Your water garden

needs a sunny spot

THOUGH WATER lilies conjure
up thoughts of tropical gardens in
southern climes, water gardens are
becoming increasingly popular in
Canada. The Canadian Garden
Council says it’s even possible to
have a tub garden on a_ sunny
apartment/condominium balcony.

One excellent method of making
a water garden pool in a back
garden is to use a rigid fiberglass,
pool, of which many different sizes
and shapes are available. These
pools are relatively easy to install,
need no draining for winter, and
fast for decades.

These rigid fiberglass pools are
about 45 cm (18 in.) deep in the
centre, but most have shelves
around the outside of only about
half that depth. While water lilies
generally are best placed at the
bottom of the deeper part of the
pool, other accompanying aquatic
plants — such as Arrowhead,
Papyrus and Arum — prefer to be
placed on the shelf so the tops of
their pots will be at or just below
the water’s surface.

The Canadian Garden Council
advises that the single most impor-
tant consideration when planning a
water garden is the availability of
sunlight. Water lilies do not like
shade. Full sun is a must. This may
well govern both the location and
size of your water garden. While
there is a great variation of aquatic
plants available for you to grow in
your water garden, there are
basically two types of water lilies
for you to consider including.

The most common and least ex-
pensive are the hardy water lilies.
These are perennial and are a per-
manent investment since they may
be carried over from one year to
the next. Their colors range from
white to yellow, red and pink, with

“‘Water lilies’
fragrance
permeates entire

garden. ’”’
Be

some such as ‘Comanche’ starting
out apricot in color and later
changing to a copper-bronze.

The second type are the tropical
water lilies — both day — and
night-blooming. Their sheer beauty
— particularly those in the blue
and purple color range (absent in
the hardy types) is stunning.
Flowers are often the size of a
dinner plate, and their fragrance
will permeate an entire garden.

Since tropicals are accustomed
to warm climates, they should not
be placed in the water garden until
the poo) water is warm — say
20°C. Once they begin blooming,
they continue until frost. If your
garden is lit at night, you'll want
to have at least one night-blooming
tropica! lily. These may also be
expected to remain open on cloudy

nterest phis 2 our |
4th ‘Annual ‘Summer: Install Sale.

eService Sales

North Shore’s
only Choice tor
Contemporary Design”

¢ Marble * Granite * Ceramic Tile
¢ Installation

Call today for a tree estimate
Mon. - Fri. 800am - 5.00pm
Sat. 9:00am - 5:00pm
1432 Rupert St, N. Vancouver

MARBLE
& TILE uo,

984-6687

days.

Other aquatic plants you may
wish to consider for your water
garden are the Egyptian lotus (in-
cluding some newer dwarf forms
which do well in half-barrels or
plastic tubs on balconies), water
hyacinths, marsh marigolds, cat
tails, arrowheads, blue and yellow
water irises, horsetails and water
forget-me-nots, These are all hardy
plants, like the hardy water lilies,
which can be over-wintered in a
pool that is 45 to 60 cm deep.

Also available are tropical
aquatic plants such as taro (many
varieties ranging in color from
green to deep red, and of varying
height), papyrus (easily moved in-
doors as a houseplant over winter),
water canna and spider lily.

There are a few specific re-
quirements for water lilies and

Sne Hardy
Page 16

Sealy canada. itd.

have, discontinued all ’
the current tickings
and We must.make
room for the new

“ones. -* - uP

All products are brand ”
new’and fully guaran. - TQ
teed, but we must — .
Hear then out now.

Aubrey Schnelder

SLEEP EXPERT

Ss

“we simply. .

‘sell forless

= FURNITURELAND

111 E. srd ST., NORTH 1 VANCOUVER 986- 1361

15 - Friday, May 18, 1990 - North Shore News

Student

en ind |
FREE ESTIMATE CALL

681-5664

HUGE SALE
PALM TREES)

One cf the largest selections of
Windmill Paims in 8.c. Over 50
specimens to choose from!
Overall heights from 6 -8 feet.

Prices start at just $375°°
VALLEY GARDEN CENTRE

20811 Fraser Highway, Langley

934-3815

y

SSUNTVIIN AY 72

EXAMPLE:

Queen Size
2 pc. set
After sale
$1199

POSTUREPEDIC

EXAMPLE:
Queen Size
2 pc. set

POSTUREPEDIC CELESTIAL

2 pc. set
3 firmness
available
FREE DELIVERY,
FREE PICK-UP
OF OLD MATTRESS

es)

$1740