The CIVIC GARDEN CENTRE Garden Topics
MESSAGE TO MEMBERS
by Gordon D. Wick, Exec. Dir.
C.G.C. s building is just bustling with horticultural events during May and June. We are pleased to host the 1st Ontario Rock Garden Society Show on May 5th from 2 to 4 p.m. This will be an exhibit only show (no competitive judging) and the public is welcome to come out and see some of the treasures grown by members of this thriving new group. Admission - free.
Again this spring the Canadian Rhodendron Soc. (Tor. Region) are holding their Azalea Festival in Edwards Gardens and the C.G.C. facilities will be used for their Plant Sale an excellent source of high quality azaleas and rhodos suited to our Toronto area environment. Funds raised are utilized in developing and maintaining the plant collection in Edwards Gardens.
May 11 and 12th will see all three halls turned over to the Southern Ontario Orchid Society for what has become one of our highlight shows of the year. For a $2.00 admission fee you will be able to see hundreds of examples of this enormous plant family, beauti-
fully staged and all clearly identified. Excellent educational displays are prepared to help the novice understand the basis of growing this outstanding plant family.
The Civic Garden Centre s own Spring Plant Sale will be held on May 15, 16, 18, 19 with a changeover day allowed on Friday to switch locations from the floral hall to the garden auditorium. If you can volunteer some time please call Dorothy Whiteman at 445-1552.
On the 26th of May the Floral Hall will be the site of another outstanding show and sale by the Toronto African Violet Society 10 am - 5 pm. Adm.$1.
Our members program for May will examine the common problems encountered by gardeners as they attempt a garden Restoration project.
The slide presentation, entitled * Did the Grange have a Rose Garden? will be presented by noted researcher and lecturer Pleasance Crawford.
While we realize this is a busy time period for working in your garden, I would recommend taking an evening out to enjoy the company of your fellow gardeners.
S R
The CIVIC GARDEN CENTRE SPRING PLANT SALES
Pre-Orders - Wednesday, May 15, 1985 -1 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Public Sale - Thurs. May 16 - 1 to 8 pm & Sat. & Sun. May 18,19 - 10 am to 5 pm
The Trellis Shop
With outdoor gardening underway, we turn our attention to the bulbs, corms and tubers that add so much to the summer bloom season. We have a good range of types to choose from.
Spraying of lawns and fruit trees is an important function in maintaining a pest free garden. We have the Dial-ASpray hose-end sprayer which is a great improvement over previous types in that the chemicals are diluted and blended automatically. You use full strength liquid concentrates in the container and can safely retain the unused concentrate. This safeguards against premixing too much chemical and then having to dispose of the remainder.
As you are cleaning up your yard you may have noticed the undesirable growth of moss and algae in shady areas; on lawns, on the roof of your garden shed or on garage and house roofs. Mosses and algae can make patios and walkways very slippery and unsightly. Safer s have a product just made for this problem called Safer s De-Moss for Lawns or Safer s De-Moss Cryptocidal soap. It will eliminate moss, algae and lichens with just one or two applications.
In speaking with the gardeners who grew up in Britain, the fertilizer Phostrogen is often mentioned as a favorite. If you would like to try Phostrogen (9-9-26) we have obtained a supply of 73 g. packages, retailing at $1.99. This allows you to try the product without having to invest in a large container.
Those who enjoy working in allotment gardens often find transporting a full set of tools difficult but we now have stock of a scaled-down set, just right
for the job. Called Veg-A-Tools, at 42 long, these tools are available in 4 types cultivator, rake, hoe and shovel at just $4.99 ea.
While you are planning your vegetable garden you can save considerable space by using T MATO Baskets - preformed wire cages which hold the vines and fruit off the ground avoiding crop damage as well as providing good air circulation and easy harvesting without individual staking of branches.
During May we will be open extended weekend hours to serve your gardening needs.
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sat. & Sun. weekdays 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Except during major gardening events, normal Spring Hours will then take effect for June Weekdays 9:30 to 5 and 12 noon to 5 pm on Sat and Sun. until Canada Day when Summer Hours of 12 noon to 5 pm will apply 7 days a week until Labour Day.
