Grow hundreds of dollars worth of great tasting vegetables with $6 worth of seed. The garden has 14 delicious vegetables carefully selected to give you the highest return for the least effort in the smallest space. It has Sugar Snap pea, Basketvee tomato, Kandy Korn, Butter King lettuce, Minilake head lettuce, Speculator green bean, Fordhook Giant Swiss chard, Ruby Queen beet, Red Boy radish, Touchon Deluxe carrot. Zucchini Select, Marketmore 76 cucumber, Waltham Butternut squash
Early Niagara Giant green pepper.
$8.50 Value only
Each order includes a complete instruction folder with ideas for weed prevention and grower's secrets S 0 for bigger harvests.Postpaid
Send Today For Your Penny-Pincher Vegetable Garden STOKES SEEDS 3140 Stokes Bldg. St. Catharines, Ont. L2R 6R6 ( ) Enclosed is $6 for my Penny- Pincher Garden.
() Rush My FREE Stokes Catalog to:
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SHARE SOME TIME!
Be a Civic Garden Centre Volunteer! We need help in several areas with several programmes at present and in the near future:
Library and Bookshop
Link exhibit supervision
Teen-age Garden Club Leader
Lettering, sign writing, display cards
Helpers are needed for the White Elephant Sale, March 20 and at the Spring Plant Sale, May 9, both on the days themselves and the days before (March 19 and May 8).
Ifyou can help us, and would like to do so, please call the office at 445-1552.
As always, we'll be looking for plants for the Spring Plant Sale. When you re starting your plants, please plant a few extra for the Centre.
...AND SOME GOODS!
Don t forget your ffs f
welcomed. We've set a roon for donations from March 1 take goods at any time, so please bear our needs in mind.
Plants can be brought to the back doors of the Floral Hall (at the east end of the building) on Thursday May 8, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. X 0
Sprlucweed
Selected Miniature Roses R
Send for 1980 catalogue to Box 255T, Port Credit P.O. y Mississauga, Ontario L5G 4L.8
March 1980
Volume 7, Number 2
In this issue
Cover photograph: Zinnia Peter Pan Flame Hybrid.
All-America Selections, Silver Medal 1980.
All-America Selections 1980 Award Winners/5
You can grow dwarffruit trees/8
Calendar ofevents/12
Startingseeds indoors/14
Now is the time/16
Colourful foliage plants/19
Publication Committee
James Floyd (Chairman), Jerry Maccabe, Mary Smith, William Stensson, Clive E. Goodwin
Editor: Fredrik Kirby
Aduvertising: Shirley Kirby (416) 226-0996
Graphics and Printing Drewmark Graphics, Toronto
General
Information
1ssn 03801470
Trellis is published in the months of January, March, May, July, September, and November and distributed on or about the 15th of the month previous by the Civic Garden Centre, 777 Lawrence Avenue East, Don Mills, Ontario M3C 1P2. Telephone: (416) 445-1552. The Centre is located in Edwards Gardens, at Leslie Street and Lawrence Avenue East, the geographical centre of Metropolitan Toronto. It is a non-profit gardening and floral arts information organization with open membership. Subscriptions to Trellis are only available through Centre membership (10 per year). Opinions expressed within do not necessarily reflect those of the Centre.
ied
You can enjoy all these benefits when you subscribe to TRELLIS horticulture and gardening magazine.
You become a member ofThe Civic Garden Centre. You will receive special members rates on all courses. You receive TRELLIS by mail every two months. It contains timely articles by outstanding authors; how-to-stories and seasonal suggestions; news of events and courses held at The Civic Garden Centre.
4. You may register for craftcourses,seespecialshows, hearqualified speakers.
5. You can borrow free from over4,000 gardening books.
6. You SAVE 10% on purchases over $2.00 at the Garden and Book Shops.
TO LEARN MORE CALL 445-1552 AND EXPRESS YOUR AREA OF INTEREST
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All-America Selections 1980 Award Winners
Judages at fifty-eight official All-America Selection trials in all corners of the USA and southern Canada grew, evaluated and chose these new award winners. Each is the best in its class, having surpassed the performance of the previously top-rated flowers and vegetables in sideby-side comparisons.
Zinnia
Peter Pan Flame Hybrid All-America Selections Silver Medal 1980 (COVER PHOTO)
Peter Pan Flame expands the Peter Pan line of low-growing, large flowered zinnias with a new crimson scarlet colour. Its slightly twisted petals fluff into fade-resistant blossoms of 21 to 33 inch diameter. Petals are scarlet, brushed with crimson at the base. Plants, usually 12 to 14 inches, will
AMERICA AWARD T
begin blooming when only 6 inches high and continue all summer. Seeds are large and sure-sprouting when planted in warm soil in full sun.
