Potpourri: by Tina Clinefelter

One of the most satisfying aspects of being a Master Gardener is helping people to find answers to their very interesting questions. In the research process I get to learn something too, but at my age my brain is rather full of ‘stuff’, so in order to retain any new information I have to forget an item of ‘stuff’ to make room for it. This means that I may not recall your name next time we meet, but you will know that I just learned something new. Here are a few things I have learned recently:
I was asked if I knew of a variety of Rose of Sharon that would not produce a gazillion seeds as many varieties are considered to be weedy and invasive. First let me explain that the name ‘Rose of Sharon’ is applied to many differing plants around the world, but in this instance I am talking about the small, deciduous shrub that is blooming right now in August in this area. Hibiscus syriacus is the botanical name, but many know it as Shrub Althea; it may be pruned into a small tree (late winter – early spring) but most prefer it as a multi-stemmed shrub. It likes full sun and well-drained soil and loves the heat, but its one draw-back (besides its potential weediness) is the fact that it leafs out in the spring rather a lot later than other shrubs leaving the gardener to think it may have given up the ghost. Just be patient and hold off on the chain-saw…
Hummingbirds are most attracted to the single flowers rather than the doubles but the doubles are more rose-like. The newer cultivars that do not set seeds are ‘triploids’, this having to do with additional chromosomes (something I am not about to get into), and the varieties I discovered are called ‘Aphrodite, Diana, Minerva or Helen’.

Next thing I learned was that people are still mixed up about tent caterpillars and fall webworms. Let’s review: tent caterpillars occur in the spring; cherry trees are the prime target and the ‘tent’ is formed in the crotch between trunk and twig. The caterpillars leave the tent to forage and return to its protection at night; they can do significant damage to a young tree.



Fall webworms are becoming very apparent right now but their life cycle began in late July. These pests spin the web at the end of a branch, enlarging it when necessary; they feed within the web so it becomes disfigured with chewed leaves and frass (poop). As it is near the end of the growing season, the webworms do not cause much damage to the black walnut trees that are their food of choice, but they are an insult to the eye!

How to ripen pears was another query posed this past week. Having never grown pears I discovered that pears left to ripen on the tree get mushy in the middle before the outer areas are edible; hence, it is better to gather them and pop them into a brown paper bag with an apple or banana and let the ethylene gas do its ripening thing. Frequent checking on progress is recommended as they can go from unready to rotten in a flash. Best place to eat a ripe pear is in the bathtub, naked!
Anyone interested in the Master Gardener training (so you too can garner all these wonderful bits of information) should contact Quentin Stocum quite soon at the Extension Office 726-0022.