HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 1980-04-16, Page 44or cu owers
17, • A.
Versatile begonias
include a very uniforrn.height and increased resistance to
heat, The spreading trailer will extend 2 to 3 feet in the home
garden setting. •
Use 'Sangria' as an edging.plant; add summer color, te..the
rock ,,garden or try it in a hanging basket. The ..warm
burgundy overtones will enhance a variety of 'landscape
settings, plant colors and forms.
The virtues of vinea 'Little Rosie' are.alsoheadlined by its-
resistance to sum and hot weather. The compact 8- to 10-inch
plants produce deep violet4ose flowers, however hot or.dry
the suminer. This newest addition to the 'Little' series boasts
the same lustrous green foliage and hybrid vigor found' in
'Little Blanche,' 'Bright Eyes,' 'Pinkie! and Delicata,' All
are ideal as bedding plants in the most droughty,and sun-
sizzled of Iodations. a ; .
While vinca and verbena can both be started from seed,
many horne gardeners find these species somewhat exacting
to germinate indoors. They can be readilyPpurchased as
bedding plants at garden centers and greenhouses.
The garden hot, snot. The one location. that neyer seems to
look anything but awful. Year after year, the only plants to • flourish are weeds,
The eyesore can become an eyeful when careful selection
becomes part of the gardening process, Many annual flowers
do not thrive in hot, dry locations, but the exeeptions will
provide unceasing bloom in this most inhospitable ear
vironment. , •
Verbena and vinca are . two annuals which will perform
colorfully in the hot, dry garden environment, Plant
breederS,.. conscious of the worth of hardy, annuals; hiWe
deVeloned,two new varieties for the 1980 greying season; •
'Premiering seed catalogues and as started plants at
greenhouses and garden centers this epring, are !Little
Reale' vinea, and the All-America award winner, C Sangria'
verbena. _
'Sangria,' recipient of a bronze AU-America award for
1980, boasts a •rich wine-red "color unique to the Verbena
family. Other outstanding attributes of this new introdnction
There is no fountain of
youth for cut flowers, but
proper andling can add
days to their life indoors. •
Th Ontario,,
IVIinistry of Agriculture' and
Food extension hor
ticillturist, says, the• most
important key to long-lasting
cut flowers is ..to. select only `
goodquality-Mature flowers.,
` F;loWers,picked too early
Weret npen.properly and will,
droop at the meek of the
stern," hp'saya.
And here's another helpful'
e ga ermg ow, rs
some distance from, the
house, take along a pail of
clean water. Make a clean
cut with a good sharp knife
and set the stems into `the
water, immediately.
Once yell have the flowers
in:a vase, cut the bottom of
the stem` with a shall' knife.`
Using scissors tends to
squeeze the stem, making if
difficult for the flowers to
take. Tip water," says Mr.
Blo
• You can alSO heln lengthen
the life-span of cut flowers
by. adding flower, preser-
vativeS to the water. These
preservatives, available at
flower. shops .or garden
centres,'- usually contain a
bactericide, fungicide and
some carbohydrates.
Mr. Blom says, undiluted
gg ' I "otherat
carbonated 'beverages can
'also be used, instead of
water, to proleng the life of
cut flowerS: These beveragei
are ..similar to commercial
preServatives because they.
are highly acidic, preventing
bacteria; growth and they
also contain sngar.
What can you grow on your
kitchen window sill, in your
greenhouse year-round, in
hanging baskets, as border,
plantS, in window beXeS,
, patio tubs, or :,in mess.
plantings, p ins.usrunroise you r•sl:iade?
It may
to
knowwe
in
thaatuF oil ese hybridsit-ubaetgioonniea:
semporens will perform
Plant breeders have created
new hybrids with larger
flowers, more compact
branching. habit, and the
ability to perforin in both full
sun and shade without the
special care and extra
grooming that are necessary
with,:some other bedding
plants..
Now, a Variety ha; been
developed especially for
hanging baskets by Pan--
Anierlean Seed Company.
'Pink AValanche' is really a
new species, an inter-
specific cross. Its one-inch
flowers are a soft pink,
produced. on plants with a
spectacular, pendulous
habit, making.it a winner for
hanging' baskets.. A landslide
of color all season long,.. it
features' unique angel-Wing-
shaped foliage, .: 'Pink
AValanchel, does not produce
seed, but keeps ,trying •
anyway, blooming profuselY
in its effort to reproduce:
itself
`dladiateir' is another P.1
hybrid, from Pan -Arri e ri can
Seed Company for this
year's 'gardeners. More.
glamorous ' than .• the,
`Glainoars,' 'Gladiator'
produces brilliant red
blooms; 2 te.3 inches aorosi
on 8- to 1.0-iribh plants, Plants -
have a compact, base:
branching habit. The leaves
are smaller than those of the
'Gieraours,' makin g the
blooms seem even larger,
been
recognized as a :novelty by'
Ftenrpseleet, Europe's
'equivalent to-our . All-
America Selections,
'Frilly Red' from Ball Seed
Company',= has huge, bright
red wools, % to 1 inch wide
and about 2 inches deep,.
enhanced by ruffled edges,
ami:offset,by the dark green
foliage. The rUffled edges
make 'Frilly Red' especially
attractive for use in pots and
windoW boxes. EffectiYe •in
borders . and.. for mass
plantings, too. 'Frilly Pink,'
introduced last year; has the
same ruffled Powers and
plant habit as 'Frilly Red.'
Don't dismisS begonias 'as
UnWertliy. pf yber attention.
