Ed Hume Answers Your Gardening Questions Ed Hume cannot answer all of the garden questions he receives, but questions of general interest will be answered here every month.  Email your questions to HumeSeeds@aol.com.  Please note: we do not accept attachments. Before submitting a question, be sure to check the index of previous questions and answers or search our site using key words.  Many questions have already been answered here on the site. Other September Links Discouraging Moles (and other small animals)  Wintering Geraniums Fuchsias & Begonias Harvesting & Storing Vegetables Cold Frame Gardening Fall Lawn Care Fall Slug Control Spring Flowering Bulbs Ed's Favorite Gardening Books Taking Cuttings September Projects    September 1996 Q&A Cranefly Damage How do you prevent cranefly damage.   What method ?   What time of year ? Most specialists suggest that you treat the lawn with either liquid or granular Diazinon or Dursban in early spring (Mid March to early April) when the grayish worms are active. (Timing may vary a little, depending on spring weather.) See Also:  Controlling Crane Flies  European Crane Fly Front Side Out On today's episode, Ed was planting heather. He made the comment to be sure to plant the front of the plant facing the front. My question is how do you tell the front of a plant from the back? If you look closely, you will find that almost every plant has one side that is fuller (bushier) where the foliage tends to face forward. This is due in part to spacing of the plants in the nursery and also has to do with sun exposure. (The foliage tends to grow better in the direction of the most light exposure.) Lilies and Deer In all my research on "plants deer typically avoid I see no mention of my beloved lily bulbs. Before I invest in some for our new home here I wonder if you have had any experience. According to my sources, deer will eat lilies. I must tell you that in our garden at the ocean, the deer did not touch the lilies, they completely passed them by. (They did, however, have many other plants to feast on!) See Also:  Plants that Deer Do Not Like Corn Stalks in the Garden Can I remove the corn stalks from my patch? Some of them did not develop ears. Yes, by all means compost them or till them back into the soil, so they will decompose in the soil over-winter, and become compost humus. If you leave them, they will continue to deplete the soil of additional nutrients. Return to Library - Back to Home Page