Friday, October 18, 1991 - North Shore News - 13

Amateur landscapers wrongly surmise grass 1s cheaper

MANY OF you still believe the lawn to be the least expen-
sive and easiest to maintain area of the garden. Humbug! !
personally believe this is one of the gardening world’s

greatest misconceptions.

It is akin to thinking that we
_ should allow governments to col-
lect more taxes so they can get a
better handle on the deficit. In
other words, by the time you find
out you have put in the wrong
one, you are up to your knickers
in debt and too over-worked to
care.

It all starts with our optimistic,
amateur landscaper analyzing the
installation costs. In the case of a

. seeded lawn, this should be less
“than 3 cents per square foot. A
basic landscape bed filled with
nothing but small groundcover
plants will start at $1.25 per foot
while those which are complete
with trees and shrubs can be ex-
pected to climb above $2.
_ It is not hard to imagine why so
many unprofessionally designed
landscapes sport that bleak and
barren look when the alternative
could generate a potential $4,000
difference over 2,000 square feet.
But what of our original goal?
How far will you go in com-
promising the creation of an at-
tractive setting for your home in
- _ order to save a few dollars?

I could understand it if you
were from the prairies and missed
seeing those grain silos (really big
houses) sticking up through fields
of grain (reality big lawns). Me? 1
‘ tried the prairies once but fell
. asleep. >

If pointing out the esthetics is
not enough, what about the work

* Low Voltage Halogen Track Lighting

Canopy, Biack or White
© CSA Approved
« Not Exactly as itustrated

906056059 0606V09S000000080CCCRECEEE

2604200009808 0080930008000080030680

TIGHTEN UP”

italian Design

si gee

@ 2 Track Heads, 4 foot Track, 1 Mounting

OPEN SATURDAY FOR “LIGHT” SHOPPING
CENTURY LIGHTING °

Dui”

STUDIO
LTD.

Geoff
Tobiasson

é

OVER THE GARDEN GATE

load? It should take you at least
three times the amount of time to
prepars an area for a future lawn
than it would for a similarly sized
shrub bed. If not, then you are
likely to have a Jawn like a
washboard; lumpy, bumpy and a
real pain to cut.

But it is in the area of year-to-
year maintenance that the real
differences in labor become ap-
parent. A well-planted bed, filled
with well-established shrubs and
groundcovers will produce a frac-
tion of the required upkeep as
that of a lawn.

Just think about all the endless

ceocece®

74%

In The Heart
of Yaletown

@00008000906996090999808208880380680930

TEL: 685-7706 ®
FAX: 685-7701 §

hours of cutting, edging, raking,
feeding, sprinkling, power-raking,
aerating and top-dressing, not to
mention fighting with weeds and
moss. These tasks will not only
never end, they can never be put
off or minimized without inviting
more problems which will require
even more attention later.

Let’s say you are a compulsive
procrastinator like me; any excuse
will do as long as you can leave
off cutting the lawn until tomor-
row. When you finally get around
to it you have weakened the grass
to such an extent that pests such
as weeds and moss begin to take
over.

Now do not get me wrong; I do
like lawns in the landscape. I just
do not believe they should be used
because of some false hope that
doing so will save you time and
money. As a case in point let me
outline a few of the tasks that
should be performed now in order
to maintain an attractive lawn.

Cut it. Do not waste your time
and risk your lawn’s health in
hopes that it will stop growing.
The dormant season will not begin
for at least another month yet,
and as mentioned above, postpon-
ing the inevitable can only lead to
disaster. .

Feed it. If it grows, it needs
food. Growing a healthy lawn is
an unnatural act; luxuriant, vig-

464A well-planted bed, filled with
well-established shrubs and
groundcovers will produce a fraction
of the required upkeep
as that of a lawn. 99

orous, weed-free lawns do not oc-
cur in the natural world. In order
to achieve the density we ali
desire, we must supply enough
nutrients to the soil (either
organically or otherwise) to sus-
tain this crowded condition.

Come mid to late November,
apply a good winterizing fertilizer.
This should be low in nitrogen to
discourage top growth. It should
also contain slightly higher than
normal levels of phosphorus to
encourage root growth and potas-
sium 10 promote extra hardiness
over the wet winter.

Lime it. Most turf grasses do
not appreciate the acid soils that
naturally occur in our area. They
also require calcium as a major

nutrient for good growth. The
heavy rains we receive leach the
calcium carbonates out of our
soils almost as fast as we can ap-
ply them. A healthy lawn in the
Pacific Northwest should receive
spring and fall applications of
dolomite Hme every year in
amounts necessary to maintain a
soil PH of 6 to 6.5.

In addition, make sure you. get
the leaves off, rake out any areas
of moss, aerate any compacted,
poor-draining areas, and top dress
areas containing muc«xy, pcor-
draining soils with fine sand. Now
tell me about the low maintenance
characteristics of lawns while
figuring out what to do with your
aching back. .

Ihe Tradition of Fine Home Furnishings ¢ Classic Cherry and Mahogany
¢ Country Maple and French Oak ® Contemporary Light Woods and
Oriental Accents together with outstanding Upholstery, Accessories,.

Fabrics, Wallpapers and Carpets.

Our imaginative, creative consultants «ill be
pleased to assist you in your choices.

FINE FURNISHINGS

2914 Granville at 13th

Vancouver, B.C.
Hours: Mon.-Sat. 9:30-5:30

Fri. 9:30-9:00 p.m.

. estub. 1929