April is stil
to pliant most annuals

I KNOW we've had a mild
winter, and 1 know we’re all
eager to get some color into
the garden; but planting
bedding ‘plants now is fool-
ish even in ‘‘Lotus Land.’’

f actually saw geraniums for sale
out in front of one of the major
grocers on March 1; but don’t
blame them. The duty of the
retailer is clear; if some wants it,
sell it to him before someone else
does.

The fault lies with the consumer.
We must acquire patience and. the
knowledge necessary to make an
informed decision on purchases.
And that means leaving the pur-
chase of most bedding plants to
those who have money to burn (or
should I say freeze).

1 say most bedding | plants
because there are a few that could
be planted now. Amongst these are
the pansies and violas. As a matter
of fact these will more than likely
to better if planted now than if left
until the warmer weather.

. They are cool season plants.
Happiest when the daytime
temperatures are 12 to 18 degrees
C (55 to 65 degrees F) and the
nights are five degrees C colder.
When the weather warms, they
become more difficult to keep
looking nice; tending to stretch out
and becoming leggy.

Other plants which could be
‘considered but still have a slight
risk involved are the snapdragons,
calendula, clarkia, California
poppies, sweet peas, mimoilus,

forget-me-nots, and petunias.

Rather than wasting time and
money on marigolds and
geraniums, why not plant some-
thing which not only has a greater
chance of success this year but in
the years to come as well.

over the
garden gate

by Geoff Tobiasson

I am speaking of perennials,
those plants which will not only
come back year after year, but in-
crease in size and display each year
as well.

The only possible drawback to
growing perennials is the relative

shortness of their blooming
season. Annuals must reproduce
themselves in one year therefore
they will bloom all summer long.

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the

astilbes,

alpines

For To
Cedar

| too soon

The perennial can try again next
year if it doesn’t get lucky in this
one, and therefore the lazy little
beggars gencrally flower for only
three to six weeks.

Still, I think we all take pleasure
seeing ‘the beautiful display created
by punctual July/August arrival of
brown-eyed Susan's
(rudbeckia) around Panorama
Village and The Salmon House or
that of the foxgloves (digitalis) in
June.

There are perennials for every
garden situation and desired effect.
For those damp, shady gardens try
the columbines
campanulas,
valley (convatlaria),
hearts (dicentra),
(digitalis), and many, many more.’

The hot,
Vancouver are perfect for plants
such as yarrow (achillea), coreop-
sis, icelandic poppies (papaver),
brown-eyed Susan’s (rudbeckia),
saxifraga, sedums,and, once again,
many, many more.

Rocky slopes and along the top
of retaining walls are the preferred
location of a group of perennials
known as alpines. Alpine is a term
which has come to encompass a
wide group of plants which are
dwarf and/or slow growing.

Some of the best and most
common perennial
are basket-of-gold
(alyssum), white rockcress (arabis),
blue or purple rockcress (aubretia),
campanula,
(cerastium), pinks (dianthus), gen-
tians, iberis, phlox, etc.

(aquilegia),
lily-of-the-

bleeding
foxgloves

dry slopes of West

forms of

snow-in-summer

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17 - Friday, Apri! 17, 1987 - North Shore News

E Poy 3
’ NEWS photo Mike Wakelietd

A COUPLE admires the landscaping display by the Blasig Landscape
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~y