y north shore news (GARDENING | Pruning, weeding among tasks to d IF you don’t think February is a gardening month, I have news for you. Many weeds are already growing quickly in sheltered areas and will be blooming and possibly setting seed before the regular growing season begins. They are easy to pull now, having been tifted by the frost. Start weeding but don’t be ina hurry to remove mulch except where bulbs or other early shoors are coming up. Pruning is alwavs a major job for fate winter and the buds on many bushes and shrubs are swelling in prepa- ration for opening. Most gar- den plants fall into one of owo categories when it comes to pruning — those that require pruning betore they bloom and those that must be pruned after they bloom. Look at the plant and sve if the flower buds have already formed. If'so, then hold off on the pruning until after they have bloomed. On plants such as azatea, camellia, lilac and rhododen- dron the buds are generally quite large and easy to see, whereas on Choisya, escallo- nia, forsythia and kalmia they look more like a regular grewth bud. When in doubt, check a garden book rather than lose the season's bloom. Plants that are best pruned in the late winter efore the blooming period include hardy hibiscus, hydrangea (both the mop head and the P.G.), potentilla and roses. This group of plants will form bloom on new wood and not as well or noc atall on old wood. Hardy fuchsia can be placed , Roy nsson sow it Srows pruned in the late fall when the first heavy frost ruins the fast of the flowers. like to chop up some of the long woody shoots into 20- to 30- centimetre lengths and fay them on top of the plant as a mulch to provide additional frost protection. Shaping a plant during the pruning procedure is often done, but far too often [see every plant sheared into a ball or “lollipop.” Not only is this not the natural shape of the plant but it also results in a lot of old hard wood that is not producing Howers and may be more susceptible to disease. Pruning for renewal allows the plant to regenerate new wood and remain healthy. To renewal prune, one must go to the base of multi- stemmed plants and remove %, % or ¢ of the old sralks close to ground level. depending on how vigorous the plane’s growth is. Hf vou do this every vear, the plant will be on a three-, four- or five-year renewal program. A good example of a plant that needs renewal pruning and only a light shaping in Hydrangea macrophyllum (mophead or laceeap}. When the old stalks start to develop a lot of side shocts and the papery bark begins peeling, they should be removed to make room for new growth. remaining need only to have the old bloom cut off down to the first two large oppos- ing buds. Shaping the plant may require you to go down to the second set of buds bur they will also produce thew: Urs, Other examples of plants that require renewal pruning before or after bloanting would be adelia, chacnomates (also Known as quince or japonica), forsvthia, kerria, philadelphus (mock orange ), potentilla, rose, and spiraca. Ina few cases where there is so much growth that it is impossible to get in and thin the stalks it may be necessary to cut everything down and start aver again with sucker shoors, Most trees and shrubs that are pruned too severely will respond by putting out an excess number of sucker shoots. However, there are some plants that are valued for their sucker growth. Red osier, a member of the dog- wood family, and yellow osier, a type of willow, pro- duce ¢ cellent winter colour an new growth. En this instance, heavy renewal prun- ing gives the best results. Heather and related plants are often neglected when it come to pruning. Most vari- eties bloom in the fall, winter or spring and need to be pruned, or sheared, as soon as the bloom fades and de#i- nitely before any new growth begins. Shear otf the old flowers, leaving three to five centimetres of green growth for new shoots to develop on, The bare brown stems on an old heather plant will not regenerate new growth or blooms. Sharpen up your secateurs and get an carly Sunday. March 1, 1998 — North Shore News — 23 JNEWS photoTerry Peters IT’S not too early to sharpen up your secateurs and get out in the winter sunshine to begin weeding and pruning. Plants that are best pruned in the late winter in this category but is best The large straight stalks Home compost good for soil PUT your yard waste to work. Composting is an easy way to return organic material to the soil. It conditions soil and improves plant growth. Another reason for composting, is to reduce the amount of organic waste destined for landfill sites. Kitchen and vard wastes comprise more than 30% of residential solid waste. If you compost kitchen and yard waste in addition to recycling newspapers, bottles and cans, you cam cut yaur waste almost in half! [Fall your neighbors do this too, it will dramatically reduce the amount of household garbage requiring disposal. But whar exacely is composting? ffs the biological decomposition or breakdown of organic material. Bacteria are the primary decomposing organism, along with fungi, actinomycetes, worms and bee- thes. The result of the organic breakdown of kitchen and yard waste is compost or humus —~ a dark, nutrient-rich soil condinoner. For no-tiss compost, which will be ready to use in 12 ta ES months — seta rodent-resistant compost: bin up ian area with good drainage. Use a thick iayer of coarse organic material such as straw, leaves and prunings at the bottom. Add two layers ata time of kitchen waste and yard waste. In 12 to 1S months the mazerial atthe bottoms and cen tre of the compost bin should be composted. Use the uncomposted material to start anew batch. For more information call the GVRD's Compost Hotline at 736-2250. start on your pruning. Group talks gardens “MARY, Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow?” Here's vour chance to tind aur. Ehspeth Bradbury of the Canadian Gardener cour will be joining othe West Vancouver Memorial Library Discussion Group on Tuesday, March 3. The presentation and dts- cussion will take plaice from TO te 21:30 am. at the library, 19500 Marine Dr in West Vancouver. For more information, please telephone the library a9. A297, The dibrarv’s discussion group meets every “Tuesday morning until Mav and dis include hibiscus, hydrangea, potentiila and roses. El Nino (translation: gardening season starts early this year) Primrose 49 | Cool- weather = orl, 10 colour! $13.98 Sarcocecca Humilis Low-growving. evergreen shrub. Ideal for landscaping shaded areas: under overhangs, entnways, ete. Fragrant white flowers. One-galion pot... S 6 9 7 Or 3 piants for $!9.98 “WITH ALL WE KNOW, IT HAS TO GROW.” MAPLE LEAF GARDEN CENTRES cusses new Copic cach week. Evervone is welcome. OPEN SEVEN DAYS: NORTH VANCOUVER: 1343 LYNN VALLEY ROAD WEST VANCOUVER: SUNDAY 10 to § 985-1784 922-2613 MON-SAT 9:30 to 6 2558 HAYWOOD AVENUE