HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1998-05-06, Page 19Special Gifts for specialmoms
Our greenhouses are
overflowing with gorgeous
flowers and plants including:
• hanging baskets
III flowering bags
II rose bushes
• climbing vines
IN mixed containers, perfect
for a deck or patio
• perennial lilies
II nursery stock
• annuals
• perennials
II concrete bird
baths, planters
& more...
SAVE $2.00 on any purchase Wed. - Sun.
with this coupon. Expires May 10/98
Greyhaven
Gardens
1/8 mile west of Londesboro
turn west at the Hilicrest Restaurant
(519) 523-9781
Open Monday - Saturday, dawn to dust[
Mother's Day 1-5 p.m.
r
SPRING IS HERE
*Excavating
*Bulldozing
•Backhoeing
•Trim Dozer
"Trucking
'Loader Rental
Suppliers of
'Gravel
'Topsoil
'Stone
•Sand
"Fill
"Compost
Installers for
*Septic Systems
'Water Lines
*Sewer Lines
•Farm Drainage
'Open Ditch
*Farm Ponds
482-3783
LARGE QUANTITY DISCOUNTS
Call for Details
VANDRIEL
Contracting
SIMON VANDRIEL CLINTON
THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MAY 6, 1998. PAGE 19.
44,
4
Home ccz ' 98
Geraniums have come a long way
Remember when choosing from
a few colours was the most difficult
decision you had to make about
geraniums? Today's geraniums
have come a long way, baby.
Geraniums have remained in the
forefront of popularity because
breeders around the world have
developed cultivars to suit almost
every need. They have also bred
plants for excellent disease
tolerance, self-cleaning flowers,
increased flower production, rich
dark foliage and an ocean of new
colours.
The Fischer Company is the
world's largest geranium
distributor. Taking the world by
At 'long last, spring! ... the
traditional time to turn your
attention to home improvements
that will save you much needed
energy and money around the
house.
"Energy consumes a significant
share of the average Canadian
homeowner's household budget, so
improving your home's energy
efficiency can be a very rewarding
way to begin the season," says
Mark Butler of a leading energy
supplier. "We are committed to
delivering effective energy-saving
solutions that will help home-
owners get more out of the energy
they use."
Here are some new and
innovative energy-saving tips from
Consumers Gas:
Energy-wise windows
Spring is the perfect time to take
a good look at your windows to
check for energy efficiency.
Windows can be responsible for as
much as 20 per cent of a home's
heat loss, so it pays to do some
serious window shopping when it
comes to making a purchase.
• Make sure the windows you're
considering have a low
conductivity gas fill, such as argon,
between the layers of glass. It can
reduce heat loss significantly.
• Low emissivity (low-E)
coatings greatly improve a
window's thermal performance. It
helps keep your house warm in the
winter and cool in the summer.
• Check the spacers, the material
used to separate your window's
layers of glass. Make sure the
spacers are insulated.
Barbecue smart with natural gas
"Natural gas barbecues are the
energy wise, cost efficient way to
cook outdoors," says Butler. "A
natural gas barbecue costs about 75
per cent less to operate than
propane. And natural gas is also
much cheaper than charcoal."
Bright ideas
Exterior lighting makes it easy to
take your party outdoors. Here are
some bright ideas that will help you
save energy:
• Adding motion sensors to your
Osteoporosis
• Society
of Canada
Call 1-800-463-6842
for more information.
storm, Fischer's number-one sellers
are their compact, dark-foliaged
zonal geraniums. 'Tango' is the
world's top-selling red. 'Lotus,' with
its dark foliage, is one of the best
whites you'll find and 'Tango
Violet' offers that purple tone
everyone is crazy about. All
compact varieties, in combination
with other plants are well suited to
hanging baskets or containers.
For slightly larger geraniums
with good outdoor performance,
the Ball Company has developed a
'Designer' series for early colour,
vigorous growth and continuous
bloom. 'Designer Red' features an
old-fashioned red colour with a
nice zonal pattern on its leaves.
outside lighting will automatically
detect movement and turn your
lights on and off when needed. It's
a great way to greet visitors without
leaving your lights burning, and
wasting energy all night long.
• If you need to leave an outdoor
light on at night, install a photo-
electric cell to automatically turn
outdoor lights on at dusk, and off at
dawn.
Saving water makes sense
The average Canadian household
uses more than 500,000 litres of
water every year, much of which is
wasted. Here are some great .ways
to save water:
• Water your lawn in the early
morning to minimize evaporation.
An automatic timer set from 4:00
a.m. to 6:00 a.m. will do the job
nicely. A thorough watering every
three to four days is sufficient.
• Adjust your lawn mower to cut
grass higher and reduce
evaporation.
• Landscape with less lawn and
more rock gardening, which
requires less water. Or, choose
trees and plants that need less
'Designer White' is a wonderful
clear white. With a hint of orange
in the centre to add pizzazz, new
'Purple Rose' is a head-turner.
The One Company has for years
played a major role in producing
top-notch geraniums. Their well-
known orange-red 'Sincerity' has
been one of their standard bearers
over the years, but bright red 'Kim'
is a best-seller today because it's so
versatile, growing well in full sun
or shade. Their 'Candy' series is
similar to the compact dark-leaved
Filchers, with 'Red Hot' being the
best red and 'White Truffles' a
spectacular semi-double white with
dark leaves.
The 'Americana' series is
water.
• Place a rain barrel at the end of
an eavestrough to collect excess
run off. Use it to water your lawn
and garden.
Keep cool
Some of the best ways to stay
cool in summer don't require any
energy at all:
• Close your drapes, blinds,
curtains and windows during the
day. You'll be able to keep your
house close to the temperature it
was first thing in the morning.
• Most appliances give off heat,
so try to schedule their use for early
morning or evening. Try not to use
your stove, oven, dishwasher,
washer, dryer and clothes iron in
the middle of the day.
Take care of air conditioners
It takes more energy to cool than
to heat. So air conditioners can use
a lot of energy, especially on hot
summer days when they're turned
on for hours.
• Keep your air conditioner clean
and dust free to reduce energy use,
and remember to change or clean
filters when they get dirty.
medium-growing landscape
geraniums with a strong flowering
habit and gorgeous large blossoms.
They offer a wide colour range
with everything from cherry-rose,
coral, dark red and violet to white,
light salmon and a unique,'Rose
and White Splash.' All great garden
performers, these are on par with
Ball's 'Designer' series for a good-
sized showy plant.
Without a doubt the best trailing
or ivy geraniums are the single
'Mini-Cascades,' in shades of
lavender ('Lila'), bright red and
pink ('Sofie'). These spectacular
"ivies" are chock-a-block full of
flowers and are meant for 12"
plastic or moss baskets and
medium-sized window boxes.
Sprucing up for spring