Red' might well say
to its neighboring petunia, as
Annie Oakley Sang in "Annie
Get Your Gun,'' "Anything
you can do, I can do, too.
Can do anything better than:
yon.",
Crrowizi.
Grow:twine crops,` Such as,
encumbers; watermelons,
squash, •and pumpkins, on
fences, stakes or trellises to
conserve garden space;
Cold and hotheds
home gardeners in the 1960s This forms a slope for the
and earlier to 'grow young glass or plastic cover So. it
plants before transplanting can shed water and get the
them into the garden. In maximum benefit of the sun.
recent years, the_ use of ___The_planks e s pik e d
structures has declined together and x 4 supports
because of the 'increased are added to hold the sashes.
number of garden centres
Hotbeds—
by Ian Smith built with planks 30" .cen- which encourages damping-
Eitension Horticulturist timetres (12 inches) high at 'off and other diseases..
Hotbeds and coldframes the back and 20 centimetres
were used :extensively by (8 inches) high at the front. Coldframes
u;;51
Tractors
Equipment
selling-young plantsvand-the
popularity of small plastie
greenhouses. Now, interest
in hotbeds and coldframes is
picking up because of the
current popularity of home
gardening and the trend
toward less expensive
alternatives to greenhouses.
Hotbeds and coldframes
are similar structures. They
are a simply bottomless
boxes made from wood or
masonry, fitted, with a
sloping roof of glass or
plastic. The difference
between the two is • that
hotbeds incorporate bottom square metres (36 square
heat so they can be used feet). This area is the
earlier in the spring; and equivalent of a two-sash
later in the fall. hotbed. Lay the cable on a
bed of sand or fine soil. Place
Construction a 1.25 centimetre (1/2 -inch)
:Both coldframes and wire mesh screen on top of
hotbeds require a protected, the cable to protect it from
well-drained, sunny location, damage when the soli is
preferably on the south side worked. Cover the cable with
of a building. Hotbeds, 10 to 15 centimetres (4 to.6
however, require deeper ' inches) of good planting soil.
One or more thermostats are
required for hotbeds that
need more than one heating
cable set.
You can plant seeds
directly into the soil, or set
fiats directly on top of
heating cables. The method
used depends on the type of
plants, and the amount of
handling they require.
Electrically heated hotbeds
require. more water than
manure beds. Keep the soil
moist, but not saturated..
During cold .nights, when
bottom heat is insufficient,
cover the frames 'with straw,
are 1,8 metres (6 feet) wide, old rugs or sacks, On warm.,
with the, length determined sunny days, temperatures in
by the number of windows, the frameS-will rise rapidly,
or glass sashes used. The which can damage or kill the
standard -meapurement of young plants. To prevent
old storm wiridowt is 0.9 damage, open the sashes a
metres (3 feet) by 1.8 metres bit to provide ventilation. ,
(8feet.) Ventilation is also important
The frames are usually to control high humidity
Coldframes are used most
often to harden yams plants',
such as tomato• started
indoors, for an early start in
the. garden—Horne garden ers
also find them handy for
direet'seedings of cold-hardy
seeds, such as lettuce or
-cabbagednd for flats of seed,
crops.
Cold frames 'can be con-
structed from almost any
type of material, including
hay bales and cement:
blocks, because they are
usually less permanent than
hotbeds.
Hotbeds and coldframes
can help you get an early
start in the garden, but they
can also be used for a variety
of practical purposes
throughout the year. Use
theni to store over-wintering
bulbs and hardy perennials
in winter for seeding
perennial plants in summer
and for an early winter .
lettuce crop in the fall,
No losers
in gardening
Lank of information? Lack
of garden space? Indif-
ference? No fear of failure,
more than any other reason
.keeps non-gardeners, from
planting their first garden
seed or seedling, says -the
National Garden Bureau.
Gardening is perhaps the
most socially acceptable
hobby in North America,
enjoyed by rich and poor
alike. Yet some people will
go through life having:never
succeeded in raising a plant
from a seed or keeping a
houseplant happy.
Non-gardeners 'need en;-
couragement and. praise
from their friends and
relatives, never criticism of
their first attempts,
however, bumbling, There is
no, such thing as a "born
loser" in gardening.
2",-Ford.'flotaty',IVIOWeriffiff:Olki ..•,,i,
nevi Ford 'Lawn and Garden'
tto( !Litiohoset.: Traditiorially;fresh horse
manure was used to heat
hotbeds, but the supply is
now scarce in most areas.
Using manure also .has a
number of disadvantages,
primarily the labor required
to pile it into •the pit,, and to
manage it properly to
generate the required
temperatures. As a result,
most gardeners use electric
heating cables.
One heating cable set (18
metres or 60 feet in length)
provides enough heat for 2.3
excavation than coldframes.
If you intend to' heat your
hotbed with manure, you
need to dig an area about 60
centimetres (2 feet) deep.
Dig an area half that deep if
you plan to use electric
cables for heat. You can
either set coldframes in
shallow pits 20 to 30 cen-
timetres (8 to • 12 inches)
deep, or set them directly on
to of the soil, banking the
Soil up around the sideS.
Many home gardeners use
old stormwindows as covers
for coldframes or hotbeds.
For this reaSOn, most frames
Be ready to go AND mow on a new Ford . . These
are limited time offers, so come in. soon to
OFFER ENDS MAY 31, 1980
REAM-FARM EQUIPMENT:,
Lacknow Highway 86 West
Phone $29.199S