IN HOLLAND, the crocus, daffodil and tulip will an- nounce the coming of spring with a bright clarity that no other plant can _ rival. Here on the North Shore, the rhododendrons and azaleas jubilantly lay claim to the title as the heralds of spring. There are few places in the’ world so well suited to grow these marvellous plants. Our temperate climate and, dare 1 say, moist weather conditions, perfect environment cultivation. This doesn’t mean that you should ignore them while they are out of bloom, they deserve better. A minuscule amount of attention ‘will reward you with yeer after ‘year of wonderful displays of col- or: © - : “Regular watering - during “driest: months. and light feeding at for. their the. enough nutrient in the soil. Also, ‘some coniferous trees produce oils that act as mild growth retardants in order to suppress the competi- create the ti a formula containing ground-up plant parts which weevils find repulsive. If you have a formula that appears to work, mail it in to me and I will publish it for the benefit of all. Another consideration as to where you should plant your shodies and azaleas is freezing winter winds. They can burn the foliage and even blast the buds off of tender varieties. Think about garden gate ~ Geoff Tobiasson” ‘the beginning and .end of. spring - are the minimum requirements. Do: not :be- fooled by those . ‘garden books. ‘that suggest that ‘they require shade. Our temperate iclimate allows-us to’ give all but a. “few of the most" sensitive ‘plants * full sun. Even these will. perform poorly if-given too much. shade: ‘blooming infrequently. and losing . vitality. The filtered shade found under ‘deciduous trees. would be better. . ota on Be éspecially careful when ‘con- - sidering. rhododendrons shade,*' too little . water and not and. azaleas for’ areas under coniferous -: trees: There is usually. too much’ Cedar trees can. present another problem; the cast-off needles act as a haven for weevils. These are the nasty little beasts that are respon- sible for the notched leaves on your rhodos and other broadleaved evergreens. Try to remove as many of the fallen leaves as you can in order to lessen the problem. Weevils are very choosy insects. There are some plants, even some rhododendrons, that they will not touch. This suggests there might be __ Affordable custom built closet interiors that -can.increase overall closet capacity up to ~ 400%:: “ASK us for a free in home estimate. 20% OFF MIRROR DOORS| The finishing touch, _ Sliding, bifold and "frameless. mirrors ‘in clear or bronze. 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If you are interested, send a stamped, self-addressed envelope to me c/o North Shore News, 1139 Lonsdale Avenue, North Van- couver, V7M 2H4. Enough about the work now for the fun part: choosing the plant. There are literally tens of thou- sands of species, varieties, cultivars and hybrids to choose from. All of these produce plants with differing bloom color, leaf size and texture, height, habit and adaptability. Before you go to the garden cen- tre and buy the first plant that cat- ches your eye, do a little research at your local library to be sure that you are choosing the right plant: Here are a few of my favorite chododendrons species which can be found with a little searching: © R,. augustinii ‘Marine’ — this is a beautiful form of the species. The smalf, bronze-green foliage will take full sun and the electric blue flowers will cover this large plant which can reach heights of 12 to 15 feet. eR, campylogyaum. — another smali-lcaved species, but this one seldom clears three feet in height. The coral/lilac/rose. flowers are outstanding and can appear in car- ly spring and fall. .@R, impeditum — this is cne of ~~ the best of the dwarf forms, the ex- tremely fine textured foliage has a blue cast that turns plum colored over the winter. The lavender-blue 1988 -~ North Shore News flowers cover the plant in mid- spring. ©R. kefeticum — [ love this plant in the rockery. Another small-leaved dwarf, this one will spread over rocks and seldom reaches four inches in height. The flowers are rose-purple and are pansy-like in shape. “Be especially careful when considering rhododendrons and azaleas for areas under coniferous trees. There is usually too much Shade, too little water and not enough nutrient in the soil.”’ ®R. ‘quinguefollum’” — © (aka. szaica_schlippenbachii). the light pink flowers make their: delicate. appearance before the leaves in early to mid-spring. ” Maximum ‘size 24x26 or 69 united inches oversize up to 3 2x40 maximum available $7.50 extra Glass & Backing. Reguiar* 2mm float glass, Heavy duty corrugate backing $15.00 “Non-glare glass also available $15.00 oversize $20.00 Mounting Vacuum mounted on heavy weight miflboard to stop those wrinkles you see on cheap framing jobs. Easy to Assemble & Top quality material & Regis unique easy-to- y follow instruction sheet makes assembly ae breeze or we assemble for you — $10.00 oversize $15.00 _ , West Vancouver 1432 Marine Drive 922-35 13 All stores open 7 days a week — late opening Pridays— New Store Downtown 1168 Robson’ "Kitsilano 2857 W. Broadway Kerrisdale 37th & West Blvd. Richmond 5311 No. 3 Road Low heed E "107-4501 North Rd. B