Peter Pan Flame will adapt to containers and planter boxes where dense compact plants display lots of colour with excess foliage. Zinnias benefit from light, regular applications of plant food and water.
Marigold
Dwarf French Janie
All-America Selections
Bronze Medal 1980
Janie , a diminutive golden-orange marigold, blooms earlier than any other marigold and retains its compact size all summer. Its 1-14 to 1-3; crested blossoms perch two to three inches above the low, rounded plants. Plants will reach a height of 6 to 8 inches in dry growing conditions; 8 to 10 inches in a cool, moist summer. The plants will thank you for pinching off old blossoms to make way for new colour.
Janie makes a smashing goldenorange border around beds; does well in pots, large containers or hanging baskets. This perky new French marigold grows quickly from seeds sown directly in sunny, warm garden soil.
Pepper
Ornamental Holiday Time
All-America Selections
Bronze Medal 1980
Holiday Time is the newest ornamental pepper, odd yet strikingly beautiful. Peppers like tiny gnome hats stick up above the small, dark green plants.
Plants can be massed into solid beds ofcolour or used to edge beds of taller annual flowers. Principal use will probably be as pot or container plants where you can watch the peppers change colours as they mature; first yellow, some with purple streaks, then orange and scarlet. Fruits are closely clustered and erect. About the size of one s thumb, the hot fruits are outrageously ornamental and edible as well. >
PRUNING SPECIALIST
All types of shrubs and trees properly pruned. Willing to barter services for used furniture, old tools, lumber, etc. Removals fully insured. Book now for tree work at winter rates.
Brian Sinclair 762-5828 anytime
e At the CGC Keith Squires is giving a course on Perennials for Ontario Gardens . Keith grows about 1600 varieties and imports rock garden plants and alpines from the mountains of the world.
Squash
Golden Zucchini, Gold Rush
Hybrid
All-America Selections
Bronze Medal 1980
Gold Rush is a bright golden yellow squash with the shape and taste of zucchini. It grows tender and crisp for use as raw finger food or cooked in your favourite dishes.
The plants are open; you can see and easily reach the highly visible golden fruit. Sun and wind can reach and dry the soil at the base of plants and reduce the rotting that damp soil can cause.
A small space will suffice for Gold Rush . Each plant will occupy only about four square feet but yield as many squash as the ordinary summer squash which has big, pushing plants.
Verbena
Sangria
All-America Selections
Bronze Medal 1980
Sangria verbena captures the warm colour of the red wine from Spain, Sangria. Plant Sangria where its spreading steams can pour over rocks or fill up sunny pockets in front of perennials, roses or shrubs. The low-growingplants with downy dark green leaves will dress up any flower bed when used as an edging. Summer blooming Sangria likes lots of sun, well-drained soil and an occasional watering during hot spells. >
Water Lilies Aquatic Plants
Goldfish Pumps and Fountains
Everything for the Water Garden
Free Catalog on request
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PORT STANLEY, ONT. NOL 2A0
Phone 519-782-4052
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Free brochures at many stores or from Fossil Flower, 463 Woodbine Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M4E 2H5
(416) 691-6029
You can grow dwarf fruit trees for beauty, fun andproduce
Part |
byA. Hiles Carter
Wouldn t you love to pick ripe and juicy peaches, pears and apples from your own fruit trees? But alas, most of us haven t the space needed for one full-sized (standard) fruit tree, to say nothing of two, three or more. Even if there is space available, who wants to wait 5, 10 or more years before these trees start to bear fruit?
These difficulties of space and time are eliminated when one grows dwarf fruit trees. While four full-sized (standard) trees need an area of about 80 feet x 80 feet in which to grow, you could plant forty dwarf apple trees in that space. If you have an area of 20 feet x 20 feet you could grow at least eight dwarftrees. In addition, two year old dwarf trees purchased from a nursery, frequently set fruit the year in which you plant them. I have seen a golden delicious dwarf tree produce 3 apples in its first summer in a garden.
Why Grow Dwarf Fruit Trees?
People who have started small home gardens of dwarf trees, point out the following advantages of dwarf fruit trees over standard trees:
1. They produce fruit in the first, second or third year after planting.
2. It is easy to prune, spray, or dust them, while standing on the ground.
3. The fruit is larger in size, has better quality, and is easily picked.
4. They can be transplanted at any age.
5. Owners can plant garden crops near or among them.
6. It is possible to have early, midseason and late crop fruit trees, all in the space that one big tree would need.
Surely there must be some disadvantages , you ask? Yes there are, such as:
(1) Exposure to direct sunlight is essential. Dwarf fruit trees won t grow in the shade.
