What you can do about hummingbirds, last year’s poinsettias
* Don’t think less about the
lawn for the year just yet. Fall
is the time to control many
pesky broadleaf weeds in the
lawn. Weeds such as chick
weed, white clover, dandelion,
wild onion, plantain, and
Canada thistle are all vulner
able in the fall.
Visit your local garden
centers, and read the chemical
labels to see which ones are
appropriate for which weeds.
Also, be sure that your grass
type will not be hurt by the
material. If you need help
identifying a weed, just bring it
in to your Extension office.
Ah-Ah-Ah!
Don’t do a naughty no-no!
Proper pesticide disposal is at
least as important as proper
.pesticide use. If you have a
pesticide you cannot use up or
give away to someone who can,
look on the label for disposal
directions.
It is illegal and dangerous to
dispose of the chemical in any
other way. We are all counting
on each other for the safety of
all.
No Cause for* Alarm
Don’t panic if some spring
flowering bulbs send up a few
leaves in the late fall or early
winter. It is understandably a
little disturbing for the avid
gardener when this happens,
but you can rest assured that
unless there are other prob
lems, the bulbs will remain
safe over the winter and will
still produce flowers next
spring.
Jump Start Spring
Yes, that’s right! Before fall
ever gets here, get a good jump
on your spring color scheme
for the garden. For some
beautiful color, choose a sunny
area to naturalize sweet
alyssum or Johnny jump-ups.
Sow them now and they will
“jump” up this fall or early
spring and you will have an
extra early color show next
spring. These two annuals will
self-seed, and will maintain the
natural area in the future.
A popular perennial for early
spring color is the Polyanthus
Primrose (Primula x polyan
tha). If you them put out this
Here's
Agent
Trowel
TOM
DYSON
fall, you will have a bright
variety of color when the
weather breaks.
Nature’s Time Table
Many people call looking for
advice on when to transplant
trees and shrubs. In general,
the fall is the best time.
Deciduous trees and shrubs
should be moved after the
leaves have all fallen off when
they are dormant. Evergreen
trees or shrubs can be trans
planted sooner in the fall, but
the leaf fall of the deciduous
plants is a good indicator of
timing for the evergreens as
well.
When you transplant, remem
ber that the top of a shrub's or
tree’s roots should be flush
with the ground, as it was
when you dug it. Planting
deeper causes troubles for the
plant. Dig as large a rootball as
possible on the plant you
. transplant. The ideal is to have
a rootball diameter 12 times the
diameter of the trunk.
Time to Remove
The “Blankets”!?
Trees and shrubs need to
harden for the coming cold
weather. Mulch around the
stem or trunk can discourage
this. So for the plant’s sake,
remove mulch from around the
stems of shrubs and trees.
While you are at it, take this
opportunity to remove dead
and diseased branches from
trees and shrubs, before the
leaves fall off the healthy
branches, and they all look the
same.
Hmmm?
If you like to have humming
birds around the yard, you can
set out manmade feeders, or
better yet, natural humming
bird feeders.
Natural hummingbird
feeders include buckeyes and
horse chestnut (Aesculus spp.),
crabapple (Malus spp.). haw
thorn (Crataegus spp.) silk tree
(A'lbizia julibrissin). Siberian
pea shrub (Caragana •
arborescens), and tulip poplar
(Lirodendron tulipfera).
Don’t Worry...
They’ll Be Sappy!
About this time of year you
can expect to see your yews,
pines, arborvitae, and junipers
begin to shed their interior
needles.
This is not a problem, arid
you don’t need to be
concerned...honest.
No Foolin’?
If you have managed to keep
last year’s poinsettias until
now, and you are ready for a
challenge, try to get them to
bloom for this Christmas. The
trick is to convince them that it
is time for them to bloom, when
it is, not.
Poinsettias tell what time of
year it is by measuring the
length of time it is dark at
night. They need long nights
(short days) for a certain
period of time to bloom. To
convince the plants to bloom
for Christmas,..
