HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1989-05-17, Page 22PAGE 22. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MAY 17, 1989.
Low maintenance landscaping reduces gardening time
Perennial flower beds are time-savers because the plants bloom year after
year. Here, Master Gardener Jill Hutchinson of London, Ont., shows off her
perennial garden. Master Gardeners are gardening enthusiasts who have
received formal horticultural training through the Ontario Ministry of
Agriculture and Food's Master Gardener program. Once trained, Master
Gardeners are available to answer questions from the public.
By designing a low maintenance
landscape you can reduce the
amount of time you spent tending
your flower beds, lawn, and
shrubs, says Horticultural Consul
tant Pat Tucker, former head of the
grounds department at the Univer
sity of Guelph.
You can eliminate most of your
pruning chores by choosing slow-
Kitchen tips
With today’s busy schedules, the
kitchen is more than ever a place
for the family to gather. Here are
some ideas to make your kitchen
more inviting.
1] Change Lighting - New fix
tures can change your kitchen from
the ordinary to the extraordinary.
Track lighting will produce drama
tic effects and highlight special
areas, while lighted ceiling fans
add nostalgic charm. Try placing
small table lamps in strategic
places to light up dark comers.
2] Add Plants and Flowers
There’s nothing like plants to help
make a room feel more lived-in.
Easy-to-care-for ferns or hanging
plants are perfect for the kitchen
and take up little space.
Straw wreaths can be changed
with the seasons, giving your
kitchen a festive look. Create a
garden atmosphere by lining the
tops of cabinets with flower boxes.
Inexpensive window greenhous
es are visually appealing, but also
can be used for growing fresh
herbs year-round - a touch the
family gourmet will appreciate.
3] Provide Electronic Entertain
ment A T.V., radio or cassette
tape deck in the kitchen will
provide a welcome source of enter
tainment while you cook, iron,
study or participate in other activi
ties. It also will attract family
members to the kitchen.
In fact, now you can find T.V.s,
radios and tape players designed
especially for the kitchen, which
mount under cabinets so as not to
use up precious counter space.
4] Create a Family Wall - A new
twist to the “family album’’ can be
created by hanging, on one wall, a
collage of family photos from
vacations, birthdays or special
occasions.
The collage can grow and change
with your family. Individual pieces
of artwork, chosen by family mem
bers and prominently displayed,
will give the kitchen that personal
touch.
5] Display Collectibles - Start a
collection of old canisters or colored
bottles. Aside from enjoying
searching out ilvr''- Mt garage sales
or flea markets, you can display
your collection on cabinets or
windowsills, adding a warm, coun
try look to your kitchen.
growing dwarf varieties of trees
and shrubs.
The Korean Boxwood (Buxus
microphylla koreana), the swarf
snowball (Viburnum opulus
‘Nana’), or Arctic willow (Salix
purpurea ‘Gracilis’) are good
choices.
Look for plant varieties that can
grow just about anywhere and are
known to be hardy and dependable.
“Plants that lose their leaves,
drop their fruit or their flowers -
such as the Norway maple, the
tulip tree, or the catalpa - are poor
choices if your aim is to eliminate
work,’’ Tucker said.
Of course, perennial flower beds
are time-savers because the plants
bloom year after year.
Try bleeding hearts, peonies,
iris, phlox, delphiniums and day-
lilies, hardy geraniums and black-
eyed Susans.
You’ll find it is easier to care for
your flower beds if plants are
grouped and you will enjoy the
added attractiveness of volume.
And by curving your flower beds,
you’ll be able to do most of your
trimming chores with a lawn mow
er.
To keep weeds down, use a
mulch such as bark, stone chips, or
cocoa beans.
And where grass simply will not
grow - under mature trees, on a
slope - why not try a ground cover?
English ivy, pachysandra, per
winkle or euonymus are usually
troublefree, once they are esta
blished.
Before planting a ground cover,
you must get rid of weeds; cultivate
the area frequently to destroy
weeds or use a herbicide.
If you use a chemical weed killer,
follow the application rates recom
mended by the manufacturer.
“The chemical kills grasses and
weeds but it will leave the dead
roots and crowns in place. These
will hold the soil and prevent it
from being washed away before
your young plants can take hold,” '
Tucker said.
Occasionally, your ground cover
will require a trim or insect and
disease control; fertilize once in
spring, at similar rates used for
lawns.
While planning your no-trouble
landscape, don’t overlook the value
of low-maintenance shrub, such as
forsythia, honeysuckle and vibur
nums; these can cover a large area
at relatively little cost.
Or plant a mixture of trees and
shrubs to provide all the design
criteria of texture, colour and form.
Evergreens, particularly the
spreading types such as Green
Acres, Andorra and Tamarix juni
pers, are used extensively in the
landscape; they tolerate hot, sunny
sites and provide texture and
colour during the winter months.
These are also relatively free of
insects and disease.
But they are slow to fill in and
expensive to purchase, Tucker
says.
Broadleaved evergreens such as
wintercreeper, low-growing shrubs
such as cotoneaster or herbaceous
perennials such as creeping
cinquefoil are also good choices.
These grow to a minimum height
of 15 centimetres and they will also
suppress weeds, fill in quickly and
can be easily propagated.
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