(2) Dwarf trees need some artificial support, e.g. stakes at planting, and later too.
(3) They need to be protected from mice and rabbits longer than larger trees do.
Who Can Grow Dwarf Fruit Trees?
Anyone who enjoys growing plants and has even a small sunny area in a garden has two of the basic requirements. The soil should be loam either light or heavy. It must not be just sand or gravel. Under loam conditions dwarffruit trees will grow successfully.
If you live in an apartment, and have no garden space at all, you can join in thejoy of fruit growing. How? You can start growing dwarf citrus fruit trees indoors, as explained later in the article.
How Big Do They Grow?
Ifwe consider the relative height of apple trees at maturity we find that:
Dwarf trees reach a height of 8 10 feet
Semi-dwarf trees reach a height of 10 12 feet
Standard trees reach a height of 20 25 feet
Compare the diameter of the space needed by dwarfs versus full grown trees of apple, peach and pear: (See chart next page)
So you see that dwarf trees reach full size, growing in a ground space enclosed by a circle 8 feet in diameter.
One grower of such trees writes enthusiastically, that in a 25 x 50 ft. space he could grow the following dwarf trees: four apple; two pear; two peach; two plum; one sour cherry; one nectarine and one apricot. Such an orchard when mature could yield about 12 bushels of fruit in a year. At the 1979 retail fruit markets such a crop, even if all apples, would be worth about $120.00.
What Makes A Tree A Dwarf?
It is the nature of the roots of a tree which controls the size to which a tree grows; that is, whether it is to be a dwarf, a semi-dwarf or a standard size.
A cultivated dwarf fruit tree is never grown on its own roots. It is composed of two parts, the rootstock of one kind of tree and the trunk, branches, leaves of the desired variety of fruit. Hence a dwarffruit tree could be described as one grown on a rootstock which dwarfs it.
Dwarf fruit trees are now available for apples, pears and quinces, and for all the stone fruits (peaches, plums, cherries). Citrus fruits lemons, oranges, and grapefruits are also available on dwarfing rootstocks.
The most satisfactory rootstocks for growing apple trees were produced by research scientists who worked at the East Malling research station in England. They are known as Malling stock. The best dwarfing effects are obtained when Malling IX or MM 26 are used. Quince rootstocks A, B or
C are used to produce dwarf pear trees. The Angers rootstock is the best. Unfortunately, one of our best pears, the Bartlett, will not grow well on Angers rootstock. It will grow, however, if it is budded onto a hardy pear stem which has grown after budding it onto an Angers rootstock. The diagram below will help explain this technique:
Bartlett Pear
Intermediate Stem of a Hardy Pear
Ground level
Quince Angers Rootstock
Less active work has been done in developing techniques for growing apricots, nectarines and sour cherries as dwarfs. This is because these trees are not too large at maturity. Stone fruit trees are easy to prune and keep low. Sweet cherries have been grafted or budded onto rootstocks of the Malaheb or mazzard type.
Indoor Culture of Citrus Fruit
For those who have no access to a garden there is still a way to grow dwarffruit trees. How? By growing dwarf lemon, orange or grapefruit trees indoors. Most citrus fruits have been grafted onto special rootstocks. These little trees in pots may be bought from some nurseries and at plant shops. They will grow very well if you can expose them to sunlight near an east, south or west window, and the temperature is kept near
70°F. Just imagine the surprise of your friends when they see an orange tree, with fruits, in your kitchen!
Some varieties of citrus trees bloom continually and carry blossoms and fruit in all stages of maturity.
Care of Citrus Trees
It is reported by Atkinson that these trees grow best in clay pots, and that they must not be overwatered. Let the soil dry out until the leaves droopjust a little. When you do water, lift the tree pot and place in several inches of lukewarm water in a dish. Leave for an hour, then remove and drain.
It is fortunate that little pruning is required. Ifthe tree flowers but no fruit forms, the owner must pollinate the stigma of each flower by hand. Use a cotton swab. Rub it first on the yellow stamen anthers to pick up the pollen grains. Then rub this yellow powder on the stigma of the flower. The stigma, usually sticky, forms an ideal spot for growth of pollen grains. The pollen tubes grow down the style and into the ovary of the flower. As soon as the egg cells in the ovules are fertilized, fruits begin to grow. These fruits may take months to mature. One of the best natural dwarf lemon varieties is called the Meyer .
Variety Time for Picking
Some Tips For Selecting Your Dwarf Fruit Trees
Horticulturists tell us that in North America, from Florida to Northern Canada, over 5000 varieties have been recorded and grown. Not all will do well in each growing zone. Not all will do well in the Metro Toronto area.
