CAROLINA GARDENS
By Carla Burgess
Masons in the garden The orchard mason bee (Osmia lignaria) is among more than 3,500 species of native North American bees that pollinate wild plants, commercial crops and gardens. Between 250 and 750 orchard mason bees can pollinate an entire acre of apples. This bee, also called the blue orchard bee because of its dark blue color, is a bit smaller than a honeybee. Because they don’t work cooperatively in hives, masons are among the “solitary bees” (though they don’t mind nesting close to others of their species). Orchard mason bees look for natural cavities like hollow stems and insect holes in which to nest—they do no excavation of their own. Orchard mason bees are easy to attract by drilling holes of proper sizes in wooden blocks. You can also buy special paper straws or tubes and ready-made housing from beekeeping suppliers. The bees are gentle, beneficial and fun to observe. The overwintering adults emerge in early spring—March or April, in these parts—to mate and collect pollen and nectar to provision their nests, which they seal with mud. They do their work quickly—over a period of about four to six weeks—after which the adults die. The young develop and mature within the nests and emerge the following spring. For “nest block” construction plans and other instructions for raising and managing orchard mason bees, visit www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/ent/notes/Other/note109/note109. html. Another good resource can be found at www.attra.org/ attra-pub/nativebee.html.
Mystic™ dahlias Mystic™ is a new series of dahlias distinguished by striking dark foliage—deep mahogany to black—and a compact (18–36 inches), mounded form. ‘Best Bett’ (Mystic Spirit) has soft-apricot flowers with a dark eye. ‘Kapow’ (Mystic Dreamer) has pink-and-white candy-striped flowers. ‘Scarlet Fern’ (Mystic Desire) has scarlet-red flowers. ‘Knockout’ (Mystic Illusion) has bright-yellow flowers with dark-orange centers; it performed beautifully in trials at the J.C. Raulston Arboretum in Raleigh in 2007, in spite of drought conditions. Grow these dahlias in organically rich soil in full sun, or plant them in containers.
Divine vines Annual vines are charming, versatile and fast-growing, providing a quick show of foliage and flowers. They can be trained along vertical supports like fence posts, porch columns, trellises and arbors; allowed to spill from hanging baskets; or left to ramble along the ground. Look for seeds of black-eyed Susan vine, vining nasturtiums, moonflowers, scarlet runner beans, cypress vine, hyacinth bean and Spanish flag. Morning glories are among the most popular annual vines due to their vigor and profuse blooms (but site them carefully, as they may reseed so enthusiastically as to be weedy). A particularly unusual morning glory is ‘Picotee Blue’, which bears purple, star-shaped flowers with a delicate outline of white. ‘Flying Saucers’ has white-and-purple streaked flowers that are 5 inches across. 28 APRIL 2009 Carolina Country
The overwintering adult orchard mason bees emerge in early spring—March or April, in these parts—to mate and collect pollen and nectar to provision their nests.
Hort Shorts 8When mulching beds with shredded bark, apply no more than 4 inches. Too thick a layer can create a barrier that keeps water from entering. When mulching trees, don’t pile mulch against the trunk. Leave a depression in the center, and keep the inside rim at least 12 inches from the trunk. Think doughnut—not volcano. 8 If you want to divide daffodils to increase your stock or invigorate old clumps, wait until after the blooming period when the leaves have died back. The leaves produce food that is stored in the bulbs, essential for next year’s flowers. Once foliage has yellowed and withered, you can lift and store the bulbs. Or mark the location and dig and replant bulbs in fall.
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Carla Burgess can be reached at ncgardenshare@mindspring.com. For more gardening advice, go to the “Carolina Gardens” section of www.carolinacountry.com.