Pine Ridge Nurseries
Home ofall yourgardeningneeds SPECIALIZING in:
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The CIVIC GARDEN CENTRE
1985 PROGRAMME SCHEDULE
Gesneriad Society meeting 2 - 4 p.m. Preparing for the Show
S. Ontario Orchid Society meeting 1 - 5 p.m. Dr. Naqui and Margaret Baird on Catasetum - species, hybridization and culture
5 Ont. Rock Garden Society SHOW 2 - 4 p.m. Free admission - Plant Sale
6 Rhododendron Society SALE 7:30 p.m.
T Mens Garden Club meeting 8 p.m.
T Vegetable Gardening - 3 week course starts at 7:30 p.m. - How to grow maximum crops in small spaces
8 Garden Therapy group meeting 12:30 p.m. for handicapped people
8 Ikebana International meeting 7 - 9:30 p.m.
9 Canadian Chrysanthemum and Dahlia Society PLANT SALE - 6:30 pm
11,12 S. ONTARIO ORCHID SOCIETY SHOW - Admission $2.00 Saturday time 12 noon to 6 p.m. and Sunday 9 am - 5 pm
13 Toronto Bonsai Society meeting 7 p.m. - styling demonstration and workshop
14 North Toronto Horticultural Society meeting 8:00 p.m. - speaker Frank Kershaw on Native Plants and Ferns
15 PLANT SALE - CIVIC GARDEN CENTRE - Advance Orders Pick-up ONLY from 1 -8 p.m.
16 PLANT SALE - OPEN TO PUBLIC 1 -8 p.m. 1889 7 7 i both days from 10 am - 5 pm
16 Basic Flower Arranging - 5 week course starts at 9:45 am, 1:30 or 8 pm
May 22 MEMBERS NIGHT -at 7:30 p.m. Subject of Pleasance Crawford s talk Did the Grange have a Rose Garden? Common problems in Garden Restoration
23 Canadian Chrysanthemum and Dahlia Society meeting 8 p.m.
26 Toronto African Violet SHOW & SALE 10 am -5 pm Adm. $1.00
27 Pests and Diseases - 4 week course starts at 7:30 p.m.
28 Blood Donor Clinic 2 -4 pm and 5:30 - 8:15 pm
29 Hobby Greenhouse meeting 8 p.m.
June 2 Tor. Cactus & Succulent
Tor. Bonsai SHOW 11 a.m. -4 p.m.
User Group Meeting 7 p.m.
New Trends in Flower Arranging - one-day workshop to learn the newest techniques for people working for flower shows 10 am - 3 pm
Mens Garden Club meeting 8 p.m.
Green Thumbs (Junior Garden Club) 9:30 am to noon
Toronto Gesneriad Society meeting 2 - 4 p.m.
S. Ontario Orchid Society meeting 1 - 5 p.m.
Toronto Bonsai Society meeting 7 p.m.
North Toronto Horticultural Soc. meeting 8:00 p.m.
Garden Therapy group meeting 12:30 pm for handicapped people
Nature s Gifts - 3 week course at 7:30 pm - wild plants & cultivated as unusual food, beverages, dyes, medicine, crafts, pioneer uses, repellants
18,19,20 Milne House Garden Club SHOW - Theme - The Wizard of Oz
Canadian Chrysanthemum and Dahlia Society meeting 8 p.m.
COMING
EVENTS AT THE CIVIC GARDEN CENTRE
Art at the Centre
In the Link Gallery:
Apr. 25 - May 9 - Dorothy Steer oils, watercolours, acrylics, landscapes
May 13 - May 28 - Lila Patten watercolours, oils, landscapes and florals
May 29 - June 16 - Johanna Van Kempen watercolours, oils, landscapes
COURSES STARTING sooJN
May 17 - Vegetables - 3 week course at 7:30 p.m.
May 16 - Basic Flower Arranging 5 week course at 9:45 am 1:30 pm & 8:00 pm
May 27 - Pests and Diseases - 4 week course at 7:30 p.m.
June 4 - New Trends in Flower Arranging - one-day workshop 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
General Information
Volume 12, No. 4 ISSN 0380-1470
Editor: Gordon D. Wick, Exec. Dir. Assistant Editor: Grace Tughan
Advertising Inform. (416) 445-1552
Trellis is published ten times per year as a member s newsletter, by the Civic Garden Centre, 777 Lawrence Ave. East, Don Mills, Ontario M3C 1P2 Telephone (416)445-1552
The Centre is located in Edwards Gardens, at Leslie St. and Lawrence Avenue East, at the geographical centre of Metropolitan Toronto. It is a non-profit, volunteer based, gardening and floral arts information organization with open membership. Opinions expressed within do not necessarily reflect those of the Centre.
