Meeting the needs of your garden I HAVE said it before and I liked it so I'll say it again. Gardening is an unnatural act. I admit to using this statement as yet.another perverse attempt to arouse your interest, but it also happens to be the truth. When was the last time you saw neat, tidy rows of vegetables on your nature walk? How often have you been stopped in your - tracks by a naturally occurring, stunning display of annual flowers? In which wilderness will 1 find mass plantings of hybridized thododendrons and azaleas under the spreading splendor of a flowering cherry? See what I mean? Natufe does not group plants in tidy or purposely attractive ar- Tangements. There is a logical ex- .planation for this. _ In most cases, plants need to ‘grow in - multicultural com- munities. This diversity can assure a balance between both the hostile -and the beneficial aspects of the immediate environment. An example of this would be the numbers and varieties of in- sects in a given area. It is easy to see how too many of one species of plant can en- - courage an overabundance of pest ~ insects that feed on that plant. But it can also have an impact Geoff Tobiasson OVER THE GARDEN GATE on populations of the ‘‘good’’ bugs as well; if :here were only one flowering plant in a region, I doubt that there would be much in the way of an insect population to act as pollinators. Another major concern is the availability of nutrients in the soil. Different plants need different amounts of nutrients at varying times. Some need phosphorus ear- fy for spring flowers and seed production. Others have increased tequirements for nitrogen in early spring to fulfil the need to gener- ate large amounts of spring growth, Growing large concentrations of one variety of plant in a given area year after year can deplete the soil of the nutrients required by that plant. This is the com- monly accepted rationale behind the regular, supplementai addition of fertilizers and/or soil amend- ments to the garden. One unnatural act will promote the occurrence of further unnatu- ral acts. Although the factors promoting unhealthy escalation such as these exist in areas other than those of warfare, many of us now realize that we have been engaging in our own brand of chemical warfare on the environment. Chemically-based fertilizers and pesticides do not offer the ecologically sound solutions that our new awareness of the en- vironment demands. We all realize that we must become more responsible in- our approaches to meeting the needs of the garden. The formation of a_ healthy, productive soil depends on the availability of the right combina- tion of organic and inorganic in- gredients. It is true that different piants require different soils. However, it would be more accurate to state that they require slightly different combinations of the characteristics that make up a good soil. These essential characteristics are the mineral and organic con- tent of the soil and the soil’s abili- ty to allow the penetration and passage of air and water. If these ingredients are not present, it is unlikely that growth in any plant will occur. If they are available only in a limited form, only a limited number and variety of plants will find it suitable for growth. The mineral portion inakes up the major percentage of the soil. It is this fraction that is most responsible for soil texture and structure, These attributes have the greatest influence cn the ability of a given soil to abserb, retain and disperse air and water. A soil’s mineral content is also responsible for the provision of many major and minor nutrients required for healthy plant growth. The organic fraction of the soil can be broken down into living and non-living segments. The living segment consists of larger species such as earthworms. down to the micro-organisms such as bacteria, fungi, algae, etc. that are responsible for the decomposi- tion of the non-living materials. It is the actions of these organ- isms and their role in the decom- position of the non-living organic materials that are largely respon- sible for supplying most of the nutrients that »lants require. Next week, we can take a closer look at some problems created by an imbalance in the above ingre- dients. Also we can discuss some of the materials you may want to use to effect solutions to these problems. There are some exciting new products on the way that have the ability to solve many of these problems and yet allow us to re- main true to our goal of not caus- ing harm to the environment. Club hosts African Violet show THE VANCOUVER African Violet Club will be hosting their 32nd annual show and plant sale on Saturday, April 4 from noon to 5 p.m. The show will take place at the Floral Hall, VanDusen Botanical Gardens, 5251 Oak St. (37th and Oak). Admission is $1. PA VOhele New WIs-lel EATERING a wide range of quality window coverings, including: Drapery Fabrics, California Shutters, and Silhouette Shades. We also stork fabrics ideally suited for Upholstery and Bedding. We would be pleased to coordinate all aspects of your Hiocurate ha Face ot interior decorating project, VaR WANT LATS ay 2 Mave Trmtulence my yar an