TRENTON — As many Garden State residents work to recover from Hurricane Sandy, state and federal officials are warning of a danger lurking around the corner: phony building contractors and other scam artists could soon appear in your community attempting to take advantage of your vulnerability as a disaster survivor.

There are a few simple steps that you can take to make sure you’re dealing with an honest person. Your first and best defense is to know the most common post-disaster fraud practices.

Here are some of the fraudster’s favorites:

Phony housing inspectors: If your home’s damage is visible from the street, you may be especially vulnerable to the phony housing inspector who claims to represent FEMA or the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). You should:

• Ask to see the inspector’s identification badge if he or she does not offer to show it. A FEMA or SBA shirt or jacket is not proof of someone’s affiliation with the government. All federal employees and contractors carry official, laminated photo identification.
• Avoid giving bank account numbers to an inspector claiming to be affiliated with the federal government. FEMA inspectors never require banking information.
• Understand that FEMA housing inspectors verify damage, but do not hire or endorse specific contractors to fix homes or recommend repairs. They also do not determine cost estimates.

Fraudulent building contractors: Damage visible from the street can also bring out sham contractors who visit your home offering to begin work immediately. They take your money and disappear, leaving behind unfinished work and unsafe homes.

• Before hiring a contractor, check with the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs at 800-242-5846 to make sure the contractor is registered.
• Ask for a copy of the contractor’s liability insurance and verify that the policy is valid.
• All contracts should be in writing, and reviewed before being signed.

Fake offers of state or federal aid: If someone claiming to be from FEMA or the state visits, calls or emails you asking for your Social Security number, bank account number or other sensitive information, beware. That information could be sold to identity thieves or used to defraud you.

A twist on this scam is the phone or in-person solicitor who promises to speed up the insurance, disaster assistance or building-permit process. Then there are scam artists who promise you a disaster grant and ask for large cash deposits or advance payments in full.

Here’s what to do:

• Provide your Social Security number and banking information only when registering for FEMA assistance, either by calling 1-800-621-FEMA (3362), TTY 1-800-462-7585, or going online at www.disasterassistance.gov or via a web-enabled phone at m.fema.gov. If you use 711-Relay or Video Relay Services, call 1-800-621-3362.
• Know that federal and state workers do not solicit or accept money. FEMA and SBA staff never charge applicants for disaster assistance, inspections or help in filling out applications. If in doubt, do not give out information, and report people claiming to be government workers to local police.

Price Gouging: Excessive price increases are illegal. Check with the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs at www.NJConsumerAffairs.gov or call 1-800-242-5846 if you suspect prices are too high.

Charity Scams: Before donating, be sure to investigate to make sure the organization asking for donations is registered to solicit in New Jersey. Ask how the money will be used. For other questions, New Jersey residents can contact the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs office at www.NJConsumerAffairs.gov or by calling 1-800-242-5846.

Windy conditions and warmer days mean the soil is drying and your garden will start changing in its needs and water demands.

Here are the essential things you should focus on to keep the good start to the growing season on track.

1. With some strong winds recently you are probably aware of trees and shrubs that are a bit gangly and misshapen. This is a good time to trim to shape. Reducing the length of long branches reduces the risk of them breaking and damaging the garden and your plants.

2. Start looking for dry patches in the garden. Any exposed sands will become water-repellent very quickly once baked in the sun, and applying a wetting agent after a thick layer of mulch is important.

3. One thing you can do to tackle dry patches is to change the way water moves through your soil. The application of clay now is going to convert sand into a loam-like structure and once amended it changes the soil forever. The top 20-30cm is the critical zone for plant-feeding roots and this is the area where you want to slow water movement, allowing plants’ roots more time to absorb the moisture and not see it run below their catchment area and end up wasted. In a recent trial at home I’ve discovered not all clays are the same and I am now strongly focused on kaolin clays in sandy soils. Bentonite clay particles rise to the surface and don’t bind soil together. They are highly absorbent, but the moisture is being lost to evaporation from my experience to date.

Winter is on its way and now is the time to harvest those bulbs that might not withstand colder temps in the coming months.

Not every bulb needs to be plucked from the earth, and most likely, unless you are a meticulously organized gardener, you might not remember exactly where every bulb was planted this year.

Still, to keep your bulbs from freezing so you can replant in the spring, dig them up and store them until the conditions are right to head back out in the yard.

Basically most flowering bulbs should be dug up and stored, especially if you are in zones 7-8 or above. If it’s warm enough in the more southerly climes to produce flowers all year, leaving them in the ground is OK. But if you want better blooms, storing them will help a great deal.