For all your gardening needs ...all year round.
Printed by Munns Press Ltd., Whitby, Ont.
* Yeallana Culen
NURSERY GARDEN CENTRES
LIBRARY NOTES
It has been decided to increase the fines on overdue books. Starting on May 15th fines will be 10 cents per day per book, with a maximum of $4.00 per book.
Summer loan will start on June 15th, when all books taken out over the summer will have the due date of Saturday, September 7th.
I am pleased to welcome back Wendy Hillier, who will be working with me during the summer months.
Pamela MacKenzie Librarian
JUST PERENNIALS GARDENS BY
KAY
OLD GARDENS REVIVED
NEW GARDENS DESIGNED AND PLANTED
COLOUR PLAN WITH BLOOMING TIMES
OVER 10 YEARS EXPERIENCE WITH PERENNIALS
ROCK & ALPINE
SHADE & WILDFLOWER......
SMALL OR LARGE PERENNIAL GARDENS
IF INTERESTED, PLEASE CALL 769 2681
You are invited to join us for the following Civic Garden Centre Members Program Meeting
PLEASANCE CRAWFORD
will give a talk on
DID THE GRANGE HAVE A ROSE GARDEN?
Common Problems in Garden Restoration
7:30 p.m. WEDNESDAY M ay Z z in the AUDITORIUM
Book Review
by Androsace
Henry Correvon, Rock Garden and Alpine Plants
Macmillan, New York, 1930
This classic - recently acquired by the library - is like many classics in that only part of the work now speaks to us with force. A large part - the listing of plants - of this book has now been superseded (Mansfield, Ingwersen, Kalaga, Foster). Nomenclature has frequently changed, the directions for cultivation are sometimes suspect, and some entries are simply wrong (Draba dedeana is white-flowered, not yellow; Aquilegia flabellata is blue, not white, though there is said to be a white form of the beautiful blue-and-white 4. f. nana. (Experts could doubtless find other examples of inaccuracy).
But the first 80 or so pages are pure joy; a mixture of reminiscence, exhortation, and advice by one of the most famous of alpine gardeners.
We went to see the Reverend Wolley Dod at Malpas; Canon Ellacombe at Bitton (Ellacombe s In a Gloucestershire Garden has recently been republished with an introduction by Rosemary Verey who will be speaking at the Centre in November 1985); H.T. Elwes (of Galanthus elwesii fame) at Colsbourne...Sir Joseph Hooker at Kew; Correvon writes in describing his first visit to England in 1885.
Later, he lectured in 36 towns in the United States where he met a warm and sympathetic reception from the ladies who were at the head of the local Garden Club. He scolds American officialdom for the difficulties it places in the way of importing plants (a familiar complaint!) but writes feelingly of American gardeners and the debut of serious rock gardening in that country.
cont. p. 15
GARDENING NOTEBOOK
by Ruta Stancikas
MAY
May.....one of my favourite months of the year! The tulips are up, lilacs come into bloom filling the air with their delightful scent and lily-of-thevalley, with their tiny bell-like flowers make perfect little scented bouquets for indoors.
This is also a very busy month in the garden peak planting time. Start the month by digging and fertilizing beds, readying them for the annuals soon to come. Container and window box soil should be prepared now as well.
This is the month to start hardeningoff seedlings preparing them to battle the outdoor elements! This is done by exposing them gradually to the conditions they will have to face when moved out permanently. Midmonth, move them outside (begin in partial shade) for a few hours during the day and gradually increase the length of time they go out.
GARDEN FLOWERS
Bulbs should be fertilized with bulb fertilizer before or during the bloom:ing period. Once tulip flowers have faded, remove their seed heads and petals, leaving the leaves and stems. This will allow the bulbs to takein the necessary maximum nourishment. Removing all petals will reduce the chance of virus spreading among the bulbs.
