pine environment calls

for good sun,

BRRRH! ABOUT this time
every year I start doubting
my origins.

Even though ! have been
assured many times that my
ancestors were hardy Icelanders
and Celts, my inability tc come to
terms with these extended periods
of cool, wet weather makes me
wonder.

It wouldn’t take much to con-
vince me that some of this
Norseman’s genetic material first
evolved in regions a littl more
tropical.

Or is this just another one of

those ‘*gardening’’ things?

Perhaps my years in the garden
céntre and landscaping have forc-
ed me to become accustomed to
impatience. J can remember trying
to get an early jump on the mar-
keting season by bringing in an-
‘nual bedding plants as early as the
middle of April.

Impatient or no, it’s still way
too carly and way too cold to be
planting bedding plants.

On the other hand, this is just
right for alpines. These cool
temperatures interspersed with the
occasional warmth of sunny
breaks will bring out their best
and allow them to hold it for an
extended period of time.

Botanically speaking,

alpines

Geoff
Tobiassen

OVER THE E GARDEN GATE

are plants that are native to those
alpine regions found above’ the
tree line. A looser definition
allows us to apply this term to any
plant well suited to the rock

garden.

To confuse matters even more,
many of these plants are as useful
as border plants in the general
landscape as they are in the rock
garden.

1 thought | could help alleviate
some of the above mentioned im-
patience by encouraging you to
start a rock garden. project at

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home.

loisture

Even though you can’t
start planting petunias, you can
still scratch that gardener’s itch
and get a little dirty.

As with all well-thought-out
garden projects, this one begins
with design and this includes an
understanding of the requirements
of plants you wish to grow.

The typical alpine environment
includes good sun, excellent
drainage and ample moisture. A
well-designed rockery will meet
these requirements.

Providing sun is always a
challenge in this part of the
Pacific Northwest. It is usually
enough to locate your rockery site
in the sunniest spot in the garden.

If you are one of those unfor-
tunates who live in perpetual
shade, do not let this add to your
despair; there are quite a few rock
plants tolerant of shade.

Drainage is another key element
that can be problematic in these
squishy parts. You should not on-
ly provide a fast-draining subsoil,
but also drain fines to carry off
excess water.

Line an 18-inch-deep by 12-
inch-wide trench with a 36-
inch-wide length of Typar or
Silent Gardener landscape fabric
and 3 inches of three-quarter-inch
crushed aggregate.

See Expect page 15

NEWS pho Terry Peters

THE PURPLE blooms of the scillia plant are part of many
spring gardens.

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