eens ws wl i gk ‘Wednesday, Jatie 7, 1989 - Capilano Chronicle Reader finds pruning rhodos | presents her with a problem MRS. G. writes “would you be good enough to give me some: advice. on Pruning” rhododendrons -and azaleas (deciduous)? | “The. stems of the. rhodo are getting rather spindly and 2s a resnlt.. the - blooms bend them | down. Woon, ” First let me thank you for your question. It is a very common oe problem, especially in those ’ gardens which get a bit too much "shade. The first thing: ti "remember is - that all of the plants in the - rhododendron | femily. (azaleas, both deciduous and evergreen, are members in good standing) bloom on second-year wood. : by 30 per cent or more. This should produce some denser growth lower down on the plant. Next year you can prine the rest back to match. : Once you have the plant back to the desired shape and density, a little regular pinching on no more than 20 per cent of the longest branches will help to keep it that Way. You should also try to give the » plants more sun if shade is a prob- lem. Thin some neighboring trees or THE ROOT OF THE MATTER GEOFF TOBIASSON. This simply means: the: new growth which is appearing now will not produce flowers until next year, In fact, next spring's flowers are already present in embryonic form | in the growth you see now. This raises the problem of pruning off future blooms along with your (I mean your plant’s) leggy stems. Unfortunately there is little you can do about this. If you prune the plants now, you stand a good chance of removing next year’s flowers. It is possible that some of the growth which appears after prun- ing will contain future blooms, but don’t count on it, The earlier in the year you begin pruning,- the more likely you are to get flowers next year. Try clipping half of the bran- ches, say the most offensive, back There’s plenty to do and see From page 10 enough fuel to keep them going for long. ‘ The hatchery, which was saved from closure in’ 1987 by a non- profit group now called the Seymour Salmonid Socicty, recent- ly released 60,000 Coho fry. SEYMOUR DAM THE SEYMOUR Falls Dam, one of the three major dams in the GVRD water ‘system, is enough of an incentive to get even novice cyclists all the way to the end of the road. . Although one cannot ‘walk across the top of the dam, a roughed-out trail leads walkers .to *a viewpoint where they can get a good look at the placid reservoir - behind the dam. A 29-foot . firetower, currently located at the Mid Valley View- . _ point, will be moved to this spot so people can climb its stairs for an even better view. A 90°, buried pipeline can be seen leading from the reservoir back to the parking lot. A note of interest: since no machines — in- cluding trail bikes — are allowed along the top of the pipeline, all ‘landscaping maintenance must be done by hand. : kee | - Travelling mostly by car, it took -the' Chronicle three hours ‘to see _ just, some of the natural attractions ° ‘offered: at-the.'Seymour; “Demonstration Forest:-On foot: or: BY bike, the--Fitr ‘could be spread move the plants into brighter areas. Also, be conscientious with the rhodo and azalea food; the phosphorus and potassium will help to make sturdier branches. Mes. S. asks ‘‘...1. am presenting you with my problem — con- volvulus or morning glory ... I read somewhere that there is a poison that can be painted on the leaves and permeates the roots. “1 have a new garden and can- not use a spray — as I would damage the other plantings — but I must get rid of this weed.”” No thanks! Present me no pres- ents, I have enough of my own. I do sympathize,. however, as Morning Glory is the definition of an obnoxious visitor and I can see why you would like to resort to vi- olence (chemicals). “1 would like to try to talk you out over several day trips. Because the area is so accessible, it’s easy to drive up for an early morning walk,.a short afternoon picnic, or an all-day adventure. out of it first. Hf your garden is new, it is highly yprobable that you could get rid of this monster before adopting such dangerous alternatives as en- vironmentally unsound herbicides. Just root the little beggars out. If it is as I suspect, your new prob- ~ fems.in your new garden arrived with your new soil. Now don’t start placing nasty calls to your landscaper or the supplier of your soil. !t is virtually impossible to guarantee new top: soil to be free of weeds and would be suspect of anyone make ing those claims. If this is the case, a little careful digging on your part should elimi- nate the problem. Every time you see the little beggars poking through the soi], ruthlessly remove them. ; Do not let them flower, they will then spread all over the place 2nd. you may never catch up. If you’ve already let them ‘escape’, do not panic, read on: Ms. B. of North Vancouver coincidentally writes, ‘‘What is the best way to discourage ‘Morning Glory’ from spreading its glory al! over my garden? I’ve considered Roundup but fs there something more ecologically sound but equal- ly as effective? Pulling them out by hand just doesn’t seem to work.”’ It would if you. were conscien- tious. The roct system of the plant is a storage battery with finite ca- pacity. The leaves and other green tissue act as the charger, conver- ting light, gases, and nutrients into food energy. if you were to continually remove the top growth before the plant had a chance to replenish the energy expended trying to grow it, the plant would expire. Of course, all this generally re- - quires far more diligence and work than réost are willing to commit. If you find the task is beyond you, use the least dangerous chem- ical, at the lowest effective strength and during the most efficient time. All of this points to your first guess, Roundup, .or in its packaged-for-the-homeowner form, Sidekick. There's much to see, anu !his ar- ticle had room to give only brief details. For more information on trails or tours, call the GVRD at 432-6286. Follow 7 i if Your Nose Lp through Edgemont Oat Bran Muffins 505. 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