Friday, September 4, 1992 - North Shore News -— 718 Choosing plants for the tropical garden ’ WHEN’ CREATING aan il- . lusion, attention to detail is - of] primary importance. ; - Geoff - Teblasson No “detail is of grezter impor- in - the. garden than. the Block, white & atural aa rene the color of one’s hair or the size of the nose. Fortunately, while plants may be sensitive to many things in- cluding light, moisture and more, guesses as to ethnic origin are not among them. What are the physical charac- teristics of jungle plants? In gen- eral, these traits are the result of a natural adaptation to the en- vironment. The availability of light, water, humidity, etc., all play a role in the development of the specific appearance of plants. The sun in the tropical en- vironment is bright: in the extreme. Plants such as palms can protect themselves from excessive sunlight with the - formation of smaller "leaves. Although many people have successfully grown many varieties in our chilly clime, the tall, grace- fii specimens synonymous with Hawaii are generally too tender. Palms such as the Mediterra- _ pean Wirdmill Palm (chamaerops i humilis}, the California Fan Palm : (washingtonia filifera) and the Windmill Palm: (trachycarpus for- tunei) are among the hardiest and : therefore. perhaps the best place to . . Start. H. you ‘would like more infor- mation on growing palms in Van- couver, try contacting the Vau- . couver Palm Society. Ferns: “can lend a frondy feel to Also available - 3 PIECE SETI 36” round coubie drop-leaf tabie 1938! FURNITURELAND 411 East 3rd st. North Vancouver Open 12-5 p.m. Sunday and Labour Day ae 28671561 your backyard tropical paradise which is very similar to that gen- erated by the palms. Our native ferns, Western Sword Fern (polystichum munitum), Deer Fern (blechnum spicant) and Maiden Hair Fern {adiantum pedatum) are fairly easy to find and work well in this way. The more adventurous of you could try a Tasmanian Tree Fern (Dicksonia antarctica) in a well- protected corner. As with most of the palms, they are only borderline hardy in this area, but few plants can beat them for creating that steamy jungle look in the garden. Your chances are beiter if you can get them established before any of the really cold winter. weather hits. So wait until late April or May for planting and sive them double protection dur- ing the first few winters. ~ This rule and the following tips on after-planting care hold true for the palms as well as for the ferns. The best protection is a deep, mulching layer of leaves laid down well before the first hard frost. ° Make sure this layer completely . covers the crown. The fronds can be exposed, as damage here can be replaced next year, but if the crown is severely damaged, the plant dies. - I have always felt that shiny: leaves were another of the plant world’s means of dealing with in- tense sunlight. Shiny, dark green-leaved plants such as the Hawaiian or Chinese Hibiscus (hibiscus rosa-sinensis) scem to reflect much of the sun’s heat without allowing much harm. Other useful, shiny, large-leav- ed plants include the Evergreen or Southern Magnolias (magnolia grandiflora) whose large white flowers release a gardenia-like scent on warm days. You might also try the large- leaved rhododendrons such as r. falconeri and r. sinogrande. Roth should be protected from heavy. - frost as they are as tender as the palms. Lastly, I would like to recom- mend the Elephant’s Ears (gun- nera chinensis'and g.manicata). These unusual behemoths Icok almost prehistoric. Mixed with ferns and lush, broad-leaved plants, you will swear you are in the swamps of the.early Mesozoic, . let alone the rain forests of Hawaii. Garden seminars. offered A SERIES of garden seminars and courses will be offered this fall by North Shore Continuing Education (NSCE). Ail pro- grams will, be conducted by Roy Jonsson at Carson Graham school in North Van- couver: or Hillside school in West Vancouver. : A 20-hour course on home ’ gardening and landscaping will begin on Thursday, Sept. 24 and run untii Nov. 26. The time is 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. and the fee is $63. A one-evening program on fall gardening tips will be held - on Tuesday, Oct. 13 from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. The fee is $13. Composting your garden | and. |. kitchen “waste into’ “garden =~ gold” is a one-evening :pro- gram for home owners and . apartment dwellers. The semi- nar will be held from 7:30 to - 9:30 p.m. on Sept. 29 at Carson Graham ‘school, and Oct. 6 at - Hillside school. The fee is $13... On Saturday, Oct. 17 there. will be a day-long seminar. on ~ greenhouse gardens — running from 9 a.m: to 4 p.m. The fee is $36. . For further information and . ‘esistration for any of the pro: . grams, telephone the NSCE. of. “ fice at 986-8888. a pe ‘To protect the Natural Beauty of Your .. _ Exterior Woodwork: * © . Your exterior wood surfaces can take. a. beating from excessive moisture and-* ’ suntight-causing wood to crack: blister; ‘peal and fade, Ceto! 1.& Cetol'23 Plus ~ wood finishing systems are specially ~.; formulated with strong water. repéllirig and breathing characteristics (micre-' porosity) to effectively penetrate and protect wood surfaces. ~ : Cetol 1. & Cetol 23 Plus. aiso contain a special _ ultraviolet inhibitor . to protect against the damaging effects of © _ ultraviolet. rays... -g?