Apples
Each variety of apple has a certain chilling requirement that must be met or the tree will die. Be sure to select for your garden those which are winter hardy here, and have a good quality fruit. Be sure also to choose those that ripen in succession. Study the table below. If you can grow four or five dwarf apple trees, choose them from it and you will have a grand succession of harvest times. You can expect a yield of about one bushel of apples per dwarf apple tree when they reach full production.
Peaches
These are recommended for regions where the winter temperature does not usually go below -15 to20°F. The hardiest varieties were developed in the South Haven Experimental Station in Northern Michigan. The following have grown well in north Toronto. [ have grown three varieties with time spread as shown. (See chart nextpage)
Some Characteristics
bk Earl suthmer thil Large, firm yellow: bears annually y (duly) keeps better than yellow transparent.
Rod Atrachan Midsarhriat Red, tart, acid, good as dessert or cooking.
Melba Late Summer Crimson, good flavour, resists pests. . Have many virtues. Bear quickly after McI'n'tosh Mid September planting. Bear annually. Delicious October 10 15 Produce big crops.
Northern Spy: [iater October Spicy and delicious, keep well. Golden Russet till frost Dessert types.
Variety Time for Picking
South Haven Early July 31
Red Haven to Aug. 15
. Midsummer Golden Jubilee Aiia-1516 Auaal
Later up to Elberta Oct. 10
Pears
We have no native pears in Ontario, but pears were grown by the Greeks and Romans before the Christian era began. Two hundred andfifty varieties had been developed in Europe before the American colonies were settled. Many have been brought to North America, and many new ones have been developed since. Pears are budded on Quince tree rootstocks. Dwarfing has improved both the size and quality of the pear fruits. A suitable succession of pears for a home garden would be Clapp Favorite, Bartlett, Anjou or Bosc.
Crab Apples
Ifyou enjoy crab apples, buy a Dolgo crab apple tree. It is reported to be vigorous, disease and insect resistant, bears huge white flowers in spring, and gives prolific yields of large bright red fruit.
Basic Needs of Dwarf Trees
Let s look at the basic needs of a dwarffruit tree when planted. These are:
(i) A place for its roots in good soil.
(ii) Essential foods trees like to feed well.
(iii) Water sufficient but never plant in wet areas.
(iv) Air to breathe.
(v) Sunlight. They won' t thrive in even partial shade.
(vi) Room to grow.
(vii) Protection from lawn mowers, rodents, children, insects.
How to Plant Dwarf Trees
There is an excellent description of successful planting procedures in a book called DwarfFruit Treesfor the Home Gardener by Lawrence Southwick. This book is in the Civic Garden Centre Library, and its call number is 716 S594.1. The account includes diagrams showing each step in the preparation of soil, placing roots at proper depth, staking and pruning at planting time. Anyone may study this book at the library and members can borrow it. You will assure yourself of success if you use this reference text before you plant your dwarf fruit tree or trees. Lucas, a man of great experience in this field, urges all growers to plant apples very shallow . >
We care about yourgardening problems. Come andsee us at our unique Garden Centre and Greenhouses. 5
KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE CENTRE
With March our busiest period begins. Mark the special Centre events on your calendar now!
March 5
March 8
March 20
March 29
April 9
April 15
April 16
May 9
May 12
RHODODENDRON NIGHT 8:00 p.m.
Find out all about growing Rhododendron in thisjoint meetingwiththeRhododendronSocietyofCanada.
EASY GROW VEGETABLES
10:00 a.m.
A morning workshop on vegetable growing with Toronto s inimitable Zoo Director, Tommy Thompson. Geared for allotment owners and everyone who wants to grow better vegetables.
WHITE
ELEPHANT SALE 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Help us, help yourself, by choosing something unusual for your home or garden at the Centre s first-ever White Elephant Sale. All goods donated by our own members and friends.
LANDSCAPING ADVICE 10:00 a.m. 4:00 p.m.
Need help with planning your garden? Arrange a half-hour appointment with a senior landscape architect student. Phone 445-1552 for details. Fee $10.00 ($5.00 members).
GARDENING OFF THE
GROUND
8:00 p.m.
Art Drysdale, author of Gardening off the ground, will talk about apartment gardening inthis joint meeting with the Indoor Light Gardening Society.
FIRST EARLY MORNING BIRD WALK 8:00 a.m.
The popularseriesofbirdwalkswith Clive Goodwin,author ofthe book on bird finding in the Toronto area. Outing clothes are not required (walks are cancelled if it rains) and take about an hour.
CIVIC GARDEN CENTREANNUALMEETING 7:30p.m.