Remember to deadhead violas and
Weather-permitting, sweet pea and nasturtium seeds can be sown directly in the ground by the middle of the month. At this time, annuals start to appear in nurseries and garden centres and this is the time to select the best choices. The biggest losses of bedding plants result from planting too early, so don t get into a panic to set out your new purchases. If the weather is uncertain then wait until it has settled. You can keep your plants in a sheltered spot, lightly covering at night until planting time, beginning of June. Sun loving annuals to consider include ageratum, sweet alyssum, portulaca, salvia, zinnias, petunias and snapdragons.
The hardier of these annuals - petunias and snaps - can be planted the second last week of the month. These two, probably the most popular of summer annuals, will provide a riot of colour throughout the summer until late autumn. To get the most out of them, you must pick off dead blooms continuously to prevent needless energy spent on seed production.
Useful annuals to consider for the semi-shady to shady garden are wax or fibrous rooted begonias, browallia, coleus, impatiens and nicotiana. These are more tender plants and you should wait until the first week of June to set them out.
Dahlia tubers and gladiolus corms can be planted at the end of the month, provided the last frost has come and pansies planted last month. gone, cont. e ue S A @ d PE{)(EESIAL g5 ountry Oquires (Garden ,PLANT
Knowledgeable staff
Steeles Ave. W. (2 miles west of Highway 10) R.R. 10 Brampton L6V 3N2 Open 7 days a week from April 13 Oct. 19
Over 2000 different hardy plants, alpines, dwarf conifers and shrubs, Hardy ferns, vines, groundcovers and native wildflowers
Send $1. for a plant list by mail to above address
SHRUBS AND TREES
Shrubs showing signs of pests should be sprayed with malathion immediately. Repeat this treatment after two weeks. Any evergreen additions to your landscape should be planted this month to allow the spring rains help them settle in. Clip existing evergreens into shape and spray birches for leaf miner before leaves are fully out. Forsythia, lilacs and spiraea hedges should be trimmed after flowering to promote new growth and branching.
Prune rose bushes and feed with a prepared rose fertilizer. Spray or dust with a fungicide to control mildew and black spot. Tie up climbers.
VEGETABLES
The best radishes are those grown in the early cool spring weather. Start weekly plantings in the middle of May. Remember...they like rich, moist soil.
Garlic can be planted this month. It likes a well-drained, sandy loam with an abundance of organic matter.
LAWNS
Lawns should be sprayed early in the month to prevent crabgrass. Many lawn-owners make the mistake of cutting their grass too early in the season. Give it a chance to get established in the spring and wait until it s 3 high before its first cut.
INDOOR PLANTS
The summer sun is getting stronger by the day and windowsill plants, particularly those with a southern exposure face the danger of scorched leaves and dried out soil. Pull a sheer curtain across the window during the hottest time of the day or move the plants away from the window.
GENERAL
The last week of the month start using slug pellets around planted annuals. Slugs are particularly fond of meals such as petunias, coleus and marigolds and unless dealt with in their early stages, will cause considerable damage.
The success of your garden will depend on your common sense. Careful attention given to watering, weeding, mulching, fertilizing and pests will result in a garden you can truly be proud of.
Remember...you don t need a green thumb for success!
Ruta Stancikas is a Toronto journalist.
Visit our
Trellis Garden, Gift and Book Shop Toronto area s best source for BOOKS ON GARDENING
Over 900 Titles in stock
WONDERLAND OF BULBS
Send $1.00 for our new catalogues, refundable on first order.
The multitude of rare and interesting bulbs listed, over 700 varieties, many difficult to obtain elsewhere, will prove to be a revelation. By far the most complete bulb catalogue in Canada.
C. A. CRUICKSHANK LTD.
Since 1925
Canada' s Leading Bulb Specialists
1015 Mount Pleasant Road Toronto M4P 2M1 488-8292
1984 C. G. C. DONATIONS
We wish to acknowledge those donors whose support during 1984 enabled us to carry out current programs and set aside funds for future improvements and program development.
Supporting Members
Aylesworth Thompson, James Craig, W. E. Curry, Agnes M. Gray, Shirley Irvine, Bob Lyle.
Contributing Members
Barbara Bateman, J.D. Bodley, Aileen Hanger, G.M. Horne, Mae MacMillan, Grant Ross, Virginia Sawyer, Edith M. Taylor, Doreen Wadge, Marjorie Wilton.
Milne House Garden Club FLOWER SHOW
Theme The Wizard of Oz
The ladies of Milne House Garden Club hope you will circle these dates JUNE 18, 19 & 20th on your calendar as a reminder to attend their Annual SUMMER FLOWER SHOW to be held at the Civic Garden Centre, Edwards Gardens.
