32 — Sunday, March 8, 1998 - North Shore News north shore news GARDENING Prune deatheads for garden growth hse NEWS photo Terry Peters Purple Profusion EVEN in winter, plants like the Callicarpa Bodinieri Profusion, with its distinctive purple berries, are starkly beautiful. But thanks to a mifd winter and what seems to be an early spring, many local gardens are already beginning to bloom. Life in a Newfoundland Outport David Blackwood Prints 1980-1990 Artists For Kids Gallery located in the Leo Marshall Curriculum Centre, 810 West 21 se Street, North Vancouver, BC February 16-March 13, 1998 3:30 - 6:00 pm weekdays only * admission by donation Sponsored by the North Shore News and School District 44 (North Vancouver) Fire Down on the Labrador, 1980 WITH all this great weather I am eager to get started in the garden. Many of my garden plants are in need of pruning, but I would like to start with my hydrangeas and ferns. I deadheaded the hydrangeas in the fall, and I am wondering how hard I should prune them back now. My ferns look better than they do after most winters, but they still have a lot of brown fronds; am I better off removing just the brown or all of last year’s growth? — Wilda A. Great Wilda! Go get busy! With a spring like this, it is likely that you will need to get a head start to keep ahead of what promises to be a very good growing season. Let's start with the hydrangeas. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the term “deadheading”™ this is the practice of getting rid of the dead and decaying blooms of the previous year at the end of the season. This is of special importance with dis- case-susceptible plants such as roses, assuring a healthy start Next year. As a general rule, hydrangeas should be pruned to maintain size and form. ‘This is accomplished by removing the old flower stems that have bloomed over the previous year and encouraging newer, stems that didn’t pro- duce to reach up and Hower next season. Keeping numer- ous stems will encourage 2 large number of middle-sized flowers clusters while leaving fewer will produce fewer but bigger clusters of blooms. The most common variety of fern seen i North Shore gardens is the Western Sword Fern or palystichum munitum. The leathery, shiny fronds of this beauty can number as many as 75 to 100 on older, more established plants. Severe winters can produce large amounts of dried, brown fronds and it is sometimes best to prune the entire plant back to the crown. With this mild winter however, it should be quite possible to retain much of last year’s growth for a fuller plant that looks good early in the sea- son, The outer, brown fronds should be cut back to the crown, leaving a central core of lush growth, Later in the season vou may want to revis- it the plant with your pruners to remove any fronds that have died back by early sum- mer, eet Keep those cards and let- ters coming folks. This will be a banner year for North Shore gardens and I would feel priv- ileged to be able to offer you any assistance [ can in making it even better. Send your questions to Geoff Tabiasson at the North Shore News 1139 Lonsdale Ave., North Vancouver, V7M 274, fax: 985-2104 or direct to my e-mail address Heoffr@haida.com. Until next week ... Sow it Grows. Lawn tips for greener grass DO you have an unsightly lawn? Here are two common problems faced by gardeners. @ Thatch is caused by improper mowing, water- ing and fertilizing which restricts the flow of air, water and fertilizer making your lawn more sus- ceptible to disease. Remove more than a half‘inch of thatch, with a rented vertical cutting machine of core aerator. @ Yellowing is caused by nitrogen deficiency PH level. making the lawn slightly vellow and grow slowly. Fertilize your lawn. If this doesn’t work your lawn may be iron defigient or have an improper JEEP CWNERS: READ THIS! leone Quality Repairs by factory trained technician now available on the North Shore. “Building business with honesty, one customer at a time” 1405 Pemberton Ave., N.Van RECENCY AUTO GROUP We uur ue Sell ene a Cor Fur the Rest of yeas Life, DON rows | ucre rdat 2 nd u 339-7811 985-6237 or 831-7999 | THE 1998 INFINITI QX4 “Luxury Sport Utility” Considered on of the best luxury - utility 4WD vehicles on the road Purchase on 45 000° or lease for 6 r 5 % ee MSRP. $45,000. Limited time offer, subject to avatlabiliry. Lease term up to 36 mas.