What bulbs should I store?

• Canna
• Lilies
• Caladiums
• Jonquils
• Elephant Ear
• Begonias
• Dahlia
• Freesia
• Gladiolas

Where do I start?

Dig out your bulbs, or if you haven’t planted them, remove from dirt and let the bulbs, rhizomes or corms dry out.

Dust off any dirt with a dry cloth, and avoid rinsing so there is no added moisture.

Place in dry containers with holes punched in, layered with cotton cloth or newspapers.

Do not store in air-tight containers. This could cause moisture to collect and aid in fungal growth, rotting your bulbs.

Where is the best place to store them?

You can store them in a dry, unheated basement, if you are certain it is free from moisture.
Sometimes, depending on your location, the garage is a perfect place, tucked out of the way and out of direct sunlight.

If you have room, placing them in the dry storage drawer of your refrigerator is a great place to trick your bulbs into dormancy.

Don’t forget!

Label, label, label! Make sure you label your bulbs so you’ll know what they are come springtime.

Make sure you check on your bulbs several times during the winter. A calendar reminder would be the perfect way to remember.

Throw away any shriveled bulbs you find, and remove any packing material that is rotten or moldy. If there are bad spots or rotting, carefully remove with a paring knife.
If your bulbs begin to wrinkle or look shrunken, mist the packing material lightly with a little bit of water.

What happens after winter?

Make sure to get ready to plant as soon as the ground thaws to get the best results from these moody bulbs. As long as you take good care, these bulbs will multiply and you’ll be able to dig them up, store and reuse every spring.

How does your garden grow?

Probably not without the help of pollinators, an endangered group of animals that affects food production worldwide.

An international urban garden project that includes Tohono Chul Park hopes to grow a crop of young experts on pollinators and sustainable gardening.

Their efforts hope to yield tips for creating successful urban gardens.

This week Tohono Chul Park, the St. Louis Zoo and the National Museums of Kenya in Nairobi will launch the P.A.U.S.E. Project, funded in part by an $86,000 grant from Museums Connect.

P.A.U.S.E. stands for pollinators, art, urban agriculture, society and the environment.

A team of 17- to 22-year-olds in each city will learn about pollinators, plants that attract them and the importance of urban gardens as sources of fresh food.

“What Tohono Chul Park is bringing to this is the agriculture, heirloom crops, native foods,” says Jo Falls, the park’s director of education and visitor services.

Using social media, video-conferences and personal visits, the teams will share information about their locations’ gardening conditions and practices.

Each team will then develop urban food gardens with pollinator habitats for its specific location.

The Tucson group will expand Tohono Chul’s ethno-botanical garden by adding Kino heirloom fruit trees, which were propagated from colonial Spanish-era plants.

The eight team members also will tend the park’s monsoon garden, which irrigates crops using only rainwater, and build a demonstration garden at Native Seeds/SEARCH’s office on East River Road.

All three gardens will have plants that attract pollinators. They will include an artful sculpture that also acts as habitats for native bees.

Finally, the team will develop a pollinator identification guide to distribute to the public.

“Our overall goal is increased interest in what’s happening with native pollinators,” says Falls, “and make people more conscious of what they eat and where their food is coming from.”

Two of the Tucson team, whose members were selected in an application process, say the educational aspect attracted them to the project.

“It’s everything I want to do with my life, teaching others about being sustainable and protecting the environment,” says Lauren Nichols. The 22-year-old Tucson native is a University of Arizona student of conservation biology.

Meagan Horman, who studies environmental water resource economics at the UA, hopes to show why gardeners should want pollinators in their gardens.

“I think it’s something a lot of people don’t understand, how interwoven life is,” says the 22-year-old Chandler resident. “It’s a delicate balance.”

P.A.U.S.E. for a moment

You can learn more about the P.A.U.S.E. Project at a website that Tohono Chul Park plans to launch soon. A link will be available on its website, tohonochulpark.org

Contact local freelance writer Elena Acoba at acoba@dakotacom.net

The leaves are falling, the days are getting shorter, and the temperatures are dropping, so now is the perfect time to be planting spring-blooming bulbs for an explosion of color next year, said Tim Holcomb, owner of Holcomb Garden Center in Hixson and Fort Oglethorpe, Ga.

“Take advantage of the pretty days you’ll see over the next few weeks and perform the easy task of planting bulbs in your garden,” Holcomb said. “The bulb industry’s motto is ‘dig, drop, done.’ It really is about that simple to plant bulbs.”

Some bulbs can be grown indoors, Holcomb said.