• Don’t let them hear you
talking about the time of year.
• Keep the plants in an area
where night temperatures are
around 60° F. and protect from
artificial light at night. (Just a
flash' of light can mess up the
process!)
• Control day length by
placing the plant in a dark area
at 5 p.m. and removing it at 8
a.m.
• Provide them with adequate
water, and fertilizer.
• A stanza or two of “Joy to
the World” wouldn’t hurt!
Do this for 11 weeks. Start
now for Christmas blooms. I’d
love to know if you have
success!
(Tom Dyson is an Area
Specialized Agent in Horticul
ture with the North Carolina
Cooperative Extension Service.
He works at the Chowan County
Extension office. He can he
reached at 482-8431.)
Local potters to participate in Pottery Open House in November
Three local residents will join
about 50 other amateur and pro
fessional potters at the 17th An
nual Pottery Open House at the
Finch Nursery and Pottery in
Bailey, NC on Nov. 12.
Rhonda Bates and Wes
Lassiter, professional potters
who recently opened a new stu
dio for the Red Drum Pottery on
North Broad Street in Edenton,
and Dabney Narvaez, a grant
writer and a novice potter, will
display their ware and share
their skills and their enthusiasm
for potting with the general pub
lic at the event.
Dan Finch, a master potfer and
a member of the State Board of
Agriculture, will open the Finch
Nursery and Pottery complex to
the public earlier than usual on
Nov. 12 because ofthelarge crush
of visitors to the Open House last
year.
Last year, more than 6,000 visi
tors were treated to demonstra
tions and to a display of vases,
bowls, plates, and other kiln
fired artwork created by over 50
professional and amateur potters
at the pottery complex on Route
581 in Bailey.
“This is the largest gathering
of potters in eastern North Caro
lina,” said Finch, the formei
president of the North Carotins
Pottery Center, an organizatior
with over 1,000 potters as mein
bers.
“We’re going to be opening the
doors at 10 o’clock in the morn
ing instead of 1 o’clock in the
afternoon.
“Our aim is to offer the public
an opportunity to enjoy them
selves and see how various pot
tery pieces are created. We also
want to display the artistry of
the potters who use the facilities
here. The public also has an op
portunity to purchase items on
display or to place an order to
have something created espe
cially for them.”
He said that another purpose
of the open house is to have the
public try their hand at using a
potters wheel to throw a pot.
“We want all our visitors,
espeically children (young and
old), to get a feel for creating
something and to have an enjoy
able experience. We want them
f
BRYANT GRIFFIN
ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR
1st Class Work Guaranteed!
INDUSTRIAL • COMMERCIAL • RESIDENTIAL
209 Nixon's Beach Rd.
Edenton, NC 27932
™Tl (252) 482-3844
EDENTON
EYE CARE
Laser Vision
Correction
$2900 FOR
BOTH EYES
• WEDNESDAY APPOINTMENTS
PAUL T. ROCK OD
MEDICAID ACCEPTED
• ACUVUE DISPOSABLE CONTACTS
FOR ASTIGMATISM
• NO STITCH CATARACT SURGERY
10% Off Your Next Pair Of Glasses
101 Mark Drive - Behind Chowan Hospital
482*7471 VVm. S. Blakemore, MD
to leave here feeling better about
themselves...to feel fulfilled just
because they were here.”
In order to ensure that entire
families have an enjoyable expe
rience, Finch is offering a wide
variety of events at his blueberry
nursery and tree farm. Not only
will there be demonstrations of
pottery-making, but visitors will
also be able to inspect a 600-cu
bic foot, woodburning Anagama
kiln or watch a demonstration of
silver jewelry-making, the
creaation of hand-hewn wooden
bowls, and artist-created stained
glass ornaments. In addition,
there will be an exhibit of his
toric pottery and Amos Tucker,
a blacksmith, will be creating
wrought iron implements.
