Parents can introduce gardening to their children

’ GIVEN HALF a chance and
a little direction, kids can be
great gardeners.

For many parents, gardening
provides the perfect opportunity
to awaken their youngsters to an
awareness of the environment and
to get in touch with nature as a
family.

-, dn the process, they create more
pleasing surroundings for their
home and have fun together,

Celebrated English garden
writec Gertrude Jekyll felt that the
pure fun of digging in the dirt was
the real key to getting children

_ interested in gardening.

Jekyli suggested that children
begin their gardening experience
by helping parents: tend existing
plants.

Later, she advised that they be
given a spot of their own in which
to create a small garden.

She counselled her readers not
to put the youngsters’ plots in a
marginal area or back corner, but
rather to give them a prime loca-
tion where they can take pride in
showing off their accomplish-
ments.

A few simple steps wiil ensure
that gardening fun does not result
in accidents or tragedy.

Like the inside of the home, the

Cooking safety
EVERYBODY LOVES an
ouldocr barbecue; however,
outdoor cooking can also lead

to tragedy when carelessness
causes serious burns.

‘HOT TIPS

by North Vancouver
District Fire Depariment

District of North Van-

. couver Fire Services offers the

following .safety checklist to
use when cooking outdoors:

When lighting a grill, the
safest fire-starters are chem-

’ icals in cake form or a char-

coal eleciric starter. -

Never add fire starter after
you. have started your
barbecue. The heat from the
coals. could ignite the stream
-of liquid and burn back into
the can, causing it to explode
in your hands. -

To speed a slow fire, tuck
dry kindling under the char-
coal...

Make sure the barbecue
grill is level and steady and
keep a container of water
nearby.

_-. After cooking, soak the

- coals in water. Dispose of

charcoal in a meval container
with a tight fitting lid.

_ Many brush fires start
- because hot coals, thought to
_ be: cool, were dumped in
_ leaves.

No barbecue grills should
ever be brought inside the
house, tent, or recreational
vehicle because of the danger
of carbon monoxide’ poison- .
ing in. sealed or confined
areas.

Keep. small children away
from the barbecue.

A bag of damp or wet

_ charcoal should be ‘im-
mediately disposed of, as it

can spontaneously combust.

For ..further ‘information,
contact District of North —
Vancouver Fire Services
non-emergency phone
number, 980-7575, or your
local fire department.

Lo

yard must be child-proofed, too.

Follow a few simple precautions
to Keep youngsters safe.

@ Never allow children to eat
anything from the garden unless
an adult is supervising them.

Although eating fruits and
vegetables you've grown yourself
is part of the joy of gardening,
many common ornamental plants
can make you quite sick if you eat
them; others are very poisonous.

@ Never leave a toddler or
young child outdoors unattended.

Though no substitute for a
watchful eye, fences are a good
way to help keep a wandering
young one in bounds.

@ Point out any potential
hazards to the child, such as thorn
bushes or poison ivy. Fence off
areas or plants that should be
avoided, if necessary.

@ Be careful with sharp tools
and discuss with children which
tools are safe for them to use and
which are not.

@ Be especially watchful of
young children around lily ponds,
wading pools,
buckets and large containers of
any sort.

Small children can drown in
even small amounts of water.

@ Use tall stakes for plants
which need support. Short stakes
can cause eye injuries,

© Always wash hands
gardening.

@ Check your children for ticks,
insect bites and allergic reactions.
If Lyme’s disease is a problem in
your area, enforce special precau-
tions such as wearing long pants
in wooded areas and tucking pant
legs into sock tops.

With the sight attitude, the
yard, just like a properly child-
proofed home, can be a safe and
happy place ready for hours and
hours of family fun in all seasons.

‘At this time of year, of course,

after

_the most crucial gardening activity

large puddles, ,

is planting spring-flowering bulbs.

Despite their sophisticated ma-
jestic appearance, tulips, narcissus
and other flower bulbs actually
are the easiest plants for beginning
gardeners -~ including children —
to grow successfully.

That’s becaus# each flower bulb
is a little storehouse of ali the
nutrients the plant will need to
grow successfully and blossom in
the spring.

Unlike seeds, bulbs are not
dormant. They are already living
plants and are practically guaran-
teed to grow if you put them in
the ground in the fall.

Slice open a hyacinth, for ex-
ample, and your child will be able
to see the ‘‘baby flower’? in the
middle, just waiting to burst forth
in the spring.

Bulbs may be planted in two
ways: laid out in quantity in large
trenches or placed individually; or
in small groups, in small holes.

Trench planting offers an ideal
way to achieve a formal look or
lay out fun patterns. You could,
for instance, make a crazy quilt
pattern of colors or write your
children’s names in different col-
ored tulips or crocus.

‘*Naturalizing’’ is an easy tech-
nique that uses the small hole ap-
proach. As a design style, natu-
ralized bulbs look as_ if
Mother Nature herself had planted
those types of bulbs that will
bloom year after year.

Children can have a lot of fun
with naturalizing because the best
way to achieve that natural look is
to grab handfuls of bulbs, toss
them out onto the target area and
plant them where they fall.

Bulbs can actually be planted
right in the lawn and will grow
through the grass. Everyone will
know it’s your house if you spell
out your family name in bright
yellow daffodils!

Instructions for planting bulbs

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FLOWER

; ; Photo submitted ;
BULB planting [s a family aifair. Many parents see

gardening as an opportunity to teach their youngsters to be en-
vironmentally aware and in touch with nature.

are nearly always included with
the purchase. However, here are
some helpful hints.

Bulbs need good drainage, so
choose areas where water is not
likely to collect and make the ‘soil

soggy.
Plant !arge bulbs, such as tulips

and daffodils, 20 to 25 centimetres
(8 td 10 in.) deep; small , bulbs,
such as snowdrops or crocus, 12
centimetres (5 in.) deep.
Plant bulbs before
ground-freezing frost.
- And remember — the pointed
side of the bulb goes up. ;

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