“For great decorating color for the holidays, plant easy-to-grow indoor bulbs like amaryllis and paper-white narcissus. Plant now, and you will be enjoying their beauty within four to six weeks. These are great ways to get children involved in gardening because they are so easy to grow. You can almost watch them grow each day.”

Holcomb offers the following tips on planting bulbs.

5 Tips

1 Plant in full sun. Select a sunny spot in your lawn or garden, as most spring bulbs prefer lots of direct light to bloom well.

2 Prepare the soil. Though the motto is “dig, drop, done,” soil conditions in the Chattanooga area can be a little less than desirable. Blend a good planting mix or soil conditioner into the top 6 inches of soil. This will allow fast rooting of the bulbs and excellent drainage so they will not rot over the winter.

3 Be selective. First and foremost, don’t skimp on size. The bigger the bulb, the bigger the bloom. Holcomb recommends choosing tulips, daffodils, hyacinths and/or crocus. All of these bulbs grow well in our area and come in a variety of colors. Always plant clusters of at least six or more bulbs for a greater show of color next spring.

4 Plant pansies over the top of your freshly planted bulbs. Your pansies will bloom all winter. Just when you think they couldn’t be any prettier, your bulbs will burst through them with an explosion of color proclaiming spring has arrived.

5 Feed your bulbs. While it’s true that the bulbs have stored energy in them, that energy is soon used up once they start growing. Adding Dutch Bulb Food will encourage the best growth and blooms possible. You also can feed your pansies and bulbs with Fertilome Pansy Food.

While I was cutting and stacking firewood all weekend, it occurred to me that I was making another valuable short-term mulch material: the coarse sawdust created from my cutting firewood. I keep my saw properly sharpened, so it throws off large chips of wood and this should make great mulch. Since sawdust is fresh organic matter, it should be removed from the plant beds before next growing season begins next spring. You can either then compost the sawdust a season before it is incorporated, or work it into the soil very well and add extra fertilizer to feed the soil organisms as they decompose the wood particles.

If you don’t need mulch, the coarse firewood sawdust can be saved and used to provide traction on icy sidewalks and driveways later in the season. The larger particles stay on the surface and don’t wash away to quickly. If you add a few handfuls of rock salt or urea fertilizer to each bushel of sawdust, the mixture will help melt the ice and snow and provide valuable traction.

This is also the time of year to plan for the balled and burlapped Christmas tree you may be planting later in December. I know this from personal experience. Open a hole in the ground well before the soil freezes. Make it at least 3 feet in diameter and about 18 inches deep. Put the excavated soil in containers and place it where it will not freeze solid. Spread unfrozen mulch material over the soil surface after you plant the tree. Before the soil freezes, drive three or four stakes into the ground so you can wire the tree in place until spring.

As Christmas approaches, you might want to do some late season pruning. Light thinning of evergreens in December will provide material for seasonal decorations.

Don’t do the entire pruning at one time. Take a few stems as needed for indoor or outdoor decorations. By spreading the pruning out, you will always have some fresh material available. Even under optimum storage conditions, evergreens stems don’t last too long once they are cut from the plant.

The longer branches of evergreens may bend or snap under the weight of snow, so shorten their stems a bit. Take steps to reinforce these plants if, even after pruning, it appears they will be damaged by snow weight.

Finally, we are getting into the bird-feeding season. Earlier in the year, fruit and seeds were abundant in the woods and fields. The abundant food supplies in some areas might have altered the natural patterns of certain birds. As the weather cools, more and more juncos, tufted titmice, nuthatches, chickadees and various winter sparrows appear in this area. A well-stocked feed station containing a variety of seeds will attract many different types of birds. Sunflower seeds and millet appeal to a number of bird species, as does suet suspended from a tree branch or fastened to a fence.

When purchasing bird food, choose quality seed. Try to avoid products that contain excessive amounts of filler material such as cracked corn, sorghum or similar grain seeds. It is fun to watch the different birds and also a challenge to keep the squirrels off the bird feeders. I found that metal around the access holes in my hanging tube feeders keeps the squirrels from chewing the plastic.

Bill Lamont is a professor and extension vegetable specialist in the department of plant science at Penn State. He can reached by email at wlamont@psu.edu.

You must determine if your hibiscus is tropical or hardy. Hardy hibiscus plants have very large single or double flowers in white, pink and red. The leaves are heart-shaped and have a dull surface. Tropical hibiscus plants have frilly flowers, about 3 inches across. The flowers are generally yellow, peach, orange, pink or red. The leaves are glossy.

