Dear Helen: When is the best time to dig bulbs that need to be divided, and how are they kept for planting in autumn? I have snowdrops, Erythronium, daffodils and Brodiaea.
M.B.
Dear M.B.: Erythronium (trout lily, dog-tooth violet) and Brodiaea (California hyacinth) are wildflowers, best left undisturbed. If they must be moved, dig them in late summer and replant immediately.
Snowdrops should be dug, divided and replanted after the flowers have faded but while the leaves are still green.
Daffodil bulbs can be dug when the foliage has dried but is still visible as a marker for the planting. They can be dried briefly and stored in a cool, wellventilated place, but my preference is to plant them right away into their new sites because bulbs store best, in most situations, in the ground. And daffodils start growing new roots as early as July.
Check each lifted bulb for squishiness and holes in the base plate - signs the bulb has been serving as a feeding station for the narcissus bulb fly. Get rid of infested bulbs. Do not compost them.
It is likely that your daffodil bulbs will have produced new roots by now. You could still lift them carefully, with soil kept around the roots, and transplant right away. Or, wait until next spring.
Dear Helen: My five-year old wisteria, located in a sunny, southwest-facing site, was green and healthy until around mid-July, when it suddenly began to wilt. Leaves shrivelled and dropped.
Scraped bark reveals green tissue, indicating life in the plant, but all the leaves are dead except for a new shoot that is green. Is the plant dying?
R.W.
Dear R.W.: Foliage wilting and dying on a wisteria vine most commonly indicates root rot. Once wisteria vines are established, they need to be watered sparingly, both for the health of the plant and for good flowering.
Wisteria vines are better off not targeted by drip or sprinkler irrigation, and over-fertilizing should be avoided. Check your watering practices and cut out any dead wood. The plant should survive.
Dear Helen: I've grown melons for several years now, and every summer I forget how to tell when cantaloupe and watermelon are at peak ripeness. Are there clear guidelines?
L.D.
Dear L.D.: When they are ripe, cantaloupes detach easily from the vine with light pressure applied to the stem, and they usually have a sweet cantaloupe fragrance.
When a watermelon is ripe, the curly tendrils nearest the fruit are dry. Look also at the area where the melon has had contact with the ground. It should have turned from white to creamy or golden yellow. Watermelons that are ripe will have lost their shiny or powdery look and will appear dull.
The traditional "thump" test is a rather subjective gauge of ripeness. Ripe watermelons will no longer sound light and metallic when thumped. At maturity, the sound is solid, dull and resonant. Interpreting the sounds, however, is not always a simple process.
Dear Helen: Why have some of my newly formed zucchini rotted at the flower end?
B.V.
Dear B.V.: This is a common problem, usually weather related. Adverse weather can inhibit the pollinating action of insects. It can also cause the pollination process in the female flowers to be incomplete. The fruit will begin to develop but then turn yellow and rot.
This has been a significant issue this year. A local plant outlet owner has told me that around a dozen people have asked him the same question.
Keep the soil modestly but consistently moist and never wet. Avoid an excess of nitrogen in the soil.
In most coastal soils, mixing in lime prior to planting is helpful, because it counters soil acidity and supplies calcium, which helps to avoid blossom end rot in squash as well as in tomatoes and peppers.
GARDEN EVENT
Dahlia show. The Victoria Dahlia Society is hosting its 66th annual Flower Show on Saturday from 9: 30 a.m. to 5: 30 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Westshore Town Centre, 2945 Jacklin Rd. in Langford. Entries from all over Vancouver Island, the Lower Mainland and Washington will result in a huge splash of colour in display arrangements. Judging will take place on Saturday morning, with winning entries on display Saturday afternoon and Sunday. Pick out varieties to add to your garden for next summer. There will be cut dahlia flowers for sale on both days. victoriadahliasociety.org.