This year s theme The Wizard of 0z promises to arouse memories of
The Good Witch!
The Bad Witch!
The Tin Man
The Scarecrow
The Friendly Lion as well as Dorothy and Toto.
All are the whimsical characters we remember in the 1940 s movie production, by the same name.
Bus tours are encouraged.
Admission $2.50 Tickets may be obtained at CGC Gift Shop or from Milne House Garden Club members.
For general information, write Milne House Garden Club, % Civic Garden Centre, 777 Lawrence Ave. East, Don Mills, Ontario M3C 1P2 (envelope marked Wizard of 0z)
Sustaining Members
Phone - Emmaleen Baker - 445-4587 or -Joan Creighton - 832-1101
Gordon Bishop, Muriel Flagler, David Hamilton, Peter Hand, M. Pamela Kelly, Allan Magda, Mark Orkin, Konrad Radacy, G.David Scott.
We further acknowledge the generous donation by the following members: M. Alexander, Hiles Carter, J.S.Cauley, Beverley Dalziel, I. Dziedzie, Mabel Geary, Marguerite Hall, D.C. Higginbotham, Evelyn Hoffman, S.N. Huang, W. L. Jenkins, H. W. Kinread, D. McCooeye, John McCulloch, Yoshi Oikawa, Gillian E. Pocock, Stuart Roberts, M.C. Stafford, Mary Anne Streak, J.C. Thomson, Sybil Wells, W. A. Young.
Organizations and Foundations
The Milne House Garden Club gave $6000 towards upgrading of the Garden Auditorium. Dunington Grubb Foundation gave $45,000 towards the renovation work in the Floral Hall and the Garden Club of Toronto gave $1000 for the alterations to the floral boxes at the rear of the Floral Hall.
Edwards Charitable Foundation gave $2589 for the Memorial lecture program and the Garfield Weston Foundation gave $8000 to fund a new outreach display purchased in 1985.
A committee of the Garden Club of Toronto, operating the Winter Bouquet Workshop, raised $5000 and the CGC s Cornucopia committee including the Greens & Sparkle group raised $7,295.
Our thanks go out to all donors and volunteers who help raise funds.
Lecture and slide presentation available e Dwarf Evergreens e ® [Heathers @Japanese Maples @ ® Rhododendrons ®
(416) 562-4836
P.O. Box 98 ® Martin Road Vineland Station, Ont.
THE CIVIC GARDEN CENTRE
SUMMARIZED FINANCIAL INFORMATION FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 1984 AND 1983
REVENUE 1984
Grubb - Floral Hall Renovations
Accumulated Excess of Revenue over Expenses
1983 $ 23,285 82,463 19,361 6,454 25,269 (2,955) 160,877 76,312 11,590 17,775 7,474 24,989 20,935 17,016 176,091 $ (15,214) $ 115,407 31,603 (15,214) $ 131,796 $ 131,957 5,303 36,299 2,244 2 22,151 10,239 6,178 5,441 44,009 $ 131,796 The above statement presents a summarized report for the members convenience any member wishing to examine the full audited financial report may ask to see a copy at the administrative office during normal administrative hours.
THE EUROPEAN EARWIG
An over-rated Nuisance
by Rick Wukasch Pest Diagnostic & Advisory Clinic, University of Guelph
One of the most frequent home garden inquiries that are received at the Pest Diagnostic and Advisory Clinic, at the University of Guelph, regards the identity and control of the European earwig. These peculiar critters are often plentiful among vegetables and ornamentals, and even in fruit trees, and are particularly a nuisance when found indoors.
Earwigs are reddish-brown slim-bodied tan-legged insects which are 16 20mm long at maturity, and are easily recognized by two forceps (pinchers) on their hind end. Female earwigs are smaller and have relatively straight forceps compared to the males whose larger forceps are curved like a sickle. Active only at night, earwigs hide during daytime in dark, moist locations, in cracks and crevices and under objects and debris outdoors. Adults are winged under small rectangular covers on their backs, but seldom fly.
