28 - Friday, November 23, 1990 - North Shore News HOME & GARDEN Mesh protects evergreens From page 28 other, and actually touching the inside of the container all around. It is most important that the planting medium remain moist during the entire forcing opera- tion, and that the bulbs be in the dark. When white spikes of foliage begin to appear, and the container is full of roots (some small roots should begin growing through the hole in the bottom of the con- tainers), it’s time to bring the con- tainers into the home. They should be exposed to light gradu- ally, and the cooler the room where they grow, the longer will be the display of bloom. If you have bulbs that you or a friend will not be able to plant outdoors, why not try forcing them in a cold room or refrigerator? You'll have an early spring when they come into bloom about two to three months after you plant them as suggested here. FERTILIZE LAWN One outdoor gardening chore which may still be possible in many areas of Canada is late fall fertilizing of the lawn (using a winterizer fertilizer especially designed for late fall or early winter application — ask your garden centre). Such fertilizers will have a formulation such as 12-3-5, but most importantly, at least 90 per cent of the nitrogen (the ele- ment which aids the growth of foliage, and always the first number of the formula on the container) available in an organic or long-lasting form. Another excellent late fall pro- ject is digging the vegetable garden and annual flower beds. Especially if the soil is a heavy clay, these should have thin layer of horticultural lime powdered over them -before commencing : [eh You might also want to spread a laver of leaves that you com- posted from iast autumn, or even a few newly fallen leaves, before turning the soil. Use the garden spade and turn the soil over to the spade’s depth, leaving the soi! in large clods, rather than breaking down into a fine tilth as you would in the spring for planting. The winter frosts will attack the clods of heavy clay and make it easier to work come spring. The lime is a soil conditioning agent too. Be sure to apply it according to directions from your garden centre staff. PROTECT EVERGREENS One final garden chore you may have overlooked, according to the Canadian Garden Council, is the installation of nylon mesh protec- tors over your tall, conical evergreens. These will protect your lovely evergreens from damage caused during ice storms, or when loads of heavy snow fall. Garden centres now also sell burlap from rolls for use in pro- tecting plants such as rhodeden- drons and other tender evergreens from drying winter winds. This is far superior to virtually any other material that is often seen being used, particularly in urban areas. The use of clear or opaque plastic, such as plastic garbage bags, to ‘“‘protect’’ plants from the winter is an absolute ‘‘no-no.”” Often such wrapping with plastic will cause more damage to the plants than it will prevent. What happens is that during bright, sunny winter days, heat builds up inside the plastic wrapp- ing, and some plants will begin to grow. Then, when there is a cold night, this new young growth quickly dies, and when the wrapp- ing is removed in the spring, there may be some dead shoots that have to be pruned off. Burlap is the best protection for tender plants ANTIQUE. GIGANTIC STOREWIDE SAVINGS! ON QUALITY BELGIAN, ENGLISH & AMERICAN ANTIQUE FURNISHINGS. GREAT SAVINGS ON WARDROBES, DINING AND BEDROOM SUITES, OFFICE SETS, DESKS, TABLES, CHAIRS, CHINA CABINETS, SIDEBOARDS AND MORE, IN A VARIETY OF STYLES AND WOODS, MON-SAT. 10:30-6:00 226 SW. Marine Drive, Vancouver SUN. 12-5 324-3661 (BETWEEN MAIN ST. & CAMBIE, NEXT TO McDONALD’S) DRESSERS BOOK CASES © ’. KITCHEN 2. 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