Tropical hibiscus plants should be brought indoors when the nighttime temperatures are about 40 degrees. Take the following steps to winter-over you hibiscus:

•Cut back the plant to within 4 to 5 inches of the main stem.

•Remove all dead leaves and clear debris from the soil surface.

•Thoroughly wash the plant, making sure to rinse the underside of the leaves to knock off any pests before moving the plant indoors.

•Move the plant to an area with a temperature of at least 50 degrees.

•Water only when the soil dries out.

Expect the leaves to yellow and drop off. The plant usually starts to regrow in February or March. If you want to keep the plant actively growing all winter, provide it with bright light and temperatures between 60 and 90 degrees.

Grubs

Q: While planting my tulip bulbs recently I found several grubs in the garden. How do I get rid of them without killing the plants in the garden? I have gardens all around my yard. The grass is treated with the fertilizer and grub control, but I’m afraid to use this near flowers or vegetables.

Kathy

A: It really depends on how many grubs you have. Few gardens have no grubs at all. The basic guideline is to dig up a square foot in several locations (1 foot per 1,000 square feet) to a level of 3 to 4 inches and count the grubs you find. If you average less than 7 to 10 grubs per square foot, there is really no need to do anything. Additionally, grub controls generally have no effect on plants. Note that at this time of year the grubs are burrowing down and may be found up to 8 inches below the soil line.

The usual organic treatments, milky spore (Bacillus popilliae), effective for Japanese beetles, and parasitic nematodes (Steinerema carpocapsae, Heterorhabditis bacteriophora), need to be applied when the grubs are actively feeding. The grubs are now burrowing down in the soil for the winter. These methods are ineffective for the prevention of grub problems and will take several years for effective control provided you have an active population of grubs.

Chemical alternative are available but should be carefully investigated for safe use, particularly on vegetable beds, as well as toxicity to other life forms such as stream and pond life. Note that some products, Sevin (carbaryl) in particular, are harmful to earthworms. Dylox (trichlorfon) is more effect on grubs and does not significantly harm earthworms.

Click photo to enlarge

Walnut Creek’s Ruth Bancroft is a national authority on drought-resistant gardening. Twice a month, she and her staff share their knowledge with readers.

Q At the Ruth Bancroft Garden’s fall plant sale, I parked in the back and, walking up the drive toward the sale, I passed two plants with lovely flowers. One was a tree with clusters of bright red flowers, the other a bush with large yellow bell-like flowers. Can you tell me what these are?

A The tree is the Australian Flame Tree, Brachychiton acerifolius. The species name “acerifolius” refers to the resemblance of its palmate leaves to those of a maple. This is only a superficial resemblance, however, since this tree is not related to the maples.

The common name Flame Tree refers to the showy red flowers, which hang down in clusters of up to a foot in length. Under some climatic conditions, these trees shed all their leaves before bursting into full bloom, and the clusters put on a fiery display. At the Ruth Bancroft Garden, however, the leaves do not shed, and the tree flowers a little at a time over the summer and fall months.

The cuplike flowers of B. acerifolius measure about three-quarters of an inch across. There are no petals; the showy red cup is composed of fused sepals, which look petal-like.

This tree can reach a height of more than 60 feet. Our specimen at the Ruth Bancroft Garden, however, is nowhere near this

tall after 30 years.

Brachychitons come from Australia, and B. acerifolius is native to Queensland and New South Wales on the eastern side of the continent.

This genus has long been placed in the family Sterculiaceae, which is related to the Hibiscus family (Malvaceae). Many taxonomists now favor including the Sterculiaceae in an enlarged concept of the Malvaceae.

The plant with the large yellow flowers is the shrub Tecoma stans ‘Gold Star,’ sometimes called Yellow Bells. Its leaves are divided into leaflets 2 to 3 inches long with serrated edges.

The species normally becomes a large bush or small tree, up to 25 feet high. ‘Gold Star,’ however, is more compact, seldom exceeding 6 feet.

It is notable for its long blooming period, through the spring, summer and fall months. In cold winters, the plant may show frost damage. It can be cut back to the base, and it will sprout and bloom again.

The genus Tecoma belongs to the Trumpet Vine family, Bignoniaceae. Tecoma stans is native to a large area, which ranges from southern Arizona and Texas south through Central and South America.

If you have a question for the Ruth Bancroft Garden, email info@ruthbancroftgarden.org.

If you had a plant in your landscape that just didn’t do well this year, you may be glad to learn that most plant problems are related to the amount of lime in the soil.

The only way to tell the amount of lime in your soil is through a soil pH test. The Extension Service has soil boxes and instructions sheets for collecting soil samples. The cost of the soil test is $7 per box.

