LADYBUG SAYS ... THE TRUTH OF WINTER KILL NOW BEING TOLD

Now, we are getting answers to many mysteries of the winter-kill suffered by so many of our plants.

In his recent Horticultural News letter, the editor, Robert J. Dingwall, explains the results of the freezing temperatures in March and how the tender growth on plants has been effected.

In regard to roses, he says, "The tops were badly damaged and those who removed the mulch or pruned too early may have lost their roses completely. Mulches should be gradually pulled back from the from the plants now and pruning done. Apply up to 1/4 cup of superphate to each plant along with 3 tablespoons epsom salts and work in lightly. Level the bed over, then apply a light dusting of ground sulfur over the bed. When new growth is about 2 or 3 inches long apply a balanced fertilizer evenly over the bed."

Many gardeners have reported losing perennials. He also said that it was the result of the sudden cold the first part of November, when the thermometer dipped to 10, with no previous warning. This took its toll on daisies, mums, coral bells, gaillardia and other hardy plants. The severe cold came before they had a chance to harden, or prepare themselves for winter, thus they met their doom.

Someone has asked about a shrub known as a sweet-bubby bush. This is also known as a sweet-shrub, Carolina allspice, sweet-betsy, strawberry shrub and pineapple shrub. All of its many common names point to the shrub's most well known and best loved attribute its fragrance. Its flowers have been described as smelling like apples, strawberries, spices and pineapple. There used to be one growing in our neighborhood and one can detect its pleasant aroma from a great distance.

Although the flowers are not especially showy, looking as if they are whittled from wood, they range in color from brick red to maroon, and they are prized for their hard-to-describe fragrance.

The sweet bubby bush blooms in April or May and may bloom sporadically in early summer. Its leaves turn yellow in the autumn. Although its native habitat is woodlands, sweet-bubby bush will grow in full sun as well as shade and grows six to nine feet tall with an equal spread. It is available in the spring edition of Hastings catalog of Atlanta, GA.

When Nancy Kolmer of Woodstock, N.Y., went out to get her paper one morning, she discovered her beautiful garden gone nibbled to the ground by deer. Gone were her shrubs, perennials and azaleas. Instead of the sight of her three-year garden of perennials, shrubs and azaleas, not to mention the work, planning and thousands of dollars that went into this development, there was only stubble.

Right then and there she declared war. Out of frustration the quest for Bye Deer began. Recruiting knowledgeable friends, she developed an acceptable deterrent that was safe, visually aesthetic, easy to use and reasonably priced. Their product is a small, all cotton sachet filled with specially selected soap based on oil scents and herbs. Deer, which nibble from the top down, are repelled by the scent and wander off to greener pastures.

Tests at various agricultural institutions and botanical gardens say that soaps work better than chemical sprays because they last longer. When the sachets are staked appropriately at shrubs, flowers and trees, they protect them from hungry deer.

How did we get from the point where a fawn which was once synonymous with Bambi is now what one wildlife biologist calls "rats with hoofs"? Historically, the white-tailed deer population was at its peak in the 17th century with an estimated 35 million roaming the land. Because of the unchecked destruction of wildlife, by the early 20th century only 500,000 deer remained.

Today, through conservation efforts, an astonishing 25 million deer are back roaming the countryside. This is a countryside that no longer offers grazing land as far as the eye can see, but instead is hemmed in by malls, suburban tracts, houses, and gardens. Some experts say that because the revitalized herd is healthy and its meals so nutritional (well fertilized gardens), we are now in the unenviable position of having to curb the deer population.

Bye Deer is the only all natural, organic, completely safe, visually aesthetic, easy to use and reasonably priced deer repellent that when staked at grazing height, will protect flowers, shrubs and trees.

Bye Deer is sold through nurseries, garden centers and mail order from Woodstock Nursery, P.O. Box 1223, Woodstock, N.Y. 12498.

Gardeners continue to ask if it is time to put out bedding plants. Our grandparents always said that the weather could not be relied upon until after Easter. If Earl Finckel, who predicts long range weather from Chicago each Saturday morning, says there will be another cold spell the middle of the coming week. Remember, he has been correct on three of his forecasts for our unseasonable March weather.

Happy Gardening!