The business meeting will be from 7:30-8:00 p.m. The Programme for the rest of the meeting will be announced later.
CENTRE PLANT SALE 10:00 a.m. 4:00 p.m. Another combination help us -helpyourselfevent.Fillsomeofyourspring plant needs with plants grown and donated by the Centre s own expert gardeners. Come early for the best choice!
BONSAI NIGHT 8:00 p.m.
Mark this date on your calendar for a special Bonsai night in conjunction with the Toronto Bonsai Society. More details later.
Courses starting in this period are:
March 5
March 11
March 15
March 20
March 25
March 25
April 2
April 11
Japanese FlowerArranging
Decoupage
Home Gardeningfor Beginners
Pot Pourri Workshop
Quilting The Sunshine Kitchen*
Quilting Patchwork Clothing*
Decoupage Anton Pieck*
Rug Hooking
April 14
Advanced Needlepoint
April 17 Basic Flower Arranging 8
April 28 Floral Craft Lectures
May 7 Photography
* See below for full details on these new courses. Note that Rug Hooking has been rescheduled to April 11.
Two shows are scheduled for the link in this period: In March Dr. R. E. HAIST will be showing his flower paintings, and in April a show of batik work by ARDEN BATIK will be on display. Members may remember Dr. Haist s work from the Botanical Art Exhibition last spring. In May Children s Art from the Metro School Boards will again be featured throughout the building.
A new series of GARDEN TOURS are planned for late May and June. Tentatively the weekends of May 23-25, June 6-8 and June 20-22 are scheduled: watch the May TRELLIS for details.
NEW COURSES IN APRIL AND MAY
March 25 THE SUNSHINE KITCHEN
Learn to create original kitchen accessories using patchwork and quilting techniques, such as clam-shell, cathedral windows, and log cabin, in a varietyofitems including a tea cosy, placemats, a hostess apron, chair pads and others. This is a six week course on Tuesdays from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Instructors: Mrs. Barbara Roberts and Debbie Salsberg. Fee: $30.00 members, $36 non-members.
March 25 PATCHWORK CLOTHING
Addspicetoyourlifebyperkingup your Spring wardrobe quilting techniques make a Seminole patchworkwrappedskirtandastringquiltedhandbag.Thisisalso asix-weekcourse,from1:15t03:15p.m.,andstudentscanregister for either or both quilting courses. Fee: $30.00 members, $36.00 non-members.
April
2 DECOUPAGE ANTON PIECK
Three Dimensional Decoupage using an old European-style print by Dutch artist Anton Pieck; featuring cutting, moulding, elevating and encasing the whole in a shadow box frame. A six-week course on Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. Instructor: Mrs. Barbara Coombe. Fee: $25.00 members, $30.00 non-members.
NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING
7:30 p.m., Wednesday, April 16 in the Dunington Grubb Floral Hall
To approve accounts, elect directors, appoint an auditor and transact any such other business as may come before the meeting.
DRAW WINNERS
Lucky winners of the Christmas draw were:
John Walker Shirley Irvine Doris Anderson
Julie Brooks Rochelle Hurst
Starting seeds indoors
by Robert E. Minett
Introduction
You're invited to enjoy my favourite hobby, growing things. It is most pleasant and rewarding. For the everyday worker it will take your mind off the rush of to-day; for the retiree it is something to do where tomorrow is a new experience. The basic principles of moisture, heat, oxygen and light can change an inert looking little seed into something beautiful to behold. Remember there is no such thing as a green thumb but there is something called patience. Patience is the ability to idle your motorwhen you feel like stripping your gears.
Starting seeds indoors has many advantages, e.g. planting out the end of May a plant ready to bloom instead of seeding and waiting for bloom in July, and your fruit or vegetables are ready for the table sooner. Different types of seed will require different conditions but with a little knowledge you will become involved in a new outlook. Remember knowledge never made a person round shouldered carrying it around. (Try and tell your kids that.)
Planting Medium
Your soil should be sterilized to avoid contamination or fallout from other seeds, or use inert materials such as perlite or milled bark. Avoid fertilizers at this time. The medium should feel moist but not saturated. The best container for holding your planting medium is a plastic box approximately 2 deep with drain holes, a little coarse material in the bottom to help drainage and some charcoal as a sweetener. The box should be thoroughly cleaned and if you use clay pots they
should be sterilized in case offungus. A good soil mix is three parts garden soil, two parts peat moss, one part perlite; mix well and then sift through a coarse sieve. This coarse mix will allow oxygen to the roots and hence allow a better root system. Fill your seeding flat with the planting medium to within %, from the top. Press it down lightly with a piece of board. Now you re ready to seed.
