The Rural Voice, 2001-01, Page 40BE PREPARED
VAN EYL SNOWBLOWERS
with heavy duty PTO shaft
5 FT. - MANUAL OR HYDRAULIC $820.00
6 FT. - MANUAL OR HYDRAULIC $1200.00
6 1/2 FT. - MANUAL $1300.00
6 1/2 FT. HYDRAULIC $1400.00
7 FT. HYDRAULIC $1,900.00
Gardening
Dealing with mid -winter garden fever
By Rhea Hamilton -Seeger
When winter hits I begin to get a
touch of garden fever.
While the snow is just whispering
around the border I can still mentally
note where plants are going to be
moved as soon as the ground warms
up; picture where the new tulips will
shake their majestic heads; and where
I will try out some new annual seeds.
But as the snow deepens and shrubs
start to disappear under the glistening
blanket, my garden fever escalates.
I've tried watching garden shows that
take you through lush gardens
showcasing new vegetables,
perennials, and annuals but I find it
only aggravates my condition. I feel
the need to escape outside, to dig in
my own garden.
House plants will just have to
suffice for the moment. The bigger
the plant the better, though many
plants in one pot helps too. Last fall I
purchased an oleander and a
flowering maple. Both are promoted
as ideal patio pot plants.
The flowering maple is a bit of a
misleading name as Canadians could
come to the casual conclusion that it
is a native maple and will survive our
winters. Not so. It is named for its
leaves. Abutilon is a shrubby woody -
stemmed plant with papery bell-
shaped flowers that resemble holly
hocks. It is related to the hibiscus and
the Rose of Sharon and its colours
range from white, pink and apricot to
shades of yellow and red. They can
be trained to be trees and will flower
in winter which makes them
wonderful house plants. They can
grow as large as six to eight feet but
to keep them from getting leggy, you
need to pinch them back.
Flowering maples were once very
popular house plants before central
heating warmed up houses to more
than its favoured 60° F. It is easy to
keep them happy as they do well with
ordinary, well -drained soil and
average moisture. They will wilt if
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left to dry out too much. Nothing
special there. It does have the
annoying habit of yellowing leaves.
It seems there are some to pull off
every day but they are quickly
replaced on healthy plants.
The flowers are single bell-shaped
and measure two inches across. But
the blossoms are not the only
attraction. Breeders have developed
some wonderful foliage colours.
Abutilon pictum Thompson has green
leaves splotched with gold to set off
the soft orange blossoms. Abutilon
savitzii has creamy white leaves
edged in green with only the
occasional soft apricot blossom.
Before you set them outside in the
spring you may want to shape them
with a little pinching back. Once
outside they require less sun and
thrive in partial shade. Feed regularly
all year round to help promote
blooming.
The second treasure I picked up
this fall was an oleander. It has
attractive dark green slender leaves
with a hushy shape. They can be
pinched on the sides and encouraged
'to take on a tree shape.
Like the abutilon, the oleander
takes the same requirements for soil,
moisture, and temperature. The
flowers are up to two inches wide and
are open-faced blossoms like
hibiscus. Native to the southern
United States, oleander is used to line
walkways and drives. It withstands
the rigors of dust, smoke, wind and
salt spray. In a warmer climate they
are planted about ten feet apart to
accommodate their busy habit. What
a wonderful sight: house plants used
as hedges.
While my two new additions to
the window sill are still in one gallon
pots and only tickling below my knee
cap, it will be a season or two before
they can compete with the shrubs
outside. In the meantime I just have
to concentrate on them until the snow
melts and I can hit the garden again.0
Rhea Hamilton -Seeger and her
husband raise two children at their
home near Auburn. She is a skilled
cook and gardener.