If you are a new homeowner, it is
¢ to live with the garden for at least
ne year before making any major .
anges. This will give you time to take
‘ock of all the plants, hidden bulbs,
ds, drainage patterns and

Creating a garden layout and diary
f plant activity over a vear is a good
O'start.-The basic layout is best
‘multiple sheets of graph paper
can be'reproduced as required.
On ‘one cop}: of the plan locate and.
the existing plants and mark them:
cHtatively-as ‘keep’, ‘move’ or ‘remove’,
f these’ plants will
ze, type of root. |
cnt for renewal Pruning

ch for valuzbi¢ specisnens that.
been overgrown or crowded out
desirable but more aggressive
Placing plastic ribbons on those.
‘© be saved will help with
ication‘and prevent mistakes.

Slated for’ mol are best ren oe

y reconstruction work begi
cond plan, layout a rough ‘of
ant the’garden to look like in ore,”
We’ years. Establish a budget and main-
ce. level that you aré prepared to under- «
ink about the nature! contours,
¢ existing garden, areas you would like to
‘and new features to be incorporated.
ds of planted.areas may have so few © ;
redeeming value, or be so full of nox-
that the area is not worth ‘saving. .
) see how much of the’

ttem ~

- retained planting can be incorporated into the

new concept.

A third plan might be used to identify and
evaluate al] the hard landscaping features.
Retaining walls should be checked as to
whether they should be removed, repaired,
rebuilt or extended.

Old sidewalks are often cracked, heaved or
too narrow, Rather than just replacing them, it

" might be better to redesign their route ‘and

shape by varying their width and using curves.

Ie might also be'a good time to look at accéss in

' general. Stairways from the house or between

GARDEN CENTER

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~ WEST. VANCOUVER

SNOLUNVAONA 2

Friday, August 16, 1996 — North Shore News - 23

KEWS photo Mike Wekoficie

CREATING a garden plan and a diary of plant activity over a year is 2 goed way to start
rebuilding & garden, writes Roy Jonsson. On one copy of the plan locate and fist all ihe
existing Siants, and cn a second pian, layout a rough Graft of what you want the garden
to took tke in one, two or five years. :

garden levels. must also be evaluated for quality,
unction and safety. Remember; the longer the
run of stairs, the furthers one can fall. A landing
or a change in direction of the stairway may also
make a more interesting design.

A driveway can be one of the more domi-
nant features in a landscaped. area but is often
given the feast attention when renovating. Will

_ it need resurfacing or: redefining?

. Before spending. money on a driveway or
sidewalks, think about irrigation, underground

wiring for landscape lighting, water main

renewal and drainage.

‘Homeowners in the past often used garden
stones to build drywalls or rock gardens. Most .
of these stones were too small to be effective. Ie’
is better to bring in some large faceted stones or

- very large boulders. Do not bury the small’

stones as this will just create more problems.As
a general rule, if the you can lift a stone easily, it
is probably too small,

An irrigation system is a very expensive fea-_
ture ina garden but is certainly easier to install
while the § garden is being renovated. If you
anticipate installing a system in the future, it
would make sense to instal! conduits under

. sidewalks and driveways: Too much water can

also be a problem. Check the drainage around
the house and garden. Some plants will die
from being too wet in the winter. If there is a

PNE SPECI

problem the drainage must be improved: .
A great number of North Shore gardens oe
have become contaminated with noxious weeds ”

» through poor soil, gift ‘Plants or poor mainte- |). °"

nance. Four or five of them such as morning -
glory (Convolvulus sepium), bluebells ..
{Campanula rapunculoides), horsetail

 (Equisetum arvense) and Mexican bamboo -
. (Pa gonum cuspidatum) have become the

kroaches” of the plant world. A badly -
infested garden can break 2 gardener’s heart. As’

much as } dislike chemicals, they seem to be the: ne

only practical solution.-You may have to delay *.
your renovation project for a yeaz or two untl
you get the weed problem under control.

The cost of trucking soil is very high. Try to

calculate your complete soil needs and place one’ "’

order. The same holds true for debris removal.
The last and one of the most important“
things to do is estimate the cost of the work to:

‘be done and compare it to your budget. This °

may change your two year plan to a five year
plan.

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