Seeding
Some seeds are as fine as dust e.g. begonias, or coarse like zinnias. Naturally more care needs to be taken with the finer seeds. Mixing a little silica sand to the package of fine seeds ensures a more even spread. Coarse seeds can be sown in rows
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Everything for the year round gardener
Indoor gardens and accessories. Greenhouse accessories. Automatic propagators. Capillary matting. Humex and Stewart products. External roll shades for greenhouses and Florida rooms.
Stay in an Oxford College Residential Courses: Gardens for Flower Arrangers; History of English Gardens, July and September. Programs for Groups arranged with pleasure.
Write: ISIS SEMINAR, Malt House Cottage, Tackley,Oxford,England,OX5 3AH
made by pressing a pencil lengthwise in the medium, but for the finer seed | recommend a seeder . Cover the seeds with a fine mixture of the planting medium or soil that you are using, no more than three times the thickness of the seeds. Remember just cover, don t smother! Cover the box with a piece of plastic held in place by tape or elastic band to prevent drying out. (This is good for fluorescent lighting but if you place the flat on a window sill, cover with a piece of newspaper to avoid excessive heat build up in the sun.) The best growing temperature is 6065 degrees F at night, 75-80 degrees F in the day time. Watch a sunny window sill, it may go to extremes. When the first leaves appear remove the covering material and gradually expose the flat to full light. Do not let the seedlings dry out completely and do not overwater. Either one can kill them. It is best to water from the bottom only when needed. Leave your fluorescent lights on 12 to 14 hours. The secret of success in germination is bottom heat. Source could be something as simple as a warm water radiator.
Transplanting
After the seedlings have developed a third or fourth leaf they should be removed from the seedling flat. (A pair ofwooden tweezers, made from two tongue depressors or popsicle sticks held apart at one end by a piece of wood 5/8 thickand pointed at the other end is handy.) Plant your seedlings in a container that they can stay in until ready for the garden. (Divided plastic nursery flats are very useful as the small plants can be removed for garden planting with very little root damage remember the flats should be clean.) Plenty of light is needed to prevent young plants from growing spindly. The fluorescent lights should be from 4 -
6 from thg topsofthe plants.
If they are placed on a window sill a sheet of metal foil paper placed on the room side of the sill will help keep them straight as light hitting the metal foil reflects on the back of plant.
From now on the plants will require feedings (every two weeks) of a light water soluble fertilizer. Following the directions on the package, 20-20-20 is one to try.
Gardening Tips
Keep seeds in a sealed glassjar in the bottom of the refrigerator.
Clay pots can be cleaned more easily if soaked in water for 12-24 hours.
Perlite is excellent for storing tubers of tuberous begonias and gladiolus.
Don t start seeds too early. Package directions from reputable
GARDENER/HORTICULTURIST
FOR HIRE
For projects requiring extra care: Perennials, Vegetable Culture, Wildflower Gardens, Home Landscaping, Design Service. Resume and references available. Homer Moelchert BSA, MS 929-3450 After 9.30 p.m. Now scheduling for 1980 season
HOME MINDERS
Travellers: We visit your home daily to water plants and flowers, care for pets and houses. Bonded.
485-6747
seed houses frequently give directions on timing for growing seeds indoors. Six weeks before planting-out is a fairly general rule and planting-out in the Metro Toronto area is after the 24th of May. Keep a record book of your gardening activities year by year, including weather conditions as a guide for next year and for general interest. >k
Mr. Minett is a member of the North Toronto Horticultural Society and the Civic Garden Centre. He is one of Toronto s outstanding amateurgrowersfrom seed.
city gardens
Tropical Plants
Sales and Maintenance
Ian A. McCallum, B.Sc.(Agriculture) 446-1040 9:00 - 5:00 Monday to Friday
Mini Rose Nursery
Specializing in Miniature Roses
For 1980 Listing write Florence Gahagan
P.O. Box 873, Guelph, Ontario N1H 6M6
Now isthetime
by Ernest Pope
March 1 to April 30
Indoor Seeding
March is the major month of the year for the indoor seeding of annuals.
Here are some starting dates for the more popular ones.
March
Gloriosa Daisy (lst)
Impatiens (1st)
Petunia (10th)
Coleus (10th)
Ageratum (15th)
Snapdragon (15th)
Salvia (15th)
April
African Marigold (15th)
French Marigold (25th)
Zinnia (25th)
What about too early planting as compared with late planting? Of the two the latter is preferable, because late planting merely delays the date of first blooming, whereas the former usually means plants that are overgrown and in full bloom before they can be set out. This results in greater shock at time of transplanting, plus earlier maturity of
the plants causing them to taper off and set seed a month or so sooner than normal. In this event annuals such as petunias and snapdragons are better cut back to about three inches, including all the bloom. This will delay new bloom for two or three weeks but they will transplant with less adjustment and give a fairly creditable showing through the summer, though never as good as if started at the right time. In any event many annuals should have the main stem pinched back at the time of outdoor planting. This will delay bloom for about ten days, but will result in much greater volume of flowers as a result ofthe many new side shoots.
