ares

Baan

’ exposed to the hot sun. DO IT

BEDDING-OUT PLANTS
Pursuit of summer color must

be a carefully planned enterprise

OK, ENOUGH is enough. I*ve whined and complained _ aials.

about the weather for the last time. It’s all water under the . Here is a timely tip just received
bridge. Perhaps a little more water than we were counting
on, dut it’s all downstream now.

May has arrived with its usual
assortment of color. Rhododen-
drons, azaleas, flowering cherries,
spring bulbs, and a host of other
plants ali help to lift our spirits
and banish thoughts of winter
from our minds.

But what of summer. Spring
color arrives unbidden because this
is the natural flowering period for
most of our flowering plants.

With the possible exception of
some short duration bloomers in
the perennial family and a very few
flowering shrubs, our pursuit of
summer color must be a carefully
planned enterprise.

Here I speak mainly of annuals
or bedding-out plants as they are
known. What better way to
brighten up those long summer
days than with this wonderful
group of plants which offer month
upon month of continuous bloom.

With this and other important
areas of the garden in need of at-
tention in the month of May, here
are a few of the tasks qt hand:

.2'Lawn Care - This is the best
time to dethatch the lawn using a
power-rake.: Too early while the
lawn is still wet and you can cause
more damage than you solve; too
late and the grass could suffer long
term‘problems by having its roots

Now!

Weed control is also of prime
importance over the next few
weeks. If you have a lawn with a

low population of weeds, a little
well-timed exterminating could
save you from a population explo-
sion in the future.

Every time you drag the mower
over the lawn, carry a trowel or
weed puller around in your back
pocket. If you stopped and dug
out each one as you encountered
it, you wouldn’t have a problem.

If your weed problem is bigger
than your lawn, you may wish to
tip the whole mess out and start
over again. This is a good time to
start. Hiring a bobcat (a small,
rubber-tired, earth moving
machine) complete with operator is
the most effective method. Have
him peel the whole thing off and
ship it south, then reseed after ap-
plying a fresh layer of quality top-
soil.

Water, feed, and cut regularly.
If you do, you will be rewarded
with a beautiful, relatively prob-
lem-free lawn.

If you don’t, be prepared to bat-
tle moss, weeds, and tatty looking
turf for years to come. If you have
yet to apply dolomite lime, give
yourself 40 lashes and do it now.

° Flower Beds - Here’s ‘where
the real action is (or should be}
during the month of May.

Good planning and proper
planting now will assyre summer-
long color as in the case of annual
flowers and two to eight week col-
or for years to come with peren-

z=

eshit DENE

from Mr. B. of West Vancouver.-
While your spring bulb displays
are still displaying, take a few
photographs for posterity. This
not only pinpoints their location
for future reference, it will also

reveal those areas that require
replanting during next fall’s bulb

season.
Remember, do not cut the
foliage off your bulbs until it has
begun to ripen (turn yellow). And
do not, tie the leaves up into those
funny little knots; this not only
blocks the restoration of energy to
the bulb, it also looks ridiculous.
Cultivate your beds well before
planting, removing as much weed
as possible. Be ruthless, the more
you can get out now, the fewer
problems you will have later on.

CAPE
COD
CHAIR

129°

13 — Friday,

Mix in compost, composted

manure, or peat to replenish the
organic fibre in the soil. At the
same time, add a granular, high-
phosphorus fertilizer such as
bonemeal to the area. This will
feed the roots of new seedlings and
encourage flower production.

over the

garden gate

Geoff Tobiasson

Watering is a must. Two or
three dry days could cause enough
damage to kill young transplants
or set them back so severely that
they perform poorly all summer.

Add a water soluble fertilizer
every two weeks for maximum
color.

© Vegetable Beds - Most of your
vegetable garden shonid be in by
now. The exceptions would be cu-
cumbers, peppers, squash,
tomatoes, and any other tender

. crop. It might be safer if these

were left until the latter half of the’

Wésicon Pavers

eA

Unipave Decor

SS

Holiang

Have them installed or Do-it-Yourself!
Please cali for more information ..

: Across from Venice Bakery
on Main Street:
. {bright yeliow awning):

May 5, 1989 - North Shore News

B LirestyLEs

month,

Don't be discouraged if you
haven’t even started yet; there is
still lots of time to seed a few of
the faster germinating crops such
as beets, carrots, radishes, and
many more. Others such as cab-
bages, cauliflower, lettuce, etc. can
still be obtained as bedding-out
plants.

Here too, the early control of
weeds is all-important. One
overlooked chickweed can
repopulate your garden in less than
a week. The next thing you know,
there goes the neighborhood.

Any’ stakes, poles, netting, or
other forms of support needed for
vining or taller growing plants
should be set in place’ now. This
will avoid damaging the roots later
and get the plants started in the
right direction right off the bat.

© Trees and Shrubs - If you have
not already done so, feed your
trees and shrubs with an ap-
propriate fertilizer.

Rhododendron and azalea food

” for acid-loving plants and a good

general purpose such as 6-8-6 for
the rest.

Continue planting newly pur-
chased materials, but remember to
water well immediately after and
throughout the. warmer weatber
ahead. It is too late to consider
moving established plants around
the garden, Jeave them where they
ase until fall.

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IMPORTED