Collecting a soil sample is a simple process. Soil should be collected and mixed together from three to five spots in the area you want tested, such as a flower bed or lawn.

During the fall season, the results may take about two weeks to be returned. The test will show the soil’s pH, which is very important for plants to thrive. If your pH is low, fall is an excellent time to add lime to the soil. This will give the lime time to work itself down into the soil before planting time in the spring.

On the pH scale, garden soil falls into one of three categories: acid, neutral or alkaline. The scale goes from 0-14; with 7 being neutral, less than 7 acidic and more than 7 alkaline.

Some plants, such as azaleas, rhododendrons and blueberries thrive best in acid soil, pH between 5.0-5.5. Vegetables, grasses and most ornamental plants do best in a slightly acid soil, with the pH between 6.0-6.5. If the pH is too low, calcium, phosphorus and magnesium are less available to the plant. If the pH is too high, phosphorus, potassium and most other elements are less available.

Small engine storage

Small engines that will not be used during the winter months should be prepared for storage. Proper storage ensures that the engine will perform well when taken out of storage next spring.

Here are some things you can do to help it perform better next spring:

Remove the fuel. Drain the fuel system and run the engine until all the fuel is out of the carburetor and fuel lines.

While the engine is warm, drain the used oil from the crankcase and refill with the proper amount of new motor oil.

Remove the spark plugs and pour about 1 tablespoon of motor oil into spark plug opening. Then turn the crankshaft over two to three revolutions to distribute the oil on top of the piston and cylinder.

Cover the engine and keep it out of the weather.

Booker T. Leigh is the extension director for Tipton County. Email your gardening questions to bleigh1@utk.edu. Include your name and the area where you live. For more gardening information, call the Tipton County Extension office at (901) 476-0231 or the Shelby County Extension office at (901) 752-1207.

Let the sun shine. A warm weekend offers the perfect opportunity to tidy up our gardens. Leaves to rake, lawn to mow, frosted garden to clean up, compost pile to turn, final bulbs to plant, finish dividing perennials. Soak in the Vitamin D.

Scavenger hunt. Take advantage of this weather to take a walk with an eye for your indoor decor. Acorns, seed pods, pine cones, sweet gum balls all are littering pathways, ready to be painted, shellacked and otherwise crafted into holiday ornaments and seasonal tablescapes.

Free mulch. That carpet of leaves on your lawn can become the ultimate winter cover for your plants. A mulching mower with a bagging attachment allows you to efficiently create your own mulch. Otherwise, collect your leaves in a pile and make several swipes with your mower to chop them up finely. No need for mulch? They’re the perfect addition to your compost pile.

Soil saver. If you don’t have a compost pile, now’s one of the best times of the year to start. Pile your leaves, add in your frost-blackened tomato vines, mushy jack-o’-lanterns, Brussels sprout stems, apple cores. Enclose it with wooden pallets, snow fence, cinderblocks or straw bales. Come spring, you’ll have a rich soil amendment with little effort.

Art or not? It’s in the eye of the beholder, as far as the dying foliage and lingering seed heads in your garden. Keep the interesting architecture that speaks to you and continues to feed the birds. Compost the rest to keep insects and diseases from overwintering.

Sheath the shears. Your pruning tasks are done until springtime. Pruning now can encourage new growth, which will then get damaged as we head into winter. An exception can be made for limited pruning on evergreens, as many people like to use evergreen clippings for free holiday decorating.

Mow low. As you rake, you’ll notice that your turf is probably due for a few more swipes. After you’ve removed most leaves, use your mulching blade to chop the rest right into the lawn for a free organic boost. You can set your blade down to 2 and a half inches for these last mowings to discourage diseases.

Sweet grass. It’s too late for any other lawn treatments this year, but if a soil test revealed that your lawn is too acid, apply lime now through early December.

Tool tips. Get your garden equipment to bed for the season. Drain and store your garden hoses. Shut off and drain outdoor water taps. Knock all the sand, soil and vegetation from your tools. Give the blades of your hand tools a light coating of oil to keep them from rusting over the winter. Inspect the handles of your rakes and shovels and apply linseed oil to them to preserve the wood.

Mower hibernation. After you’ve finished with your lawn mower for the year, clean any debris from under the carriage before storing it. If you have a gas-powered mower, be sure to drain the gas and change the oil. And it’s not a bad idea to get the blade sharpened now to avoid the spring rush.

Lancaster-based garden writer Daina Savage blogs at www.dainasavage.com. She can be reached at dainasavage@gmail.com.