BAD NEWS AND NOT-SO-BAD NEWS Start calculatin 11 - Friday, February 24, 1989 - North Shore News g the casualties of the cold ALASKA MAY have a reputation for beautiful scenery, big bears, great fishing, and regal crabs, but the only image coming to my mind is my dead pyracantha. It looks as though the ‘Alaska Blaster’ has retreated northward (good riddance) and left us with the maddening task of counting up the losses. 1 see signs of damage almost everywhere I look: from the frozen buds of rhododendrons and camellias to the total annihilation of fatsias, aucuba, and my pyracantha. The plants that have been hit the hardest are the broadleaved evergreen shrubs such as rhodoctendrons, camellias, fatsias, skimmia, aucuba, and my pyracantha. Some deciduous plants such as roses and clematis will also have tuffered varying degrees of frost bite. The hardest to detect will be those plants that die back to the ground every fall and are expected to show up this spring or summer. If you were in a particularly cold area and you left your dahlias and gladiolus in the ground, you had better count on replacing them. Yes, the immediate losses will be extensive; unfortunately some may not appear until the beginning of the growing season. The root systems on a few of your plants will have been so badly damaged, they will collapse under the added pressure of trying to produce this season's new growth. It all sounds rather dismal docs it not, but before you let your frustration send you into the garden ripping out all and any plants that do not appear to be in the best of health, wait. Even after pointing out some of the unseen destruction and promis- ing future problems, I must add that it also may not be as bad as it appears. I have seen a few English laurel hedges that were obviously cxpos- ed to the worst of the nasty weather. Almost all of the leaves are brown and will certainly fal! over the garden gate Geoff Tobiasson Qn off, leaving the plants looking completely bereft of any signs of life. Do not add it to the wood pile; new growth will reappear. In most cases, you will be better off doing nothing with the ap- parently dead plants in your Garden workshops scheduled LEARN HOW to giow herbs and to use them cre- atively in cooking in a workshop offered by Eagle Harbour Centre. Herb recipes will be distributed. The workshop is scheduled for Wednedsay, March 8 from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. A second gardening course offered at the centre is a flower gardening workshop. This workshop will cover selection, planting and the care of annuals, summer bulbs and flowering bulbs. Flower Gardening will be held Monday, March 20 from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Each workshop fee is $10. For further information contact Eagle Harbour Centre at 921-7425. Pre-registration is required. 1222 Marine Dr. at Pemberton N.Van. 986-5566 | garden until they cither begin to compost where they stand or they begin to reveal the beginnings of regeneration. Roses will show varying degrces of frost burned twigs and bran- ches. Most plants will begin to form new buds by the end of March which, if the roots have not been badly damaged, will quickly testore the plant. After the plants have revealed those portions that remain viable, you may begin removing damaged parts back into healthy areas of growth. Of course, if none should appear by the end of April, there is nothing left to do but give it a de- cent burial. If the sight of all of this destruc- tion is too upsetting to endure until the plants reveal their healthy parts, there are methods of recognizing damaged tissue. If alf or some of the leaves of broadleaved evergreen plants turn brown or dull-green and/or seem to be continually drooping they are almost certainly gone. If the small twigs and branches Question: ¢- What place has 3 million people and 50 million sheep? ANSWER:§ New Zealand “Burritt Bro: of any plant appear puckered and/or shrivelled, that branch can probably be removed. For those branches that look as though they could go cither way, you can determine their state of health by looking at (he cambium layer bencath the bark. This is the live tissue that is found just under the bark of woody stems. Using your thumbnail or the blade of a knife, carefully scrape away the bark on the limb in ques- tion. In most cases, the cambium layer below should be a healthy, moist, green color. Dry, brown tissue usually indicates a dead cambium which will never recover, 1 hope the above will help to repair some of the damage this winter has caused. | should warn you that, however unlikely, we could get a repeat performance. Try to protect your garden with a mulch of leaves over roots, screens against dry, freezing winds, and by using antidesiccants such as “Wilt-Pruf’ on broadleaved evergreens. ‘arpets _ Open: ‘Monday through Saturday = 1174 Marine Drive at: Pemberton North Vancouver - 986-6699. * Affordable Quality since 1907 7 a Vancoiiver. ® VictoriS ° North Vancouyer. ” Salispring” :