Friday, July 3, 1992 - North Shore News — 47

Drought conditions call for Plan B

GASP! I knew it was going

to be bad, but who could

have imagined this?
Ce

Geoff
Tobiasson

OVER THE GARDEN GATE

When [| suggested that you
water the lawn and garden every
other day over the hot summer
months, I was assuming we would
have sufficient water to do so. If
this keeps up, we will have to
bone up on gardening with cacti
and other desert plants.

I really should not make light
of these circumstances, however.
This seemingly endless heat wave
is putting the survival of many of
our garden plants in question. I
am sure that many plants will be
. lost over the weeks to come.

The Greater Vancouver Water
District expects us 10 reduce water
consumption by 10% or face en-
forced watering restrictions.

Watering restrictions mean change in gardening routine

They have asked that we apply

_ one inch of water to the lawn only

once per week. These drought
conditions will force your grass
into dormancy, the result of which

‘will be more weed and moss prob-

lems in the months ahead.

You can reduce the impact of
this stress by allowing the grass to
get a little longer between cut-
tings. I know, I gave the exact
opposite advice a few weeks ago,
but that was before we knew the
severity of the water shortage.

With less water available, it is
important that you keep the roots
shaded as much as possible. This
means that you should raise the
cutting height of the mower as
well.

Another good idea is to do all
of your watering in the mornings.
This will permit more water to
soak into the soil rather than
allowing it to be evaporated by
the hot afternoon sun. Watering
in the evening should be avoided
as well, as this can encourage the
spread of disease.

Avoid the use of overhead
sprinklers in the garden. In these
times where every drop counts,
it’s important to be precise with
your watering. You will get much
more efficient results if you use a
soaker or bubbler nozzle on the
end of the hose and hand water
only the plants that need it most.

Try to pay special attention to
those plants with the most need.

This usually means your

vegetable garden comes first close-
ly followed by the annual and
perennial flower beds. Next, look
to your broadleaved, evergreen
shrubs such as rhododendrons,
azaleas, pieris, camellias, etc. As a
general rule, coniferous evergreens

are more drought tolerant than.

most of your other garden plants.

One’ neat trick for really thirsty
plants is to give each of them their
own little reservoir. This is
especially handy if you are about
to leave town for a few days.
Those of you who are into recycl-
ing will love this one.

Collect a few litre-sized tins or
plastic containers and punch a few
holes in the bottom and sides.
These can be inserted
unobsirusively here and there be-
tween your plants, to within an
inch or less of the surface. One tin
or a 12-inch Jong drainpipe can
typically irrigate three good sized
perennials.

Fill these reservoirs as often as
required to keep your particular
plant in good shape. You can take

comfort in knowing that you have
done your bit to conserve water
without allowing your plants to
turn to dust and blow away.
Another neat trick consists of
laying down layers of newspapers
between the rows in your
vegetable garden. You get a dou-
ble bonus here because the news-
Papers not only slow down the

evaporation of your garden’s
water, but also inhibit the growth
of weeds.

At the end of the season, you
can till the remains into the
garden to give some minimal im-
provement to your soil.

Keep B.C. green, the saying
goes. Just don’t use too much
water.

One-session courses offered

WHETHER YOU'RE a green
thumb or just all thumbs, the
University of B.C.’s Botanical
Garden has a summer course
for you.

Titles range from ‘‘Summer
Pruning of Fruit Trees,’’ to
“Gardening in the Shade,’ to
“A Twilight Walk in the Asian
Garden.’’

These one-session courses
run on Saturday mornings or
Thursday evenings.

Registration fees start at $16.

For more information, cail
822-4804.

Summer is also a great time
to enjoy UBC’s many other
gardens, including the rose
garden, which is in full bloom.

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