17 - Friday, Apsil 21, 1989 - North Shore News eciaquous azaleas are versatile, useful plants I NOTICED a disturbing trend iooking back on my recent articles. They seem to be full of either predictions of doom or sentences to hard labor. This should not be. Any who know me well can surely attest to my aversion to hard labor if not my eternal optimism. This being the case, it is time for an article whose sole purpose is the leisurely discussion of some favorite plants. Deciduous azaleas are among the most versatile and useful plants in the garden. Showy flowers in late spring, attractive, fresh, green leaves throughout the summer, variable shades of autumn color, and tidy, modestly bare branches over winter put these high on my list of good garden plants. As with most members of the rhododendron family, these plants prefer moist, slightly acid soils. They will tolerate sun or light shade, but are at their best when _ grown in the sun-dabbled spaces found under deciduous trees. Although they are their most productive when grown in full sun, my favorite use is as a woodland plant. Not only is this a healthier environment for the plant — light shade and cool, moist roots —- but these are fitting surroundings for its delicate flowers and light green foliage. These shrubs do appear to be meore drought tolerant than the evergreen azaleas or rhododen- drons, but you will be happier with their long-term appearance if you water them during dry spells. Feed established plants with rhodo and 10 MITERSAW ‘Weal for cutting wood, ic & aluminum. Miter cuts up to 45° 279% PF VINYL 99 a GYPROC SHEXT Kdea! far laundryroom, garage | and cottages ; DECKCTE SUNDECK COATING VG for coating and weather Wii not Dister, Socks, Baloonies, etc. : cote Rite binder B All colors available. azalea food once in March and again in June. Deadheading is the art of carefully removing the spent flowers before they can begin pro- ducing seed. This is usually done ‘only with the larger flowering you to boring details of lineage and other historical claptrap. Suf- fice it to say that several European aristocrats began cross breeding species of rhododendrons —- such as r. arborescens, r. ‘Albicans’, r. luteum, r. occidental, and others — at the the turn of the nineteenth century. The work still goes on today. As a matter of fact, some of the finest over the garden gate evergreen rkododendrons to retain the energy needed to produce seed. This retained energy will go toward better flower displays the following year. If you have the time and patience, do it to your deciduous azaleas as well. Although most deciduous azaleas are labelled as ‘Exbury’ azaleas, this is not always the case. In fact, the Exbury hybrids are a sub-group of the Knap Hill hybrids which are in turn one of a larger group of hybridized deciduous rhododendrons. 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Ma ( applies to only ts & glass at our © Cecile — dark, salmon-pink in bud, opening to salmon-pink with yellow flare. © Exquistum — flesh pink with an orange flare, frilled outer edges are deep pink. Fragrant. © George Reynolds — pink in bud, opening to a deep butter yellow with chrome yellow and green spotting on the large flowers. Tak. © Homebush — Tight trusses of semi-double, bright pink flowers. © Klondyke — orange-gold flowers are tinted red in bud. The young foliage is coppery-red. © Oxydol — large plant has white flowers with a yellow blotch. @ Satan — geranium-red flowers are darker in bud. The best of the reds. ® Silver Slipper — white flushed with pink and an orange flare. Copper tinted new growth. One of the best. © Strawberry Ice — light pink, deeper at the margins and a gold flare. Deep pink in bud. © Westminster — clear, delicate, almoxd-pink with a faint orange flare. Fragrant. These wonderful plants will be coming into bloom in two to four weeks. The garden centres should have large stocks available now. Take the time to search out the named varieties; you will be more satisfied with these than with the same old orange-shaded seedlings. Learn about bed, breakfast OPENING A bed and breakfast business is an ideal way to pay off the mortgage or finance the build- ing of a spare room. The Public Legal Education Society is sponsoring a public sem- inar on the bed and breakfast business at Carson Graham Sec- such as permits and licence re- quirements, insurance, record- keeping, registries and bylaws. The seminar is scheduled for Monday, May. t from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the school, 2145 Jones Street, North Vancouver. For more information or to pre-register call 986-8883. Plants displayed THE VANCOUVER Rhododea- dron Society is holding its 32nd annual show at the Van Dusen Gardens, 37th and Oak St. Hundreds of beautiful trusses will be on display and landscaped areas with rhododendrons and companion plants in full bloom, in attractive setti would be difficult to obtain any- else. The show wiil be held on Satur- day, May 13 from 1 to 6 p.m. and on Sunday, May 24 from I1 a.m. to 5 p.m. : GRIGG AT REGIS Carol Grigg’s Posters perfectly complement the Southwestern “Desert” look in interior design. Terracotta, soft plum, muted blue tones. All OFF beautifully framed in coordinating solid ash frames. For the next two weeks only. SAVE °15 Reg, $110 Sale °95 Spring Fever Special OFF Framed & Matted Grigg Artcards Reg. 29.50 Sale °24°5 Kegis RICTURES & FRAMES North Vancouver 1425 Marine Drive 984-8469 West Vancouver 1432 Marine Drive 922-3513 : — 1168 Robson Street 669-5721 All stores open 7 days a week - late opening Fridays Kitsilano 2857 W. 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