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MUCH AS i envy the peoples of California and other such temperatures of -5°C or lower for climatic regions, I am not looking forward to the day when periods of one week or more, you the greenhouse effect turns Vancouver into a tropical para-

dise.

1 will admit to a secret longing for the ability to grow such wonders as the bougainvillaeas, crape myrtles (/agerstroemia) and hibiscus.

The concept of a backyard supp- ly of fresh limes for margaritas does leave my mouth watering, but is it worth the destruction of the world’s climatic, economic and social environments? You bet!

Seriously though, we must in- crease our awareness on this and other environmental issues. I see it like this:

A father and son sit down to en- joy a bowl of fresh cherries. Fa- thers being fathers, dad is engross- ed in the ball game and his fist is alternating between the fruit bow! “and his mouth.

Kids being kids, sonny boy is wonderstruck by the world around him and takes his cherries one at a time and infrequently. Before either realizes what has transpired, disaster has struck.

Now I am not saying that kids should view life as though it were a bowl of cherries, but I do think future generations deserve a little more than the pits.

Well, enough of my philosophiz- ing. I intended to write about the necessity of lifting and storing dahlia tubers and the corms of gladiolus before the onset of winter and rocketed off on another

tangent. .

Some of you may view our climate as the California of Canada, and the last few years of mild winters might seem to back

garden gate Geoff Tobiasson

that up. If you believe this means you need not worry about pro- viding some extra protection for tender perennials such as dahlias, I have a bridge you might be inter- ested in.

If this winter happens to be the one out of five that produces

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lose. Jf the ground freezes to a depth of six inches or more, the ‘chances are these tubers and corms will freeze. When that happens, they die.

Even if there was no risk of loss involved, it is a good habit to get into. Lifting them every fall will present you with the opportunity to divide and multiply your stocks rather than watching them dwindle away.

So how’s it done? Well, for dahlias, wait until the first frost blackens the stems then cut them back to ground level.

Carefully dig the tubers out of the ground and leave to dry over nig’ t. After the soil has dried, remove as much as you can by crumbling it away from the roots.

Store the tubers upside down in acool, dry, well-ventilated area for about two weeks. This will drain excess moisture out through the stems and prevent rotting of the crown.

Now find a low cardboard box (similar to the delivery boxes found in florist shops) and put a one-inch layer of peat at the bot- tom.

Place as many tubers on the layer of peat as will fit into the box without touching each other.

Although the peat acts as a low level fungicide, it would be safest to apply a dusting of sulphur to prevent rot.

Either way, cover to a minimum depth of one inch with another

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layer of peat and store in a cool (40° to 45°F) ventilated area.

Be careful not to store where it is too warm because this will cause the tubers to dry out too rapidly and render them useless for next year. Neither should they be left moist as this could rot them.

The storage requirements for gladiolus are not as stringent as those for dahlias.

You must remove the old corm which virtually disappears from year to year. The old one shrinks and a new one forms over top of it.

They can be stored in a fashion similar to that used for dahlias without the extra precaution as regards moisture. Only severe water-logging or storage in a hot, dry area could cause any problems.

Next spring, about mid-March, you can remove the dahlia tubers from storage and divide them. This is done by carefully slicing them apart at the old stems being sure to retain at least two of the eyes or buds at the base of each stem.

After allowing the wounds to dry and heal over night, dust them liberally with sulphur. Plant them six to eight inches deep with a heaping tablespoon of bonemeal mixed into each hole.

Gladiolus multiply by seed and by the small ‘cormels’ that form around the base of the existing corm. Remove these immature corms before replanting, which is also best done around mid March.

If you plant the cormels sepa- rately, in a sunny, out-of-the-way corner of the garden they will develop into blooming-sized glad plants in about two years.

Planting depth is six to eight in- ches and don’t forget the bonemeal.

EAT WELL LIVE WELL

GOLDEN FOUCH Be TE EREORS