Although there are earwigs native to North America, they occur in more hospitable climates than Ontario. However, the European earwig, first reported in Eastern Canada in 1938, thoroughly enjoys the diversity of Ontario weather. The 1940 s saw this established in many locations in Ontario, including larger cities as well as small towns like Marmora, Hanover, & Drayton. With few natural enemies, this introduced earwig multiplied and spread primarily by man s activities, especially to cottage-towns. Today there are few places in Southern Ontario which do not have a resident population of earwigs.
The name earwig comes from an old Anglo-Saxon word, earwicga , or ear creature, derived from a once popular notion that earwigs crawled into
people s ears at night. Fortunately this is merely superstition and these shy critters are harmless to people. Their forceps are too weak to break the skin even if one is pinched while haplessly sitting on an earwig.
The main problem with earwigs is their habit of hiding, in things which we bring indoors or use outdoors, and then emerging when disturbed. Such things as lawn furniture, barbecues, appliances, wood piles, patio stone, ground cover and mulch, foundation plantings, etc. are all ideal spots for an earwig to hide in. Because they readily feed on pollen, earwigs are often lurking in flowers, and are carried into the home on roses, peonies, and other cut flowers.
Having chewing mouthparts, earwigs are primarily scavengers and plant feeders, but will also eat soft-bodied insects and other invertebrates. They are fond of seedlings, and eat ragged holes in foliage and flowers of aster, dahlia, carnation, chrysanthemum, marigold, roses and zinnia, as well as spinach, lettuce, chard, beets, beans, carrots, celery, corn and potato. Feeding injury resembles that caused by slugs, however, earwigs do not leave the glistening slime trail which is telltale of slugs and snails. Fortunately, the sheer numbers of earwigs is far more alarming than the actual damage they cause.
Predominantly female earwigs survive Ontario winters in small cells under objects or 3 cm below the soil surface approximately 7 months without consuming food! Usually the female lays up to 60 round, white eggs in winter and early spring, which hatch into primative versions of the adults.
A. Adult female earwig.
B.and C.
Forceps of small and large males. These youngsters are tended by the mother within the brood chamber for about two weeks, and then leave the nest in search of food. They shed their skins , molting 4 times while growing to maturity in 68 or more days. Each earwig may live about one year.
To control earwigs is a difficult job at the best of times. They are seldom exposed to direct contact by pesticides, and often re-infest a treated area from adjacent property. It is unreasonable to treat entire communities for such a nuisance-type pest. Thus, a containment approach, and learning to live with these critters are, in my opinion, the preferred control methods.
Firstly, remove habitats in your property which harbour earwigs, such as unnecessary plant debris, wood piles, etc. especially near buildings. Overgrown foundation plantings near the doors of homes are ideal habitats for earwigs, and often are associated with their wanderings indoors.
Change your gardening practises which encourage earwigs. Excessive use of overhead irrigation and mulch, excessive shade, and untended compost piles provide the damp, cool environment in which earwigs thrive. Because earwigs are quite sensitive to dessication, keep the garden as dry as possible, irrigating in the morning under the rows of plants. Thin out overhead vegetation, allowing sufficient air drainage and light penetration. Turn compost piles regularly to allow sufficient temperature build-up so as to discourage pests, or bury decaying plant material regularly.
Winterize and seal the home to deny access to wandering earwigs. Good weather-stripping, caulking, tight windows and doors, etc. will reduce your fuel bills as well as keeping the livestock out.
An ingenious trap will reduce numbers of earwigs when used repeatedly during the summer months. Take two boards, and cut shallow, sawbladewidth (3/16 inch (0.5 cm) wide) grooves at equal intervals on one side. Match the grooves on each board to create small tunnels, holding the boards together with elastics. Set these out at dusk in areas where earwigs are a problem, shaking out those captured into a pail of soapy water the next morning.
If insecticides must be used, avoid wholesale broadcast spraying of the entire garden and grounds. Concentrate your efforts where earwigs are abundant, or in a band around the perimeter of the foundation, around door frames and window sills, especially in cracks and crevices where earwigs may lurk.
In vegetable gardens, carbaryl may be used as a spray, dust, or bait to protect plants. In ornamental plantings, carbaryl as well as chlorpyrifos, diazinon, and insecticidal soap may be used. cont.
The latter is perhaps the least toxic pesticide, but has the least residual activity, Be cautious not to injure vegetation with insecticides used to control the pest read the label carefully. Apply these materials at dusk, in anticipation of dry weather, & during June & early July for best results.
