A ROSE is a rase, did he say? Well if this phrase was used in loose reference to flower and vegetable seed, it ™ is not far from wrong.

lf there are any major dif- ferences between the various companies offering packaged seed, | it probably lies in the area of 4 marketing.

Coming as I do from the lawn and garden marketing industry, I was privy to many of its deepest, 8 darkest secrets —- some of which

“were rather shady in nature, and i do not mean the kind of shade found in the garden.

'_ Take the sale of flower, vegetable and grass seed, for in- stance. All of the above have a clearly defined shelf life. In all but a few cases, the ability of a seed tc germinate or sprout is reduced by the passage of time. This is known as a reduction in the viability of the seed.

Seed is considered viabie when the embryo contained within it is alive and capable of germination. ’ Germination is the term used to . describe the resumption of active growth by the embryo, resulting in the rupture of the seed casing and the emergence of a new seedling plant capable of independent ex- istence. :

Caveat emptor

Watch for ‘viability when shopping for seeds

Geoff Tobiasson

Enough tech talk. The gist of it is that when seed sits around on the shelf too long, it will not grow. Unfortunately, in far too many cases, that is exactly what happens to the seed you were buy- ing off the shelves of most garden centres. The stuff was half dead before you got it.

-Now I don’t want to make it sound that your local merchant was trying to cheat you. Nor will 1 throw all the blame on the seed supplier. This is just one --; ‘bose instances where it just sur! to turn out that way.

I and most of my fellow chants tried very hard to gain assurances that the seed we were putting out on display was indeed fresh and of good quality. The seed companies would assure us that all seed was tested by Agriculture Canada prior to packaging and they had received assurances that it met or exceeded the minimum standards. OK?!

That is the picture of good, ethical business practices that most of us liked to imagine we were engaged in. Trouble was ali was not as we imagined; there were small lapses in our scrupulous behavior that led to the sale of sub-standard merchan-

ise.

Sumetimes the seed did not get shipped back to the supplier for

mer-

oy

OVER THE GARDEN GATE

testing. The retailer would put it out year after year hoping to eventually sell it and thinking that if customers had problems due to lack of germination, they would return it for replacement. OK?!

Sometimes the supplier would “‘rejuvenate’’ old seed with new seed to bring it up to acceptable standards. If a seed lot.tested out below the allowable percentage, they would mix in fresh seed

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rather than destroying it. The problem here is that halfway through the scason, much more of the old seed would die off, leaving the whole batch well below the expected level.

So what has changed?

Well from what [ can tell, not that much. As in most cases, the consumer is left to his or her own devices and you are left with the old phrase ‘‘caveat emptor’’ ring- ing in your ears. It is safe to say that the more you know the better protected you are.

So what do we look for in seed? In speaking with Mr. Jim Taylor at Agriculture Canada, I learned that your best bet was to look for the Canada No. ! certification on the label. At least this will assure you that the lot from which this package came achieved the mini- mum level required to attain this standard when it was packaged.

Avoid packages that dispiay a packaging date rather than the above certification. This is usually an indication that it failed its last test and the seed company opted for this ‘‘declaration of freshness’’ instead.

I have never been big on the “*foil fresh’? packs introduced a few years ago. To me this repre- sented an attempt by the supplier to avoid the costs incurred in re- testing and destroying failed lots.

There have been many assurances, but I’m still sceptical.

Understand that there is no re- quirement by Agriculture Canada to test flower seed. Only grass and vegetable seed are mandated by law to maintain a certain germination rate.

Mr. Taylor also assured me that Agriculture Canada conducts reg- ular, random tests throughout the country. They are taken at both the wholesale and retail level.

He also assured me that they do have an open ear to the public and would certainly register any complaints levied against a sup- plier. Of course it is ridiculous to assume that they could act upon each and every complaint, but he did agree that if a pattern were to emerge, an investigation would be initiated.

Finally, do not buy seed from disreputable companies. The best way to voice your displeasure is to avoid their products and tell your friends, and hopefully they'll tell their friends and sow on and sow on and...

-Next week you car look for some information about mail order companies. This will include a list of those companies that I believe care enough about their reputations to go to every length to provide quality seed. And they need your help.

Company’s strength is personal service

‘NORTH VANCOUVER’S newest home design 4 | team is bridging the gap |. between the hassles of _ “doing it yourself” and _ the worries of “hiring someone to do it for you”!

