Richard Nunnally’s gardening column

Q:When I was a child, my grandmother had a beautiful bush that had wonderful small orange/yellow blooms. She called it mock orange. My mom told me she believed my grandmother took a "slip" and planted it. I have seen one recently in a wooded area along the roadside but I can't find it at local nurseries. They do carry a mock orange plant, but it has white flowers and doesn't resemble my grandmother's plant at all. From what I've read, these can be difficult to grow from cuttings. Do you know where I can buy one?

Answer: I think the cultivar you're looking for is the native species called philadelphus gordonianas. I have checked the growers list for the Virginia Nursery and Landscape Association, and no one is listed as growing it.

I did discover, however, that it can be rooted from softwood cuttings. Softwood is the new growth before it gets woody. On most plants, this stage would be ready to root in late May or early June. You will need to use a rooting hormone and keep it in a greenhouse environment. You can create one by using a 1-gallon pot and enclosing it in a clear plastic bag. Take a 6to 8-inch cutting in late May and strip off the bottom few leaves. Next, dip the stem in the hormone and place it in well moistened peat moss. I like to place a stick beside the cutting to support the weight of the plastic bag. Lastly, put the pot in the plastic bag and cover it completely, tying off the top. Place this container in the shade, and your cuttings should root in four to six weeks.

It's a good idea to do several pots like this to increase your chances of success. Once they have rooted, let me know and I'll give you some tips on how to handle them for the next year.

Q:We want to apply an insecticide which is supposed to control white grubs. The bag says it's best to apply right before they hatch. Do you agree and, if so, when do you think that time will be in Chesterfield County?

Answer: Japanese beetles lay their eggs in midto late July. The young larvae (white grubs) feed on grass roots in September. If you use a product that will last for a couple of months, you can apply it in late July. If you use something that lasts only a week or two, you will want to wait until late August or early September to apply it.

Q:Please tell me if there is a way to prevent scale? I have lost four houseplants to scale. I did not even know they were infected till the scales were stuck on the plants. Where do they come from? My plants were inside at the time, and it happened to them at different times with months between the attacks.

Answer: My experience with indoor plants is limited, so I contacted Monica Blair, an indoor-plant consultant with Buckingham Greenery, for her suggestions on dealing with your scale. Her first concern was that different plants are susceptible to different types of scale. Consequently, she couldn't be more specific without knowing the type of houseplants that were infected.

She told me, however, that usually when a customer has an indoor plant with scale, it was already on the plant when it was purchased. She recommends checking plants carefully before buying. Look for sticky substances, ants, new foliage loss and leaves covered with white dusty coatings.

All of these can be symptoms of insect problems. Scale insects produce honeydew, which is the sticky material they secrete after feeding on the plant. Blair says your first course of action is to remove the infected area by pruning. If this is not an option, hand wipe with rubbing alcohol on a cotton swab. Lastly, now that it's safe to take your indoor plants outside, be sure to isolate any infected plants from the rest of your houseplants until you get the problem under control.

Richard Nunnally is a freelance writer and host of WCVE's monthly gardening show, "Virginia Home Grown." He can be contacted at .