ACHIMENES FOR SUMMER BLOOMING
This attractive summer blooming pot plant should be started about March 15th, to begin flowering about July 1st and continuing until around September 15th. They prefer being planted in pots as they don t do as well in the garden, resenting being buffeted about by rain and wind.
The tiny tubercles, seldom more than one half inch in length, should be planted four to a five inch pot in rich soil similar to that used for African Violets and tuberous Begonias, at a depth of one inch.
It usually takes about three weeks for the shoots to appear above the soil surface and development is slow but sure until blooming time. When the stems reach a height of three inches the growing tips should be pinched out, causing them to send out side shoots creating a better shaped plant plus many more blooms.
The important thing in growing them is to keep the soil moist but not wet, and never to let it get completely dry or the plants will quickly stop blooming and go into dormancy. In September when the plants show signs of being bloomed out, watering should be witheld allowing the plants to go dormant (in a similar manner to gloxinias and tuberous begonias). Then place the containers in a dark cool (60°F/15°C) area until March 15th next year. The pots should then be turned out and the tubercles carefully removed for repotting again as above. It will be discovered that there is a substantial increase in number, usually three to four for each old one, and in four or five years you can accumulate quite a collection.
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Unfortunately they are pollutionsensitive, and will either not flower at all or very poorly if the air is even moderately polluted. The writer lives in Willowdale and has found this to be the case, as several pots he gives each year to a friend at a cottage in Lake Muskoka, planted at the same time in the same soil, produce three times as many blooms oftwice the size and greater colour intensity. For the beginner try variety Purple King. It has rich deep purple blooms and is the most easily grown and profuse blooming variety. (Available about March 1st from C.A. Cruickshank Ltd.)
DAHLIAS
Many home gardeners find that tubers planted in late May often don t start to bloom until late August and are shortly thereafter cut down by
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September frosts. This wasespecially the case in the summer of 1979 when July was a very hot dry month. Most dahlias, unless they were given substantial supplementary waterings, stopped growing and did not resume active growth for several weeks.
To help overcome this and create earlier flowering, overwintered tubers can be divided and started indoors about April 15th in pots, and planted out in the garden at the regular time (about May 20th). This means that the plants make considerable growth before the hot mid-summer weather begins.
During a dry spell, dahlias should be copiously watered at least once a week. They are heavy feeders and require considerable moisture. As an indication of this you can cut off the main stem at the time of fall harvesting and see the substantial amount of liquid that flows out ofthe hollow.
LAWN CARE (APRIL)
April is the month to prepare the lawn for the summer season. Next to September it is the best month to sow grass seed. Feeding should be done about one week after the snow has gone, usually about April 5th - 12th. Howeuver, first the lawn should be carefully but thoroughly raked with a bamboo rake or a steel one with flexible tines. Fertilizer can then be applied at the rate indicated on the bag.
As grass is primarily leaf in structure, and growing leaves are the great nitrogen users it is therefore obvious that this ingredient should predominate in the formula purchased. The minimum amount of nitrogen should be 10% (such as 10-64), and usually ranges as high as 21% (such as 21-7-7).
The higher the nitrogen content the greater the cost but the lesser the amount needed.
CRAB GRASS CONTROL
If you had crabgrass in your lawn last summer you are almost sure to have it again this year, probably even more prolifically unless you do something about it this spring.
Crabgrass is an annual and the plants die out each year after seeding bountifully. Therefore it is a waste of time to dig out the plants once the seed has set in August, it only leaves bare spaces in the lawn.
The writer recalls a gardening neighbour who spent his entire summer holidays digging out a heavy infestation. But the plants had already shed their seed and the next year he had more than ever.
To eliminate crabgrass it is necessary to use an inhibitor in the spring. This usually comes mixed in balanced grass fertilizers, such as C.ILL. Crabgrass Doctor or So Green Crabgrass Control.
Crabgrass is a heat lover and only grows in sunny areas. Usually it does not start to germinate until the ground is warm about June 1st. After that the growth is very rapid because it has to fulfill its cycle prior to the first frost. Ifthe inhibitingagent is used before May 15th, it will destroy the seed just as it germinates.
IRIS BORERS
This common iris affliction can now be effectively controlled by the use ofthe liquid insecticide Cygon 2E. The borer hatches out in April from eggs laid by the moth the previous September.