Long ago, when people got what they paid for, it wouldn't have been unusual or difficult to find talented, reliable, home improve- ment professionals — at an affor- dable price!

Today, however, hiring someone to “do it for you” isn’t always thought of as a viable option when home improvement is considered.

Lynda MacLachlan (Creatif Design. Resource) and Tony ‘lacoviello (Grace Construction) believe, that “hiring someone to do it for you" és (and should be) an option for everyone. Working as a team, they'll provide you with ex- amples of their work — the latest developments in decorating/refur- bishing and renovating — to help you incorporate an “innovative” and comfortable atmosphere in your home — both inside and out!

Their approach to heme design is unique — it's based on the forgotten concepts of honesty, commitment, quality -.and leadership.

Sound-toe good to be true? Lyn- da and Tony don't think so.

“Too often, designers and ar-—

chitects think only of how a room or their client’s living space will appear when it’s “finished”, com-

pletely forgetting about issues of habit, versatility, practicality or a person's lifestyle,” says Lynda. “It bothers me that many decorators assume, (regardless of what they have been told) that they can spare no expense.”

Practical experience has taught both Lynda and Tony that “design- ing” a home is a “sorting out” pro- cess. But both agree that it's difficult to distance yourself from your own possessions or a renovating idea, enough to let you

- determine whether it's possible.

And it's frustrating.

Attempting to coordinate builders, painters, contractors, etc., while trying to run a house,

- go to work, drop the kids off — can get incredibly confusing.

“That's where ‘Creatif/Grace’ Design comes in," says Lynda and Tony, “our job is to ‘sort’ — to ‘coordinate’ — so that you can relax.”

Lynda, with her background in interior design from the Ontario College of Art, is already well- known for her ingenuity and her imaginative approach to interior design.

One year ago, she took on the challenging business of “Creatif”ly re-designing Ilving space using her clients existing tumiture and posses- sions — proving that re- decorating doesn’t have to be an expensive or an elaborate endeavor.

Tony iacoviello has been a leader in Commerciat/Residential

construction for over 25 years.

Like Lynda, he believes in work- ing with his clients, and includes them in the entire process until the project (big or small} has been completed.

Tony believes that a lack of commitment, too many projects and virtually no communication between the builder and the customer are only a few of the reasons that jobs aren't done pro-

-perly or even completed, given the

client's budget.

“Call me old-fashioned,” says Tony, “but | don’t do business that way.”

As a team, Tony and Lynda work well together because they both believe that home improve- ment should not involve risk — financially or aesthetically. “When I've finished a project,” says Tony, “Lwant the client to feel as good as | feel.” :

“We won't cut corners,” he adds, “because we don’t want to have to redo something that should have been done proper: ly in the first place.”

“Creatif/Grace” Design's first step is to sit down with the client.

“We'll offer advice and a wide tange of options, but the client's desires are the most important! The client talks, we listen and eventually something exciting is decided upon.”

They can be hired on a con- sulting basis, offering ideas and advice on direction — where to stast. Or, they’ll work with you to design, build, com-

¥E

Creatif /

Grace Design provides Personalization,

Customability and Value without cutting corners.

pletely furnish and decorate your home.

For decades, we've followed convention (sometimes un- necessarily) when decorating our homes. We took it for granted that if we hired professionals, they would be both sensitive and receptive to our desires and needs, while at the same time, keeping in mind a budget — big or smaii.

Lynda and Tony agree that this expectation is justified and they urge clients to do some research.

“Whether a client is spending $500 or $2 million, they have the right to hire someone they can trust,” says Tony. “I've been a leader in the industry for years because | expect a potential client to check me and my work out.”

“CreatifiGrace” Design’s goal is to create a very personal,

and comfortable living environ- ment, one that the client has chosen, not — Lynda and Tony in- sist ~ something they might have preferred.

‘All that we recommend,” say Lynda and Tony, “is that peapte ex- plore all of their options.”

Some pointers? “Be current without necessarily following trends, don’t cut corners when renovating — it’s better (and easier} to save money when decorating. Start with what you have and, most importantly, oe realistic about the amount of money that you want to spend. And when you're ready to start the job — call us!”

“CreatifiGrace"’ Design — honest, friendly, unique, innovative and affordable — guaranteed!

Grace Design

Creatif Design 0 988-7719

988-028