24 — Sunday, May 31, 1998 - North Shore News Much ato ab I can’t hear you! Tknow vou're out there, | can hear the paper rustling, bur Tam not receiving vour questions. Well. art least not via the methods outlined below. | know you have them. Tean hear the grinding of the gears. Fortunately, I had the opportunity to receive one or two in person while helping out on the floor ata local garden centre. And I liked Ali N.’s ques- tion; it’s one of my favorites: “I filled one of my shrub beds with bark mulch the year before fast, thinking this would get rid of my weeds, Uh uk, didn’t work. I now have almost as many weeds as before, only it’s worse. They are now growing in the land- scape fabric that I put down under the mulch. | thought this stuff was supposed to stop the weeds from rooting? What do I do now?* Yes Ali, landscape fabric should stop weeds from root- ing through to the soil under your mulch, rock, or what- have-you. The problem is there is fabric and then there is fabric. As with many of our purchas- ¢s, it is Often too iate when we find out that the lowest price does not always lead ta the best valuc. There are many fabrics our there that have tried to cash in oa the promise made by the DuPont Company when they developed the first Typar® Landscape Fabric. Most of these fall far short on the delivery. The original idea was to produce a material as an alter- native to that horrible olack plastic mulching film and this updated version with the holes is not it. Look for a fab- ric chart will allow air, water and nutrients to pass through to the roots below without providing passage for the roots themselves. It was a great concepr, in fact it worked so well chat the market grew h north shore news “s FOME & GARDEN ut mulch and groundcover — produced a perfect opportu- nity for knock-off products. And there are lors of them here; materials so cheap and flimsy uhar they couddn’t pre- vent a finger being poked through let alone the ageres- sive roors af weeds. There are literally hun- dreds of different wwpes and methods of manufacture. However, the original ther- maily spunbonded fabrics are much more effective than woven or needie-punched geotextiles in preventing fine roots trom penetrating the fabric. IT am = nor saving = that Typar® is the only good fab- ric; there are several others; Silent Gardener, Shar- Blok, ete. ihavy get over-contident in thinking chat a landscape fabric will prevent all weed growth. Weeds will still) germinate i the upper javer at mulch, bur a good fabric wilt prevent their roots fiom taking hold in the soil below and control will be much more manage- able. Make sure that vour layer of mulch is 12 to 35 cm (3 to 4 inches) thick and certainly never less than 5 em (2 inch- ws). None of the fabric con- tains ultraviolet inhibitors and Sunlight will degrade them fairly quickly, T cannot leave this topic without taking mv usual pot shot at the use of bark mulch. L hare the sturt. P feel it is a very short sighied solution even with the help of land- scape fabric. ] would much rather look at a well-tended shrub bed filled with ground cover plants than a sea of decaying wood waste, Just my opirion — but of course it’s right. A well-established bed of ground cover can stop weeds at least as effectively as ssulch. Go tor a walk in your neigh- borhood and take a close iook at those beds thar are filled with plants such as heather, English ivy, St. John’s wort, Kinnickinnick, ete. You will see very few weeds in those locations that have received a minimum amount Of maintenance; an Mternoun a vear is usually enough. PE hope I have been of some assistance. Please send your questions to me, Geoff Tobiasson at the North Shore News, 1139 Lonsdale Ave., North Vancouver, V7M-2H4 or to my e-mail address, geatt@haida.com If vou can’t write or type, then call your question into 921-6107, bur I must warn : you, the phone-in questions had better be very, very good. {> CommercialiResidentiat > Great refs and photos fi) > Over 40 years experience LAMIS CONSTRUCTION 808-3650 or 916-5252 The Silk Garden CLOSING OUT CLEARANCE Everything in the Store 50% 2: Silk flowers, plants Gs trees, floral arrangements Decorative Kitchen Greenery *9” reg. 19” 3’ Flanz Sale $19” reg $39” 5S’ Plant Sale $39” reg $797 6' Tree $39” reg $79” 1093 Marine Drive at Lloyd Ave., North Van OPEN 7 DAYS 10-6 Custom Stade Orders 904-9446 NEWS proie Terry Peters USING fabric to prevent weeds from rooting under bark muich or rocks can work — providing you ‘use the right fabric. But a weil-establishec bed of ground cover, such as St. John's wort, above, can sto weeds ate =—,imagine! specialty window coverings ROMAN SHADES Workroom Direct Prices! al. 1564 West 6th Ave (between Granville & Fir) 7 36-0035 wwew.imaginewindows. be. a Spring $22 $106 orr ? DRESSERS & ARMOIRES PINE, OAK OR MAPLE (standard orders only) SPECIAL ON BEDS The Wooderafters Custom Made Furniture 291-1488 1142 Bounpary Road, BurRNasy To the thousands of MON - Frit 8am-5em * Sat 10am - 4:30PM St. John Ambulance Volunteers: Hollyburn funeral Home Serving families on the North Shore for 60 years You Love your family. You've always previcied for them in the very best way that you couid. You've planned ahead for your chiidran's education, and perhaps now you ave considsring linalizing your will, and “puting things in order” Advance Piancing makes sense. 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