LIFESTYLES - Plan ahead when replacing your lawn OK, IT looks as though I couldn’t scare you off last week. Jz it’s lawnlessness you want, it’s lawniessness you'll get. Last week we talked about planning the lawnless garden. This week we should Jook at im- plementation. How do you get rid of the existing turf (unless yours is a new home)? What about soil preparation, plant selection, and weed prevention? If you are dealing with a small area, renting a turf cutter will save you a lot of back-breaking labor. Not every rental centre carries them but you shouldn’t have too much difficulty if you phone first. Do not dally, as they run from $50 to $60 per half day to $75 or $120 for 24 hours. If you are contemplating the removal of more than 1,000 square feet, you had better call in the heavy-duty nachinery. A bob- cat can peel up 1,000 square feet of turf and load it into a dump truck in twe or three hours. Rates run in the mid-forties per hour and do not be surprised if you are billed for a four-hour minimum, This brings up another con- sideration; what to do with the stuff once you scrape it off the ground. You should be prepared to deal with | cubic yard of fill per 100 to 120 square feet of removed turf. Some of it can be used to create contours in the landscape by building berms or planting mounds in appropriate locations. Just remember: lay it green side down if you want it to die off. Even so, some extra weeding will be required for the next cou- ple of years. If you can’t use it, lose it. Each dump truck load, say 12 yards or 1,400 square feet of hauled-away turf, will cost you $40 at best and as much as $125 if you are unlucky. If you want to save money, make sure you co-ordinate the bobcat and trucking companies. Service “North Shore's MA RB L E Only Choice for Contemporary Design” Marble © Granite «Ceramic Tile eSales «instalation Call today for a tree estimate Mon. - Fri. 83OOam - 5.00pm Sat. 9.00am - 5.00pm 1432 Rupert St., N-Vancouver over the garden gate Geoff Tobiasson SE Incoming materials can be dumped and spread at the same time as the waste turf is being lifted and hauled away. The place might look like a war zone, but the incoming materials of which 1 speak are not artillery shells. | refer to any topsoil and/ or sand that you might use to condition your existing soils. Think about what it is you are trying to grow. Alpine plants such as those found in alpine meadows require good drainage. The addi- tion of sand would likely be beneficial as it would for plants such as junipers and dwarf pines. On the other hand, perennial borders and woodland gardens require the moisture retention found in a good quality, peat- based topsoil. When you are ordering topsoil, ask for a mix which contains at least 60 per cent screened peat moss; and get it in writing. A well-designed, low- maintenance garden is that which & TILE wn 984-6687 is created when attractive garden plants are used to crowd out as many of the competing weeds as possible. This is most effectively accomplished with groundcover plants. Groundcovers are typically con- sidered to be plants such as English ivy, periwinkle, St. John’s wort, etc. In fact there are thou- sands of good plants which could be considered as having excellent ‘groundcover’ potential. I strongly suggest a visit to your local library where you can thumb through a variety of good books on suitable groundcovers. There are several titles available at most garden shops, including those from Ortho and Sunset — both of which are very useful and very in- expensive, if you do not cover the ground, the weeds will grow. If you do not cover the ground with plants, you will be relegated to using such repulsive materials as bark mulch and plastic film. I don’t know about you, but I would find it very difficult going through all of this work only to be left with what appeared to be an old saw mill site at the end of it. Look through some books, tour a few gardens, doodle a few doo- dles. { guess my point is to take the time to plan how you are go- ing to get rid of the lawn, other- wise you might just find yourself waiting for the next ‘How To Plant A Lawn’ article. g 1th 15 move. Come join us and celebrate our 19th anniversary serving Greater Vancouver. We NEWS photo Stuart Devis MOWING A lawn every week isn't all it’s cracked up to be, as Dale Lamont knows. He's seen here trimming the turf outside the District of North Vancouver Fire Depart- ment #4 Hall on Mt. Seymour Parkway. If you want to gain some leisure time by rooting up your Tobiasson wares ,ou to plan ahead before you make the are proud to be Western Canada’s largest Picture Framers. But we are still very much a family business and we know our success is based on service, quality & value, North Vancouver 1425 Marine Drive 984-8469 Kitsilano Kerrisdale Burnaby-Coquitlam SE He ST IMA Vancouver Warehouse Store 102 S.E. Marine Drive 327-9996 Me als BRE DISTRI MACE PB LASSE DAEDRIC AE N O NOR R STIR TEN Fa cE aR AE LEGS BNO TD NTE % OFF *« CUSTOM FRAMES «PHOTO FRAMES t PRED ISAT EEAENSS HS, JRES & FRAIVIES OUR ENTIRE STOCK A HUGE SELECTION TO CLEAR! « READY-MADE FRAMES * POSTERS (FRAMED & UNFRAMED) * MATTED DECORATOR PRINTS A family business Committed to quality for over 19 years. North Vancouver Lynn Valley Mall 987-3581 Downtown 1168 Robson Street 669-5721 West Vancouver 1432 Marine Drive 922-3513 Richmond Centre Lansdowne Mall Richmond Warehouse Store 13 - Friday, June 29, 1990 - North Store News lawn, Geoff i