To liven up the day, a blue
grass country music band will
provide music, and there will be
exhibits of birdhouse construe-,
tion, blueberry cultivation and
the growing of Paulonia trees, a
fast-growing Chinese hardwood.
The potters who have been uti
lizing the dozen potters wheels,
clay extruders and ten kilns at
the spacious Finch studio each
week, include college professors,
retired business executives,
housewives and others who en
joy working creatively with their
hands.
For Beverly Roberson, of
Robersonville. NC and Pat House
of Williamston; NC, connecting
with the Finch Pottery rekindled
dreams they had many years ago.
They had graduated from East
Carolina University’s art educa
tion department in the 1980’s
with majors in pottery. Mar
riage, and the demands of rais
ing of children and maintaining
a home, forced them to put their
love for pottery-making on the
back burner.
“We stopped doing pottery for
a long time,” Mrs. Roberson said.
“Then we discovered j:he pottery
here and our love for art started
up again. It’s been very nice.
We’re enjoying it.”
Mrs. House said that she gave
up a career in teaching to raise a
family but is now using her pot
ting to augment her income.
“It doesn’t make up for my
teaching salary, but it’s growing
each year,” she said.
Professional Grower Products
for your Home Garden
POTTING & GERMINATION MIXES.2 CF & 3 CF BAGS
PINE BARK/PEANUT MULCH.CU.YD.
PINE BARK/PEANUT COMPOST.CU.YD.
AGRICULTURAL COMPOST.CU.YD.
ch, composted products for potting house
int's, seeding flats, improving your garden
soil, and mulching your landscape
BIO-COMP
482-8528 • Hours M-F 7:30 am - 4 pm
2116-B Bio-Comp Dr., Edenton
ff Soundside Road, or® block past White's Country Store)
Both women have their works
on display at a number of stores,
such as “Made in the Shade,” in
Williamston, “By Hand” in
Edenton, and at the Little Wash
ington Arts Council in Washing
ton, NC.
Another potter, Carla
Edwards, who first started work
ing on a wheel three’ years ago
after coming to an Open House
and being invited to try her hand,
has combined her love for pot
ting with her job as a park ranger.
She recently held a pottery-mak
ing fair at Medoc Mountain,
where she works.
Finch, who has been a potter
for 29 years, said that other art
ists invited to share their skills
with the public at the Nov. 12
event include Dora Turner,
owner of the Two-by-T wo Petting
Zoo, who will bring some exotic
animals, such as a reindeer, a
porcupine and a pot-bellied pig.
Also invited are Brian and Erin
Formo, who will create designs
in stained-glass, Dan Dye, a sil
versmith and Ed Biggs, who will
hand-hew wooden bowls.
The Open House will run from
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Finch
Nursery and Potter on Route 581
in Bailey. Door prizes will be
awarded to lucky visitors.
You Can’t Put a Price
On Personal Service.
When it comes to maintaining your health, 1
most people realize that their pharmacist
is indispensable. And nobody knows
you and your family like we do, so it just
makes sense to get your prescriptions from
the people who know you best.
We go the extra mile when it
comes to looking out for you.
BLOUNT'S MUTUAL DRUGS
r* Downtown Edenton 482-2127
ranulyit
Cave www.cornerdrugstore.com
1
J
Receive a $20 Credit
For The Referral Of A Friend;
• 24 Hour Technical Support
• Multiple E-mail Accounts
• High Speed Connections For Business
■ Web Hosting, Design & Co-Location
Call Today!
800.514.5638
Or visit our authorized agent at
Colonial Communications
202 South Broad St.
Edenton - Phone 482.3244
Or sign up online at www.coastalnet.com
CoastalNet reserves the right to discontinue offer at any
time. Internet service S9.95 per month for 90 days from date
you sign up S 19.95 a month after first 90 days. "If y0Ur
friend's account is still active after 30 days.
CoastalNet
A r-^ciRo Communications Company
UNLIMITED
INTERNET ACCESS
* Per
1 Month
FIRST THREE MONTHS
Go Local!