Then I realized I was rapidly making myself redundant: first I weasrled out of doing the garden- ing chores; next I lost the bragging rights; and now I’m about to give away the position of chief-know- it-all. Better I write the article myself after wheedling a little in- formation out of her on the sly. So herbs it is, Well, not all the herbs. Just lavender, or as it is more correctly known, lavendula; a member ir gcod standing in the labiatea family. There is little difficulty in mak- ing the family connection to a rela- tive such as rosemary, or even other herbs such as basil, mar- joram, mint, sage, savory and thyme.: It is more difficult recognizing this plant’s close ties to bedding plants like coleus, lamium, napeta and salvia. I do not think there are many of you who will try to dispute the varied, outstanding attributes of this plant as an addition in the garden. Besides its use as a prime ingre- dient in pot-pourris and sachets, it can make a major contribution to over the garden gate Geoff Tobiasson the garden as an ornamental plant. Whether used as manicured border around herb or flower beds, in mass in the perennial border, or combined with alpine plants on dry, sunny zockeries or Slopes, its contributions are more than slight. Most of the lavenders we are familiar with come from the ‘Old English Lavender’, /. angustifolia, Narrow, grey-green leaves Lavender makes varie: contributions to garden AT FIRST, I thought I should probably let my wife write this article because she is the one who has ‘grown’ into the role of Herb Lady over the last two years. densely clothe its well-branched, two-foot height. Slender, four- sided stems produce whorls of lav- ender-to-purple flowers in July. It is from this reliable parent that most of our better hybrids spring. ‘Hidcote’s’ reliable production of violet flowers on dense spikes and its compact habit have been rewarded with numerous awards (ie: A.M. 1950, F.C.C.T. 1963, A.G.M. 1965). ‘Loddon Pink’ has the ad- mirable habit of the above, but its pale pink flowers make it a unique addition to the garden. (awards: A.M.T. 1963.) ‘Munstead@ is the one to choose if you prefer the lush look of green leaves to the dry look of the more typical grey-green forms. Its flowers are a bluer laven- der-blue and appear in July on a compact, tidy plant. (awards: A.M.T. 1963.) The French Lavender or 1. stoechas, although not as hardy, is much more aromatic. If you are lucky enough to find one of these and like experimen- ting in the garden, choose a warm, sunny, exceptionally well-drained site. Protect it from severe winters and extreme droughts. The ‘Common Lavenders’ are easily hardy enough for the average North Shore garden. They will perform best in sunny, well- drained sites and average soil. Feed mature plants mid-March and mid-June with a granular gen- lonetree Enterprises Lid. specializes in innovative custom kitchen and bathroom design, renovation and construction. . We will be pleased to discuss your plans, offer suggestions | : and give you an estimate. ; 5315 W. Boulevard Vancouver 266-1077 1989 - North Shore News | LIFESTYLES re) Ys Ht 4. i We rE, 55 LAVANDULA STOECIIAS eral purpose fertilizer and again in mid-November with bonemeal. If you are one of the majority of those of us who suffer from overly acid soils, try another application of bonemeal in February. Even though extra care in water- ing is only required by those plants that have been newly planted, mature plants will maintain a denser, bushier habit if watered during excessively dry periods. Another practice that will help - to maintain more of this attractive, > \ YAW dense growth on border plantings is regular pruning. Two or three times over the growing season, prune the tallest branches back by Well, I guess I’ve managed to hang on to the title for another week. If you have any questions or topics that you would like to see appear in these pages, please for- ward them to me care of the North Shore News, 1139 Lonsdale Ave., North Vancouver, B.C., V7M 2H4. eHanging Baskets eGeraniums ePalms eDracaneas eAzaleas \\ ((- and so much more! Designers of ‘silk’ plan| 4184 Marine Dr., North Van. 985-9859 M ive berton)