The Citizen, 2001-05-09, Page 19vs,$,O.k. C A VA 4,1
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EXCAVATING - BULLDOZING
BACKHOEING-SEPTIC SYSTEMS
FARM DRAINAGE • PONDS
• TOPSOIL • SAND
• GRAVEL
Clinton
482-3783
Toll Free
1-877-532-4394
Pager
1-519-430-8231
.2)e,licro-t .cg/toieiic Mat laii4 a allatti
calcu44, Paareaotce a41,1 wa,undt
with a variety of hanging baskets in brilliant colours
- hanging bags filled with flowers
window boxes - gorgeous accent plants
- mixed planters filled to the brim with any assortment of ivy,
wave petunias, begonias, snapdragons, geraniums, becopa,
spider plants and so much more
easy to grow perennials & annuals
- compact, long lasting shrubs, ornamental trees for focal points &
flowering shrubs for contrast & fragrance.
Greyharen Gardens
500 yards west of Londesboro
on Londesboro Rd. #16
Open dawn to dusk Monday - Saturday
523-9781
THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MAY 9, 2001. PAGE 19.
Home & Garden 2001
Ecological lawn care matter of common sense
By Edith Smeesters
Many residential lawns look terri-
ble during the summer heat and need
to be permanently sustained with a
whole range of chemicals. They have
a nasty tendency to yellow in sum-
mer. and dandelions and many other
weeds easily invade them. What can
he done?
In fact, most of these lawns suffer.
mostly from malnutrition and com-
paction. Add to this acid rain and a
particularly dry summer, and the
lone survivors will be the dandelions
or other tough weeds that can toler-
ate such conditions.
The ecological management of a
lawn is mainly a matter of common
sense: the problems need to be dealt
with at the source and the laws of
nature need to be respected in order
to avoid having to engage in a con-
stant battle. After that,. everything is
simple.
Imagine in individual suffering
from a chronic backache who would
treat it with aspirins, but who does .
not modify his lifestyle at all. Such a
treatment would be repetitive, to say
the least, and would not deal with the
cause of the problem.
Yet, this is what is done to many
lawns: they are laid. on poor dirt, cut
down to 5 cm and overfed with
chemicals, which will promote a
superficial root system and • attract
parasites.
In order to obtain a beautiful lawn.
without using chemicals, this is what
is needed:
A well prepared soil.
It is essential to start with a good
soil so -that the turf grass develops a
deep root system_ and can prosper
Continued from page 18
p.m.
In Blyth, the tour stops at the com-
munity Myth Greenway Project, Jan
and Brock Vodden's diverse and
-colourful gardens, that attract many
birds and insects, and Betty Battye's
backyard, full of perennial plants and
flowers.
Traveling westward to Goderich,
four places are featured on the tour.
The fragrant gardens at Klaus and
Rhea Seeger's home in West
Wawanosh cover two acres. Frank
and Sandy McDonald's restoration of
natural area gardens along Lake
Huron is also highlighted, as is
Barbara Hawkins' yard full of gar-
dens in Goderich, and Linda
Easton's gardens of ground covers,
flowers and shrubs, also in Goderich.
Along Hwy. 8 to Clinton there are
two stops, one at Rick and Ramona
Humphreys' ponds and gardens near
Holmesville, the other at the parent-
teacher created gardens at the
Holmesville Public School.
Continuing into Clinton. garden
tourists will want to stop at the gar-
dens of Ben and Marilyn Swartz's.
the new flower beds at Dick and Eva
Roorda's bed and breakfast, and the
country gardens of Edna Cantelon's
on the road to Bayfield.
And finally tourists won't want to
miss the gardens at Susan and Keith
Hay's farm in Hullett Twp., which
include a water garden.
The tour is free and is hosted by
the Huron Stewardship Council. For
more information or a map of the
sites contact Steve Bowers at 519-
482-3661 or Susanhlay at 519-482-
5068.
over many years. Therefore, it is nec-
essary to know your soil and how it
can be improved, if necessary.
Before the turf can be laid, the soil
will have to be loosened to a depth of
15 to 20 cm, it should ttlitain organ-
ic matters and the minerals essential
to a good growth. Have the soil test-
ed (at a garden centre) before
installing the turf and follow the rec-
ommendations given by someone
who has had training in horticulture.
