GARDEN FANATIC: Chores in the summer garden

“Working in the garden Â… gives me a profound feeling of inner peace.”

“Good questions outrank easy answers.”

Stuck in downtown traffic this afternoon, I finally realized why Paul fled to Peru. And Walter to Zion, Catharine to Guadalajara, and Caren to Maui. It’s not for the obvious reason of summertime crowds in Laguna. My friends and family all left on the pretext of vacation. But the real reason was to avoid summer garden chores.

From sprinkler repairs to fighting off rose slugs, the garden requires your attention. Besides, where else can you find that peaceful, easy feeling while working under the sun? Your good questions to the Plant Man for August included the following:

Question: My rose leaves are full of holes. Should I do anything?

Answer: Rose slugs are the culprit and can be controlled if you catch them early. I recommend you use a systemic insecticide registered for use on roses. Spray the leaves thoroughly on both sides and repeat per label instructions.

Q: I have a weedy patch that I would like to plant as a perennial bed. Any tips?

A: Get to the weeds first, prior to any planting. They’re tougher to control once your flowers are in. Knock the weeds out with Roundup herbicide, and mulch liberally after planting.

Q: I still have snails in the garden. What should I do?

A: Snails require moisture to thrive, so they are most troublesome in wet environs. I handpick the ones I see and apply copper pellets to reduce the population. If your shelled friends are a major problem, That’s It from Metro is the most effective control.

Q: Mr. Plant Man, I have holes in my flower garden. What should I plant?

A: A list of hardy summer annuals begins with petunia, vinca and marigold. Warmer weather would allow you to plant zinnia, verbena, and gloriosa daisy. Coreopsis, ageratum, nicotiana, and dahlia also deserve consideration.

Q: I think some skunks have made a home under our house. At least I can smell them. What can I do?

A: If you’re a do-it-yourselfer, placing mothballs, open pans of household ammonia or floodlights under your house should discourage your houseguests. For myself, I would call a service to humanely remove them.

Q: The neighborhood crows are driving me crazy. How can I discourage them from sitting on the fence and cawing?

A: Catharine recommends applying Tanglefoot (a bird-repellent adhesive) where the crows sit. It discourages birds from resting on your fence. Clean up possible food or nest-building materials in your garden as well. Caw.

Q: Every time I barbecue, moths start bugging me. How do I rid myself of them?

A: Burning a citronella candle will temporary eliminate moths and other flying insects while you’re enjoying the outdoors. You might consider replacing white light bulbs with yellow ones (yellow light is less visible to insects) and use light bulbs of lower wattage.

To leave Laguna for summer vacation destinations means enduring hot and humid weather, crowds, and unfamiliar restaurants. Not to mention airports, taxis and the daunting possibility of fathoming foreign currency. No way — for me, being in Laguna means avoiding hot and humid weather (not this week), dodging crowds (some- times) and enjoying great rest- aurants (if you can get a reser- vation). I can’t wait for the sum- mer to end. See you next time.