THE NORTH Shore News is proud of its role in offer- ing a platform for differing points of view. Geoff Tobiasson OVER THE GARDEN GATE The promotion of healthy debate is one of its stronger at- tributes. Whether it be those who favor a new Caulfeild school ver- sus the small minds who oppose it or Doug Collins versus sentient humanity; all have the opportuni- ty to climb on to the soap box. In this tradition, let me in- troduce a little controversy into the Home and Garden section. I find | must take exception to last Friday’s edition which offered an article on the benefits of bark mutch. This may be covering old ground but this premotion of bark as a groundcever requires that [ respond with yet another boo on bark muich. Let's look at some of the points raised last week: @ Water conservation — yes, it can reduce evaporation, but then again so can concrete or asphalt. Living groundcovers such as ivies, junipers, and hundreds of other groundcover plants can ac- complish the same goal without making your landscape appear like an old sawmill site. + @ Weed control — well, maybe. On one hand it can inhibit weed growth, but this is mostly ac- complished through the release of naturally occurring growth retar- dants. It is these complex organic chemicals that suppress weed de- velopment. They don’t bother tell- ing you about the adverse effects these have on your plants. On the other hand, it is a dif- ficult place for common, easy- to-get-rid-of weeds such as chickweed to get a start in. How- ever, the real nasties like morning VanDusen hosts annual spring geranium show THE CANADIAN Geranium and Pelargonium Society has announced its annual spring show, competition and sale. The event will take place this weekend, May 23 and 24 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., in the Floral Hail at VanDusen Botanical Gardens at the corner of Oak Street and 37th Avenue in Vancouver. Plants of the Geraniaceae ore. Call us for all your family to be shown include zonals (bedding geraniums), tegals (Martha Washingtons), scenteds, ivy-leaved pelargoniums, erodiums and the hard-to-find perennial hardy geraniums. Admission is free and refreshments will be available. For more information, call 274-0551. installation needs take advantage of our Spring Savings * gas renovations and hook-ups for your: ¢ Gas BBQ e Appliances. Hot water tank *Fireplaces Hurry, limited time offer! by A FEREPLACE glory and horsetail seem to fove the stuff. Once you have an estab- lished bed of horsetail, get used to it because only extremely hard work or turning your yard into a toxic dump will get rid of it. @ Soil temperature regulation — { suppose this is in reference to some purported insulative qualities. That pink fibreglass stuff would work just as well and would probably be healthier for your plants. Actually, mulching with leaves is a much better way to go; they will do just as good a job and provide needed nutrients as they break down. @ Erosion control — (?). if the bank you are covering is steep enough to increase the risk of soil erosion, what do you think is go- ing to happen to floating berk mulch? @ Improved appearance — :* pig’s eye! © Soil compaction — I can see how it could be of some benefit here. Reduced compaction in high traffic areas can be more readily accomplished with the aid of bark mulch. So it you have a tootpath that has a lot of heavy traffic from the likes of trucks and buses, I say go for it. @ Added organic value — al-. though this one may seem to Friday, May 22, 1992 — North Shore News - 17 BRE EE. 44 Bark mulch gives very little in return for its heavy toil on your soil. 9F make the most sense, it is the most misleading statement of them all. Bark mulch gives very little in return for its heavy toil on your soil. It contains very litte in the way of nutritional value, and as micro-organisms begin to break it down, what little there is gets consumed in the process. To make matters worse, in ex- ceedingly damp, poorly aerated conditions, bark mulch can release toxic sulphides into your soil. This situation becomes worse when ap- plied in the three- te four-inch- thick layers as called for by the “experts.” . ® Disease reduction — some of the fungal diseases which are the most difficult to control are hap- piest growing in a bark medium. In addition, certain insect pests such as weevils, sow bugs, earwigs and more, consider the accom- modations in a layer of bark to be better than a suite at the Ritz. All in all bark mulch stinks as an effective ground cover in the garden. Far better idea is to use plants to fill in the blanks; they will truly accomplish all the goals set out above without all of the negative side-effects. If you set the plants close enough, they will quickly grow together, forming a mass of growth in which weeds cannot compete. Be creative and experiment with several different varieties. These plants are generally inexpensive and can offer many enjoyable surprises whereas gardening in hog fuel offers little if anything — ex- cept perhaps slivers.