WHAT better way to recognize the turning of a cent

JOME &
In search of ag

NEWS photo Terry Peters

ury than to plant a tree? Start

now, and you should have a seedling ready for the year 2000 — and with luck,
your triaute to the new millennium will still be standing at the turn of the next cen-

tury.

Green guide

From page 26

Society is presenting 2 show,
sale and lecture program at
the White Rock Town Hall
Centre, 15150 Russell Ave.,
White Rock. Events run from

10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday
and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
on Sunday. Admission is $4.

NOVEMBER 18: Create a
beautiful Christmas gift dur-
ing a Gift of Herbs work-
shop offered by the West
Vancouver Parks and

Reereation department.
Participants will observe how
to create oils, vinegars,
sachets and other herbal gifts
and then ereate one herbal oil
or vinegar to take home.
Supplies will be included.
Pre-register at) 925-7270.
The fee is $23.54.

GARDEN
ift to the new mil

sow it

grows
THERE are only 432
days left until the new
millennium is ushered
in on January 1, 2000.

Many people are racing to
establish a Y2K policy and
program tor their compaters
but PE have been wondering
how Twill mark this rare
occasion,

Rather than worry about
all the thing thar can go
wrong if our computer sys-
tems fail, E would like to do
something that has lasting
value — Jong after the party
tood, drink and noises are
nothing more than a fading
memory.

Finding something that is
durable and will last through
the next cenuiry fed me to
think of trees. Perhaps plant-
ing a tree or, better still, a
seed that will grow into a
tree.

Manv of the trees we see
around us were here before
us and will be around long
after we are gone. In fact,
trees grow bigger and live
longer than any other living
thing on earth.

‘Trees are not only beauti-
ful to look at bur also mark
time as they go through
their seasonal changes. They
provide a habitat for wildlite,
filter air pollution and
replenish the earth's oxygen
supply. Trapping water and
slowing the rate of run-off
has definite benefits for our
environment.

Eighteen vears ago I gave
my niece a small sugar maple
tree to celebrate ber gradua-
tion from high school. A few
years later her family moved
and 1 was asked to help them
move the then six-metre
high tree. At present the tree
is approaching 16 metres
and is putting on a terrific
show of fall colour.

1 know families that have
handed down cuttings or
seeds from heirloom shrubs
or trees for generations and
this practice has become a tie
or form of continuity

vings
strategies Revenue
Canada doesn’t want
HIGH INCOME
EARNERS to know!
You must plan your taxes
or Revenue Canada will
plan them for you. Learn
seerets of how to pay the
least amount of income
taxes possible with rhe
security of the income
‘Tax Act backing you up.
Call 899-0-TAX for a
recorded message and
order a free report.

homvcen the generarens

Some schools already
have a garden or landscaping
project underway and athers
ma wish te start ane,

Yanting 2 tree asa nillennt
um project might be an
exeellent wav to mark the
event. With luck, dhe larg:
tree will be there when the
students come back tor their
fittiedh reunion,

Plantag a tree where it
can grow and flourish tor the
nest century can be a prob
iem,

With the rate of redevel
opment and urbanization
there are few spots that are
immune trom the bulldezer.

“T would like to
do something that
has lasting value —

long after the

party ... (is)
nothing more than
a fading memory.”

Asking permission to
plant in parks, on school or
haspital grounds may be a
better long term arrange-
ment.

This is the time to start if
you wish to grow vour tree
or shrub from sced and have
it ready for final planting on
January 1, 2000.

Many tree seeds have to
go through a stratification
process betore they sill
break dormancy. This means
they fall to the ground in the
fall and lay under the leaf
mould for six months during
the winter while their seed
casing slowly decomposes.

With the warrith of spring.
yeratmation accuis and the

Vhs true tor many ed
eur mative SPeCICs such as
arbutus, dogwood, maples
wnd most of the coniters
including cedar. fir, hemlock
and vew. Non maoves such as
oak. hazeb nat and chestinit
abo require stratification,

Rather than eave vour
seed outside and run the risk
of having the sgtarrels or
Mice steal it, vou can pat the
seed in some damp peat and
enclose it ina ziplock bag
and then place it in the door
of vour fridge tor the winter.

In early spring, remove
the peat irom the bag and
cheek it very carefully to see
if any tiny roots have begun
to form, With or without
roots, plant the seeds ata
shallow depth in a mix of
peat and any good garden
loam and place in a cool but
bright window. Cover the
seed tray or pot with plastic
wrap to conserve the mois
ture.

As the seedlings develop
and get their first pair of true
leaves, carefully lift them out
of the tray and transplant
them into a Styrofoam cottce
cup or similar sized pots.

When the seedling is
twice the height of the pot
move it up to a 10cm (4")
pot. When the tree seedling
has filled that pot with roots
move it up to a 15 em (6").

Water and tertilize with
any all purpose liquid fertil-
izer, Adding compost to
your potting soit will also
improve the growth of the
litrle trees.

By planting now you
should have a fairly good
sized seedling tree to plant at
the turn of the century.

183 Pemberton Ave.

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