If the turf is already established. you
can improve its condition little by lit-
tle by spreading a fine layer of com-
post on the surface, every year. in the
spring and in the fall.
The appropriate type of seed for
the location.
Most lawns consist of plants that
love the sun (bluegrass, ryegrass) but
that also need a good shower. on a
regular basis. If you have shady
spots. sow types that tolerate shade
better (fescue). There are also types
that tolerate drought better (clover,
fescue) and can withstand treading
better (tall fescue, ryegrass). It' the
conditions are too severe for the
lawn, consider installing a ground
cover. There is a wide choice avail-
able for shady areas (periwinkle,
pachysandra. ajuga, etc.) as well as
for areas exposed to full sunlight
(trefoil, creeping thyme, wild thyme.
`creeping juniper. etc.)
Adequate maintenance.
Some -regular or seasonal care will
keep your lawn dense and neat. The
most important one is the mowing:
by mowing your lawn at a height of
8 cm (3 inches) it will be much more
'resistant to drought and you will
eliminate a great number of weeds.
PAINTING TIPS
• It's in the can...never judge a-
paint colour by what's in the can or
the wet paint on the lid. Paint always
drys to a darker colour than when it
is wet.
.• Back away from the wall...don't
hold a- small paint chip against the
wall to be painted because the colour
behind the chip influences its
appearance..
• Now you see it, now you don't
. to make an object such as an
unsightly air vent disappear paint it
the same or similar colour as the
wall or ceiling behind it. To make an
object such as crown molding stand
out paint it in a contrasting colour to
the surface against which it is
placed.
• A Step Up....if you are fearful of
applying a colour that might be too
dark overall then select the same
colour one shade above or higher. on
the sample chip strip. This way you
will maintain the depth of colour, but
without as much intensity.
• Grey Expectations - to create a
more subdued or sophisticated
colour tone, select a colour that is
more gray-based or toned with
black. This helps to lower the bright-,
ness of the colour, so that it feels
more subtle but doesn't lack depth.
• Patience for paint before you
rush to a conclusion about the paint
colour yOu have applied to the wall.
remember that latex paint can take
anywhere from' l4 to 28 days to fully
cure. Only at this point will you real-
ly know the true paint colour and
sheen.
- News Canada
since they will not be able to germi-
nate in the shade of tall grass. Leave
the cut grass on the ground; this will
favour decomposing organisms that
aerate your lawn, and it will also
replace part of the fertilizers.
Soil. aeration is another very
important point because our lawns
are subjected to intense treading.
Once a year, rent a mechanical aera-
tor to aerate your lawn. However, a
manual tool can also do the trick for
a small yard.
Then, check the pH of your soil: it
should nornially be between 6 and 7
(a 'soil pH analysis will cost you
about $5 at most garden centres). If
the pH is too low, all that is needed is
a little lime that can be added by fol-
lowing the instructions provided on
the bag.
Finally, use 100 per cent natural
fertilizers that will give density to
your lawn. Natural fertilizers are a
little bit more expensive than the
chemical ones, but on the other hand
only one yearly application is
required because they are not soluble
(and they do not pollute the water-
ways either). Furthermore, you can
lessen the quantity indicated on the
bag by 30 per cent if you leave the
cuttings on the ground. If you used
compost, you can still decrease the
quantity by another 30 per cent and,
if you have clover... take a good look
at your lawn and see if you really
need fertilizers at all!
Accept diversity as an integral
part of a healthy environment.
A lawn is not an artificial carpet. It is
an area that is alive and which con-
tains a lot of harmless, or even very
useful. organisms. These may be
.plants. insects or earthworms. Be tol-
erant towards nature. Add clover
when you reseed your lawn in the
spring; it will give your lawn a new
"look" and will, make other large-
leafed plants much more acceptable!
Understand that infestations are
not symptoms of an underlying
problem.
It is not advisable to apply pesti-
cides (even natural ones) in a repeti-
tive manner to solve an infestation
problem. It is better to correct it at
the source, even if it means replacing
the whole lawn with a landscaping
design that is more appropriate to the
conditions. The best weapons against
infestations are prevention, a good
maintenance program and a diversi-
fied environment, where the compe-
tition among the different organisms
prevents anyone of them from taking
over.
Blyth homes, trail
featured on tour