Perennials provide that finishing touch

I HOPE you were one of
the lucky ones who manag-
ed to get your hands on a
ticket for the North Shore
Garden Tour.

1 am sure that all who attended
will not object if I take this op-
portunity to thank some of the
people who made it possible.

Of course, we should start with
the owners of the gardens; Remo
Gambioli; Elisabeth Carey; Aimee
Murrell; Merv and Lynn Lake;
Patsy Metzger; Coun. Stella Jo
and Roland Dean; Rudy
Pinkowsky; and Tomizo and Ella
Yamamoto. We all appreciate
your efforts and you can feel just-
ly proud of your results.

1 would also like to thank the
organizers. They may not have
had an actual hand in the gardens,
but without their hard work this
annual event would not have

grown to such a successful level.
So let us all thank Dirk Oostindie,
Rete McKay, Clemence Dekker,
Alice Moulden, Molly Koning and
the rest of the organizing commit-
tee.

The great turnout quite plainly
shows that our society is finally
beginning to evolve onto a higher
plane of existence.

This comes as no surprise to
most long-time gardeners, most of
whom reached these elevated
levels of enlightenment quite some
time ago. It is nice to see the
growth of more rewarding crops
than the once-dominant couch
potato.

Another signal of this matura-
tion is the increased use of peren-
nials. Not only did every garden
include a collection of sometimes
unique and always attractive
perennial plants, but the tourists
actually seemed to be fascinated
by them.

Kitchen projects add to

FOR HOMEOWNERS looking
for projects that will add to or
maintain the value of a house,
kitchen renovation tops the list,
say Canada’s professional resi-
dential real estate appraisers.

Other projects may add to
the owner’s enjoyment of the
house, but can’t be counted on
to add value.

In a survey of residential
appraisal specialists across
Canada conducted by the Ap-
praisal Institute of Canada
(AIC), kitchen renovation was
first on the list of common
projects that would return
value for money spent on the
renovation.

The appraisers estimated that
kitchen renovations could earn
a 50% to 200% payback, to be
recovered at the time of sale.

“A kitchen renovation is
essential in older homes, just to
maintain market value,’ com-
mented one of the appraisers
surveyed by the AIC. “If the
costs are reasonable, they will

be recuperated at sale,’’ said
another.

Over all, the appraisers said
that the goal of any renovation
project should be to ‘improve
appeal and utility.”’ Projects
that were lifestyle choices, such
as a swimming pool or a
basement recreation area,
should be done only for the
owner’s enjoyment of the
house, not to improve or main-
tain value for resale, they said.

If homeowners are planning
to sell the house soon after
renovation, then the best
choices for maximum recupera-
tion in payback value, in order,
are:

1. kitchen renovation

2. bathroom renovation

3. interior decorating

4. exterior painting

5. new windows and doors.

Do-it-yourself projects
shouid be embarked on with
caution, the appraisers said.
Nearly half the appraisers
surveyed said that the quality

Geoff
Tebiasson

OVER THE GARDEN GATE

1 found that the previously
seldom seen Bear's Breech (acan-
thus sp.) was presem in a majority
of the gardens. If you were famil-

home value

of do-it-yourself projects they
saw in their practice was not
high enough to improve value.

“A poor-quality finish
results in a negative effect on
value,”’ said one appraiser.

Projects such as deck con-
struction or landscaping were
reasonable for homeowners to
take on, but other projects
such as kitchen renovation
should be undertaken only by
people who have some training
in carpentry.

A qualified real estate ap-
praiser may be recognized by
the AACI and CRA designa-
tions (Accredited Appraiser
Canadian Institute, Canadian
Residential Appraiser), which
are awarded by the AIC.

The Institute is dedicated to
the public interest by advancing
high national standards for the
analysis, counselling and valua-
tion of real property, and by
enhancing the professional
competence of its members.

Friday, July 31, 1992 - North Shore News - #@

46 Perennials are the plants of the
90s... all will come into greater
demand with the passing years. 99

iar with this plant’s character, you
would understand why its presence
so impressed me. It looks as
though it will rip you to shreds if
you get too close — even the
flowers have thorns.

It takes real dedication to
search out hard-to-find plants
such as these, and I am pleased
that so many are making the ef-
fort. An old friend of mine once
said, ‘‘If it’s common, it’s not
worth having.”* Well, even though
} saw a lot of acanthus last
weekend, I still want one.

Agapanthus was another plant
that used to be a rarity in these
parts due to lack of supply and
the fact that it is considered
tender in these parts. Well, rare
no longer; this plant is now highly
sought after by the novice
gardener as well as those who are
more experienced.

The agapanthus or African Lily
looks more like a flowering onion
than a lily, but both are true
members of the lily family. Its
globe of blue flowers held high on
two-foot stalks can continue pro-
ducing color from July through to
August.

Try it as a centrepiece in a

* powder

round, 24-inch terra cotta patio
pot and surround it with pink ge-
taniums, white alyssum and some
blue, trailing lobelia.
Works for me.

Perennials are the plants of the
"90s. Whether they are rare,
hard-to-find plants such as the
great example of ceratostigma
plumbignoides | saw on the tour,
or commoners such as hosta and
garden phlox, all will come into
greater demand with the passing
years.

As the average person begins to
take on that glassy-eyed look of
the avid gardener, he or she
becomes more than a_ simple
grower of plants. They become
collectors. What better group of
plants to collect than the small,
herbaceous perennial that can be
had for very little money and will
fit in most corners of the garden?

Perenniais are the finishing
touch to an attractive garden.
Next week I would like to talk
about some of the sew introduc-
tions in our area. Look for
mouth-watering tales of Choco-
late Cosmos and: Pink Flowering
Strawberries in the next instal-
ment.

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