� to undertake the most physically demanding tasks such as digging, or emptying compost heaps and wheeling the compost to emptied flower and vegetable plots.
Another guideline I鈥檝e come to follow when either indoor or outdoor chores pile up: Address first the mess you find most irritating. If you experience a fit of pique upon opening one particular disordered cupboard or on encountering a favourite garden spot in a tangled muddle, give priority to these vexing situations. The cleansing sense of accomplishment and peace that follows is a healing gift in itself.
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GARDEN EVENTS
Lily meeting. The Victoria Lily Society will meet this evening at 7:30 in the Salvation Army Citadel, 4030 Douglas St. Bob Duncan from Fruit Trees and More will share his considerable experience with growing citrus in the Pacific Northwest.
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Native plants. The Native Plant Study Group will meet on Thursday at 7 p.m. in Room D116 of UVic鈥檚 MacLaurin Building. Kristen Miskelly and Paige Erickson-McGee will share their experiences growing, collecting, preparing and eating native plant foods. Non-member drop-in fee is $5. Students free. Parking cost is $2.50. NPSG.ca.
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Healthy lawns. Dinter鈥檚 Nursery, 2205听Phipps Rd. in Duncan, is offering a听free, drop-in seminar on Growing a听Healthy Lawn with John Close of Lush Eco Lawn on Saturday at 10 a.m. Take in tips on having a good looking lawn following challenging summer conditions.
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HCP sale and classes. The Horticulture Centre of the Pacific, 505 Quayle Rd. in Saanich, is hosting a plant sale and offering the following classes. To register for the classes, call 250-479-6162. hcp.ca.
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鈥� Hydrangea Day and plant sale, Sunday, 12 to 3 p.m.
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鈥� The Art of Bonsai 鈥� Winter Care with Mark Paterson, president of the Vancouver Island Bonsai Society, on Saturday, Sept. 24, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Cost to HCP members $35, others $45.
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鈥� Grow Your Own Oyster Mushrooms with Danielle Stevenson, owner of D.I.Y. Fungi, on Saturday, Sept. 24, 1 to 4 p.m. Each participant will inoculate a gallon bucket of oyster mushrooms to take home. Members $45, others $50.
