The Huron Expositor, 1997-04-16, Page 29Turn garden trash into an
asset by recycling nature
A .good garden pro dures arm-
loads of cucumbers, Southern
peas, oixn and piles of debris,
such is corn stalks, pea vines and
spent cucumber plants.
"Don't bemaan the presence of
this trash. Tum it into an asset by
recycling it nature's way," said .a
gardening specialist.
"What does nature . do with
spent organic material in the
fall''" he asks "Consider leaves.
for example. Nature spreads them
over the soil in a thin layer. where
they reduce erosion. retain mois-
ture and improve the soil as they
decay. You can do the came," he
said.
Just spread spent plants over the
. garden soil as a mulch. The-
.mulch
he.mulch will retain -moisture, recluee
- weed growth and improve soil
siructere. organic content and
- nutrient level as the material
decays.
"You can also/lye nature a hi-
de assistance to derive even more
benefit.," the expert said. "For
example, small pieces of organic
material decay faster than latae
pieces. Take advantage of this by
chopping .cornstalks and vines
into six-inch pieces before using
them as -mulch."
Short , pieces of cornstalks will
also be easier to work with than
the entire plant.
ORGANIC'MATERJAL
Secondly, organic material will
decay much faster when mixed
into the soil than when left on the
surface, the gardening specialist
said.
"1f you're trying to build soil
'quickly, then turn organic matter
under." he said. "Do this at least
six weeks before planting sty
decay will occur before planung.-
Scut can enhance enjoyment
The sweet smell of -spring in the
garden can be enhanced with the
addition of a variety of flowers.
Scent is not usually the first qual-
ity people think of in choosing
plants for their gardens but it. can
add a great deal of enjoyment for
the whole family.
For years, flower growers.
hybridizers and -the home garden
er seemed to forget this .special
attribute of so many flowers and
shrubs-. Cross -breeding and selec-
tion for a long time has favoured
the development of flower proper-
ties such as die richness of bloom.-
the
loom:the duration of flowering and
resistance to certain diseases.
Happily, that is starting to change
and floral perfume is making a
comeback.
The flower. most strongly asso-
ciated with scent is probably the
rose, but a • variety. of other plants
offer lovely fragrances, too, such
as lilac, honeysuckle and laven-
der. Many perennials, annuals and
biennials also have pleasing
odors. It's .a little-known fact that
some bulb flowers: too, aresweet-
lyperfumed.
There are scented flowers
among both the spring and sum-
mer -blooming varieties of bulbs.
Hyacinths are probably the most
highly scented of. the spring -flow-
ering bulbs. All cultivars, of all
Colors. share this characteristic.
As is often true generally with
scented flowers, the .fragrance is
strongest when the temperature is.
high. . - -
Among the Narcissus the
-strongest scented undoubtedly ate
the "Paperwhites". Unfortunately,
it is not hardy and ,can only be
enjoyed as a potted -plant indoors.
However, in the garden. well-
known jonquils — such .as
'Cheerfulness(creamy-white).
'Yellow Cheerfulness' (soft yel-
low), 'Cragford' (white perianth
- and orange cup) and 'Geranium'
(also whitcand orangehut flower-
ing a bit later in the season) — are
no less fragrant than their tender
cousins. The miniature species
'Suzy'. a yellow_ and white jon-
quil, is worthy of attention, not the
least because of its fragrance:
The surprise is the scented Col-
lection. for many people. is the
Turn to page 14
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