No time to hedge about hedges

LAST WEEK, while singing
the praises of hedges, | got
a little carried away with
the melody. In so doing, |
appear to have left out
some of the more important
lyrics.

He who runs off at the mouth
is likely to get nowhere fast; and
with this bit of sage advice in
mind, I will endeavor to finish the
‘lune this week. This, then, is the
selection and care of some of the
more important plants suitable for
use as hedging in the Pacific Nor-
thwest.

If you were not particularly
taken with one of the ‘‘perfect
plants’? mentioned last week, try
one or two of these on for size:

If you like big, fast-growing
hedges and are not afraid of big,
never-ending work, have a look at
’ the Western Red Cedar (thuja oc-
cidentalis plicata “Excelsa’’, This
is actually a variant of our native
cedars; the main difference is its
denser, more compact growth
making it more suitable for hedg-
ing.

Its broad, pyramidal growth
means that even though spacing
between plants can range from
three to five feet, we are still
assured of the formation of a

solid, dense screen. This wider
spacing allows us to use fewer
trees and therefore fewer dollars.

Unfortunately, these trees not
only spread out towards each
other, they also spread out away
from the body of the hedge. This
means that you must be comfort-
able with the idea of a 20-foot
wide hedge that is slowly reducing
the size of your property. Other-
wise, you had better be prepared
to do some regular pruning; and
be prepared to live with a more
formal, sheared look as well.

Another tree with a similar
growth habit is the Leylandi
Cypress (cupressocyparis x leylan-
di) I mentioned last week. If you
are looking for speed, this is it;
yearly surges of growth of three
feet or more in height are not un-
common on established plants.

They are very well-suited to dry,
well-drained soils in sunny loca-
tions. Cedars on the other hand
will tend to thin out and look a
little ragged in these same condi-
tions.

Among the advantages and
disadvantages of these two you
should include the Leylandi’s
resistance to Keithia Blight. This
is a particularly nasty viral disease
which has been giving our
Western Red Cedars such a tough
time. On the down side, they are
much more susceptible to

Fuchsia Society sale

THE B.C. Fuchsia and Begonia
Society is holding a plant sale on
Saturday, May 4 from 1 to 2:30
p-m. The sale takes place at
Windsor United Church, 4720
Elgin Street & East 3ist Ave. and

WELCOME

to the

will feature hard to find fuchsias,
begonias and geraniums and many
other plants and gardening items
grown by commercial and hobby
growers. For information call
Lorna Herchenson at 929-5582.

KERRISDALE CARNIVAL

TODAY & TOMORROW

‘Carnival Special _

RUG SALE

ENDS APRIL 30th

50% roa
“7 OFF ONALL§

Bokharas, Dhurries & Romanian Kelis

EXAMPLES

Special

PAKISTAN BOKHARAS 3x5 $590. $295.

DHURRIES

ROMANIAN KELIMS

8x10 399. $199.
3x5 $165. $80.

ONLY LIMITED QUANTITIES OF ABOVE :

HURRY FOR
BEST SELECTION

Also GREAT SAVINGS on a wide selecticn of
PERSIAN, AFGHANISTAN & ROMAINIAN CARPETS

SAIBARIR

ersian & Oriental Carpets

236 West 41st Avenue (Kerrisdale)

Vancouver, B.C. (604) 261-3555
MON-SAT. 10am - 5:30pm

Geoff
Tobiasson

OVER THE GARDEN GATE

transplant shock, especially in the
larger sizes.

Another favorite of the area,
especially for those traditionalists
is the English Laurel (prunus
laurocerasus). This broad-leaved
evergreen meets almost all of the
criteria of a ‘‘good green fence’’
— it is fast growing and very
dense. It will have to be trimmed
at least once per year and severe
winters can cause some visible
damage.

A favorite of mine is the Red
Leaved Laurel (photinia fraserii).

PAVINGSTONE FOR
DRIVEWAYS AND PATIOS

HOLLAND

Although not as fast growing as
the English Laurel, regular, pro-
per care will encourage it to
become everything that its cousin
became and more. Its bright,
brick-red, new growth puts on an
outstanding show throughout
most of the year.

Plant them three to four feet
apart in a good garden soil and a
sunny to partially shaded location.
Feeding the Red-Leaved Laurel in
mid-March, early May and mid-
June as weil as watering it during
dry periods from May to the end
of August will assure the max-
imum amount of growth. Fre-
quent shearing will promote the
production of more of its colorful
new growth.

If your problem is more one of
fending off an invasion of the
children of the damned or the
dogs of doom, take a careful look
at the Barberries (berberis). 1 say
a careful look because if you do
not show them the respect they
deserve, you find yourself impaled
on the end of a two-inch thorn.

There are several different
forms of Barberry and almost all
of them are vicious. Most varieties
produce clusters of scented yellow
to orange-yellow flowers in mid
spring and small, blue, inedible
berries in fall.

Berberis stenophylia’s ultimate
height of six to eight feet combin-

ed with its inch-long thorns are
enough to discourage most
unwelcome guests. The pretty
yellow, pleasantly fragrant flowers
of berberis julianna mask the
two-inch horrors with which it is
covered. If all you need is a two
to three-foot barrier, berberis ver-
riculosa will do the trick.

Alt of the Barberries prefer
well-drained soils and good sun.
For best results, prune them back
yearly or at least every other year
te promote thick, dense growth.

There are many other plants
worthy of consideration; bamboo,
yew, rhododendrons, boxwood,
cotoneasters, hemlocks, firs and
many more. Take the time to visit
your locai library and review some
of the choices available to you.

You should also take the time
to visit the 14th Annual VanDusen
Plant Sale. VanDusen Botanical
Gardens at Oak and 37th in Van-
couver allows free admission to
the garden on Sunday, April 28
from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Tnis is a wonderful opportunity
to purchase some of those hard to
find treasures for your garden and
help in the funding of one of
Western Canada’s greatest horti-
cultural treasures at the same
time. If you have yet to visit the
garden, this is a very colorful time
of the year to take it in.

OUTDOOR PLANTERS
OVER 100 STYLES OF WOOD

AND CONCRETE PLANTERS AVAIL.

A VARIETY OF
CHOICES IN
GARDEN E
RETAINING WALLS