20 - Friday, January 19, 1990 - North Shore News Winning flowers, vegetables named From page 19 able to be grown from seed are available from the mail order cata- logues. If you have never ordered trom one of these, the Canadian Garden Council has some sugges- tions. Write or telephone for your catalogues early. Many companies offer discounts for early orders, and sometimes, new varieties may sell out due to only a low volume of a new item being available. Many companies have minimum order requirements, or offer addi- tional bonuses for orc-rs over a certain dollar amount. While some Canadian gardeners absolutely swear by items listed in some specialty U.S. seed cata- logues, if you are just beginning you will likely want to keep your choices this year to Canadian cata- logues. The main advantages of- fered by major U.S. catalogues who do ship in Canada is unique items that are likely not available in their first year through the Ca- nadian seedhouses. The main disadvantage is that the orders must be paid in U.S. dollars, and in addition to the in- convenience, the cost may well be greater as well. The U.S. and other international catalogues are best left to more advanced gardeners. Each year, a North American- wide organization, called All- America Selections, conducts ma- jor independent trials of new cultivars of flowers and vegetables, and where new introductions are judged to be superior to previous introductions, awards are given. The trials are conducted all over North America, including several in various climate areas of Canada. The selection system has been going on for some 57 years, and avid gardeners generally look forward to new items they want to try in their garden each new year. For $390, All-America Selec- tions has six winning new Mowers, and four outstanding new vegetable cultivars. Most seed companies will have a supply of all or most of these new introduc- tions, although some may be in short supply. Petunias remain one of the most popular of annual flowers, and each year usually sees at least one new variety. This year is no excep- tion. Two new hybrid petunias ure being introduced — one a solid pink multiflora (meaning it bears huge quartities of medium-sized flowers) called ‘Polo Salmon’ (its name te!ls all about the color); and the other a bi-cotored multiflora in purple and white. The white ap- pears as a star shape on each flower of ‘Polo Burgundy Star.’ If you should decide not to try to grow either or both of these from seed, you will find them at your local garden centre as young transplants in early spring. Of the other four flower winners introduced for 1990 (Pansy ‘Jolly Joker,’ Celosia *Pink Castle,’ Zin- nia ‘Scarlet Splendor,’ and Achillea ‘Summer Pastels’), the Achillea will likely get the most at- tention. In recent years, interest in gardening has moved significantly away from annual flowers (eg. petunias, celosia and zinnias) to herbaceous perennials, and the Achillea is just that. However, Achillea ‘Summer Pastels’ is unique in that it is a much smaller plant than the now well-known Achillea (generally only in shades of yellow or white) that many gardeners like for its ability to last as a dried flower long after it is cut. ‘Summer Pastels’ comes in a wide spectrum of pastel colors in- cluding pink, mauve and orange. WALKOUT WITHOUT PAYING ]OUS BRAND MAMES ¢ Sennler F FAMOUS NCLUDE: Sklar-Pepplet UNIVERSAL I PALLISER Ba Bassi cy Adan CH Tu CA This NORTH VANCOUVER 986-0388 £43 STAC} B SERVE YOU-BETTER ’s For You WEST VANCOUVER 926-5541 Discover the best in-stock selection of fine leather furniture in Canada .. . over 200 leather sets in stock and 25 different styles to choose from. Our elegant Italian leathers are handcrafted in West Germany for superior quality that fasts. See our gorgeous fabric upholstery too .. ceptional storewide savings! FABRIC Prices starting from: SOFA oxsanr *1599" LOVESEAT cosa 91399" CHAIR 79800 feg. S120 2 Locations to serve you . there’s exclusive furniture for every room in your home. Don't miss the ex- LEATHER Prices starting from: SOFA wo owe L199" LOVESEAT wo svews *1098” CHAIR san goo MADE INW.GERMANY 48 of the nest in contemporary & tradit nal furniture from: . +. Austria. — Net ierlands: = ‘Switzerland -