ALTHOUGH SPRING may seem to be a more appropriate season in which to schedule reproductive exercises, mid- summer has its moments.

This may well be the best time

of year to strike a stem cutting from one of your favorite plants.

On the off chance you don't know what in Hades I’m talking about, a stem cutting is a preferred method of propagation for many varieties of popular garden plants.

Common examples from which stem cuttings can be taken are red geraniums (pelargoniums) and chrysanthemums.

Even plants such as hydrangeas and rhododendrons are usually propagated or multiplied in this fashion.

- There are three main types of stem cuttings, hardwood, semi- hardwood, and. softwood. Hard- wood cuttings generally refer to ‘those that are taken from seasoned or mature growth. These are usual- ly taken in fall‘or winter.

‘ Semi-hardwood cuttings are those from half-ripened wood taken during summer and early fall. While softwood cuttings can mean either the fresh immature growth of spring or those taken from herbaceous plants such as the geranium.

There are no fixed dates when

‘the taking of these various woods

begins and ends; the times simply merge into one another. ,

I suggest you spend a little time with books, researching the most appropriate time to strike a cutting from your particular subject.

over the garden gate

Geoff nears,

There are many good books of- fering detailed help for most of the common varieties.

You ‘may be one of those North Shore gardeners who are preoc- cupied with the term ‘‘low Maintenance gardening’’. The most that I can hope to do here is

DEVELOPMENTS CO. LTD.

STRUCTURAL REPAIR SPECIALISTS e LEVELLING

® REBUILDING

® FOUNDATIONS Structural. Assessments Made

434-2939.

FACTORY DIRECT!

More & more people ate finding Decorsione the +. answer fo their paving problems. :

., Unlike other paving methods, Decorstone is flex. “ible It moves with the ground. Decorstone is no! damaged by the ground shifting because an area

paved with it is already a design of cracks. Decorsione’s unique interlocking shapes hold each stone securely in place Plus, each Decorstone Paver is made from compressed concrete subjected B to 4 tons of pressure, making if virtually impossible » for water to penetrate. They won't crumble or flake. They just keep on looking great. Decorstone Pavers are available in many colours and shapes to suit ,

ony decol.

Szsctep Srvyzes & Corours

generate a little enthusiasm and in- spire you to give it a try.

I'll give you a couple of com- mon examples where the practice of home parenting in the garden makes good sense.

Let’s say you have an English laurel hedge surrounding part of your property and you wish to ex- tend it for another 50 feet. Assum- ing that ‘you plant new plants three feet apart, you will require 17 plants to do the job.

You could run to the garden centre (after running to the bank for a second mortgage) and pur- chase 17 shiny new #1 pot size plants. At approximately $5 each, your landed cost (including tax and delivery) would be in the neighborhood of $100.

Or you may try cutting 10 to 12 inches off 35 stems of your existing laurel in early to mid-September. Now remove the leaves from all. but four to six inches from the tips and dust the lower end with a rooting hormone for hardwoods.

Dig 17 evenly spaced holes along the length of your proposed new addition. Set two of your cuttings into each hole so that the lowest of the remaining leaves is one inch above ground.

We double up here in order to ensure no blanks in the hedge should one cutting not take.

Fill in around the cuttings with a soil that contains at Jeast 50 per cent organic material (compost or

A by our expert craftsman. (Black also available $7.50 extra)

_

gis

Downtown 1168 Robson

favorit

POSTE:

FRAME YOUR OWN - RADE

Neilsen Metal Frame

§ Sclect either “Brass or Silver” in our most popular profile. Precision mitres, custom cut

North Vancouver 1425 Marine Drive 984-8469 i} All stores open 7 days a week — late opening Fridays

Richmond 5311 No. 3 Road

Kitsilano 2857. W. Broadway

27 - Friday, July 29, 1988 — North Shore News

fe.

peat). This will help to keep the soil moist between regular applica- tions of water.

You spent less than $5 for the rooting hormone (and you still have most of that left) leaving you a savings of $95.

If you assume a maximum of one half hour extra time over and above what was needed to buy the plants, you’re making $190 per hour. If you don’t want the job, I'll take it.

‘Or perhaps you would like to plant 50 red geraniums around the house next year. Take some cut- tings next February from plants you saved this fall. You couid save yourself $100 by spending two

Bathroom

aT

ised | earn s Mi Fase

hours of time and nursing a few plants on the basement windowsill during the winter.

Or let’s say Mrs. Rootweavil down the road has a lovely plant that you just can’t seem to identify or find at any of the garden cen- tres.

You know it would look great in your yard, but, even if it did have legs, she wouldn’t let it stroll on down to your place. Experiment; with her permission of course. Take a few cuttings at different stages of its development and try rooting them in different ways. Eventually you are likely to succeed, and if not, you had fun trying.

carpeting

makes a difference

REMEMBER WHEN the perfect bathroom had the clinical sparkle of a hospital?

Well, sparkle is still important, but now it’s turning up in baths designed with a little self-in- dulgence in mind.

If you -want to give your bathroom a more luxurious look but don’t want to pull out the fix- tures and start all over, why not add decorative wall-to-wall carpeting or area bathrugs?

Glass & Backing

Regular’ 2mm float glass. Heavy duty . corrugate backing $15,00

“Nongisre glass also available add $15.00 20.00

_ oversize $:

Mounting

Vacuum mounted on heavy weight millboard to stop those wrinkles you see on cheap framing jobs.

NCTURES &

Kerrisdale 37th & West Blvd.

Maximum size 24x36 or 60 united inches oversize up to 32x maxinium available

$7.50 extra

West Vancouver 1432 Marine Drive 922-3513

Taking their cue from the fash- ion world, bathrug manufacturers are showing how to make a bathroom beautiful without sacrificing comfort and practicali- ty.

Bathrugs serve two purposes. The first is purely functional — they prevent slipping and sliding on wet floors or having to step out of the tub onto a cold, hard sur-

Seo Enhance Page 28

Easy to Assemble

Top quality material & Regis unique easy-to- follow instruction sheet makes assembly a breeze or we assemble for you — $10.00 oversize $15.00

RAM MES

. & Lougheed i 407- OF North Rd. a