Inspect and shake out all earwigs from cut flowers, tubular lawn furniture, toys, plants, etc. before bringing them indoors. Manual crushing, the vacuum cleaner, or pyrethrum based aerosol insecticide will deal with offenders who accidentally enter the home.
Earwig numbers may fluctuate from year to year. Hot, dry weather naturally claims some due to dessication. Prolonged wet spring weather will cause high mortality among young earwigs in nests in flooded soil.
Parasitic flies have been released in Canada in efforts to increase the natural enemies preying upon earwigs.
Only low levels of parasitism have been reported, and more work is necessary in the biological control of the European earwig. Until such time, however, we will see more of these critters in more locations. We might as well get used to them just like the mosquitoes, black flies, and other insects which characterize the great outdoors in Ontario. For them, Ontario is another great place to discover.
Identification of pests and advice on their control is available from the Pest Diagnostic and Advisory Clinic, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, N1G 2W1. For a nominal fee, samples of unhealthy plants, lawns, weeds, or insects can be diagnosed or identified. Complete background information about the sample, as well as a representative, fresh specimen are required for accurate diagnosis. Further information on how to send specimens is available from the Clinic.
Where Great Gardens
At your closest Sheridan Garden Centre you will find the finest selection of nur- sery stock in Canada, including more than 750 varieties of plants and trees grown on Sheridan's own farms.
MISSISSAUGA NORTH-CENTRAL
Begin. And Sheridan's nursery stock is guaranteed for one full year.
At Sheridan Garden Centres you will also find qualified nursery- men who will be pleased to help you in any way they can.
AGINCOURT ETOBICOKE 606 Southdown Rd., 2827 Yonge St., 3444 Sheppard Ave. E, 700 Evans Ave., Mississauga L5) 2ya Toronto MAN 2)4 Toronto M1T 3K4 Etobicoke M9C 1A1 Tel. 822-0251 Tel. 481-6429 Tel. 293-2493 Tel. 621-9100
UNIONVILLE HAWA KITCHENER 4077 Hwy. 7, Unionville 847 King St. W, Oshawa 100 Elmsdale Road, Kitchener Tel. 728-9429 Tel. 743-4146 L3R 1L5 Tel. 477-2253
LANDSCAPEDEPARTMENT: Metropolitan Toronto, Markham, Mississauga and Oakville 822-7575.
COLOUR IN THE GARDEN
by David Tomlinson
Gertrude Jekyll, the well-known English lady gardener and author wrote, in the introduction to her book Colour Schemes In The Flower Garden published in 1908; I am strongly of the opinion that the possession of a quantity of plants, however good the plants may be themselves and however ample their numbers, does not make a garden, it only makes a collection .
She goes on to say that having acquired the plants, the great thing is to select them carefully with the definite intent of creating a series of beautiful pictures that will delight the eye and stimulate the mind. This she believed was the difference between common place gardening and gardening that might be rightly claimed to rank as a work of art.
Her views on the use of hardy plant material and the use of colour, together with those of William Robinson, who published in 1883 the classic book The English Flower Garden , revolutionized garden and planting design particularly in Great Britain and Scandinavia. Many of the finest gardens in Europe including, to name but a few, Vita Sackville West s Sissinghurst Castle and Lawrence Johnstone s Hidcote Manor in England, The Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen and Monet s garden at Giverny in France, were greatly influenced by their philosophy of planting design.
Although Miss Jekyll s book is the most well known of the two, William Robinson s book has a chapter on Colour in the Flower Garden which was written by Miss Jekyll. In this single chapter, she sums up precisely her theory on the massing and intergrouping of flowers for colour effect.
She advocates the use of colour harmony rather than contrast and suggests that the warm colours such as scarlet, crimson, pink, orange, yellow and warm whites should be grouped harmoniously together. She believed that purple and lilac flowers should be kept away from pink flowers and that these two colours are best contrasted against plants with silver or grey foliage, (I am not so sure I agree with her entirely here as I have had some very successful groups of lilac with both pink and red), where purple or lilac plants adjoin groups of warm colours then pale yellow or warm white should be used as a link. Blues also are best treated in a similar manner, and should be contrasted with warm whites and pale yellows, but contrast between blue and strong yellows should also be avoided. Blue, she also feels, looks well isolated amongst plants with rich dark foliage.
She goes on to say that a mixed border might begin with strong blues, both light and dark, grouped with white and pale yellow, passing to pink, rose, crimson and the strongest scarlet, leading orange and bright yellow. A pale yellow followed by white would then be used to distantly connect the warm colours with the lilacs and purples.
Although advocating controlled grouping she also believed that nature is such a good colourist and if we trust to her guidance and follow her example it is almost impossible to go wrong.
Unfortunately, Canadian gardens, with a very few exceptions, have not yet reflected this approach to planting design. This could be due to the fact that we do not appreciate the vast range of hardy plants which can be grown in our rather austere climate.
COLOUR IN THE GARDEN
I must admit, however, that I have noticed in recent years a marked increase in interest in growing more unusual hardy perennial plants and bulbs. This is reflected in the plants for sale in garden centres. Ten years ago it was almost impossible to purchase perennial plants except from a few specialist growers, but now most garden centres carry a good range of the more popular perennial plants, but the more unusual ones are still difficult to locate. I often find that the easiest way to acquire these, if they are species, is to grow them from seed.
I would strongly advise gardeners who have not yet tried hardy flowering plants to give them a try. By careful plant selection and the establishment of a regular maintainance regime it is possible to establish, in a comparably short period of time, a hardy flower garden which has many advantages over the garden which relies on ubiguitous box plants to provide the colour.
Perennials, combined with hardy annuals and bulbous plants, collectively have a far wider range of colours & a much longer flowering period than half hardy annuals. The flowers often have interesting forms and the textural effect of their foliage is frequently very attractive. Many are exceptionally good cut flowers, and because they are produced in profusion it is possible to cut several bunches of flowers each day without radically affecting the floral display. A major plus if one is interested in flower arranging.
One of the greatest advances in this day and age of financial restraint is that, once established, one has not got to purchase large numbers of expensive box plants each year to ensure a colourful display.
If you do decide to try some perennial plants, then I would strongly recommend that you read Miss Jekyll and Mr. Robinson s books and take their advice. From the start, plant with a view to grouping them for a long season of flowering succession; ideally there should be no bare earth from spring to fall, and always aim at producing a well balanced, interesting colour scheme.
I should point out that Miss Jekyll in her book also says that to plant and maintain a flower border, with a good colour scheme is by no means the easy thing that is commonly supposed . You will make mistakes; especially if you experiment (which is the secret of success), just as I have done in my attempts to achieve their aims but, as perennial plants are comparatively easy to remove and replant, mistakes are easily rectified.
The following books which have reference to the successful cultivation and arrangement of perennial plants are available to members from the C.G.C. library and can be purchased or ordered from the Trellis book shop.
Colour schemes for the Flower Garden Gertrude Jekyll, 1908 Reprinted 1983 Antique Collectors Club.
English Flower Garden, W. Robinson. 1883
A recent reprint is also available. cont. p. 15
Mini Rose Nursery
Collector of Miniature Roses For list and map Write Florence Gahagan
P.0O. Box 873, Guelph, Ont. NIH 6M6
COLOUR IN THE GARDEN
cont.
Perennial Garden Plants, Graham Stuart Thomas. 1976
This book is probably the finest modern book published on the culture and grouping of hardy plants and including many of the more unusual species and cultivars.
Perennials For Your Garden. Alan Bloom. 1974
A well illustrated book with coloured photographs of individual plants and plant groupings.
Canadian Garden Perennials.
A. R. Buckley, 1977
Hancock House, Agriculture Canada
An excellent guide to the selection and cultivation of perennial plants in Canada.
BOOK REVIEW
cont. from pg. 5
He had not at that time been to Canada (did he ever come?) but the rock garden of Mr. J. C. Morgan at Montreal is famed all over the world, and the collection of Mr. H. Norton at Ayers Cliff is of great interest. There are three photographs of Mr. Morgan s garden.
Perhaps, above all, I liked the hymn to the virtues of rock gardening that Correvon quotes from the Boston Annals of Clinical Medicine, 1962 : It seems to us to combine all the essential features of a perfect hobby; its satisfaction to the creative and enquiring mind, the pursuit of scientific knowledge, aesthetic appreciation, contact with the soil, physical exercise, life in the open, travel and literary appreciation. O Harrowsmith generation, are you listening?
&2 White Rose
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