In early April before growth has started, remove and destroy any dead leaves still attached to the rhizomes. Then spray the clumps thoroughly, including the ground surface with Cygon 2E at the rate of one teaspoonful to a quart of water and repeat the process ten days later, when the leaves will have started to grow. >k
Colounful foliage plants
byKen Reeves
When the slush is slushing, the salt is rusting and the earth is sleeping, green indoors is beautiful. A Ficus nitida (Indian Laurel) with its glossy green leaves and genuine tree-like appearance is a welcome sight when even the concrete of the city is obscured by the drabs of winter. However, if we can season houseplants with a dash of colour, we add zest to the feast for our winter weary optics. So let s walk the nursery and see what we can find.
Alittle plant with a big name, Fittonia verschaffeltii argyroneura (Nerve Plant), with its vivid green oval leaves beautifully netted with white veins keeps a very low profile. This ground creeper from Peru loves the high humidity of a terrarium but will trail from a hanging container in less ideal conditions. There are two distinct growth habits available, a regular and miniature both requiring diffused light.* Another cultivar where the green and white is infused with pink, adds yet another colour choice.
Still in the small plant department, the colourful species of Cryptanthus are certain to catch your eye. The common name of Earth Star that is associated with some Cryptanthus is quite appropriate. The slender, often spiny leaves burst from a low growing centre that elongates very slowly. The colours in the various species range from deep purple green through bright pink to almost white. The colour occurs in clearly defined longitudinal stripes or irregular transverse waves. Bright light is required to maintain good colour in thishardy beauty.
Afairly recent selection of Saxifraga sarmentosa Tricolor
(Strawberry begonia) adds a dash of scarlet to the white and green foliage variegations. A little slower to produce the long trailing stolon with the plantlet on the end, this tricolor cultivar will sparkle as a hanging plant or confined to a single plant in a terrarium. Bright, diffused light is best.
Recent hybridizing and selection for richer colours has greatly improved the Hoya. Irregular splashes ofcreamy white and pink with many hues in between will decorate a bright window. Given something to wind itself around, Hovya carnosa Marginata climbs rapidly or trails ifno support is available. The long lasting waxy cluster of fragrant flowers can be produced if the plant is given full winter light, temperatures in the fifties fahrenheit and thorough waterings spaced out to allow minor wilting in December, January and February.
A hardy, reliable favourite, the Rex begonia has undergone a real metamorphosis under the effective cocoon of genetic science. Begonia rex has emerged with broadly spread foliage in much brighter hues that have to be seen to be appreciated. The variable melding of colours may only follow the leaf veining or encompass almost the whole leaf. Leaf texture varies from highly rippled to pubescent. Bright light for best colour but avoid direct summer sun.
Nothing quite matches the brilliant variety of reds, yellows and green of the Codiaeum variegatum pictum (Croton) but Crotons must be placed right in a south or west window. In borderline light, the new foliage comes without its Joseph s coat of
colours and in low light the plant defoliates. Purchase Crotons from reliable sources only. Specimens in 8 in. pots and larger that have been grown in full tropical sun never will acclimatize to the home without almost total defoliation. However, colourful new cultivars properly grown in correct light levels will thrive in full light in the home.
If the place you want to decorate does not have the light intensity to support a Croton, one of the Aglaonema species will likely work well. The basic green of the long narrow foliage can vary from almost blackgreen through to a fresh, lighter shade. The grey green splashes of contrasting colour are subtle but effective. Aglaonema are very hardy g/ex*
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and tolerate low light better than most tropical plants. Available in many sizes from 3 in. pots through to 10 in. specimen clumps measuring about 24 in. high.
Another colourful tropical plant that adapts well to fairly low light is Dieffenbachia amoena Marianne . The broad, erect leaves are almost pure white with only a fringe of green on the outer edge. The white, being highly reflective of light, really brightens a dark corner.
Dracaena are also tolerant of low light and a new selection ofDracaena deremensis Warneckii has added a bright creamy yellow ribbon to the striped green and white leaves. This creamy colour suffuses almost all the newly forming leaves and settles into a narrow band as the leaf matures.
Another Dracaena, D. marginata Tricolor , is a veritable fountain of narrow foliage striped cream between green and rosy-red margins. Tricolor requires bright diffused light to prosper.
Even the lowly Rubber plant, Ficus elastica, has been upgraded to include selections that are a mahogany green and a splashy, green and white variegated cultivar.
The search for colour in house plant foliage has brought several variations of Tradescantia fluminensis (Wandering Jew) out of the collector s greenhouses and into the mainstream of commercial horticulture. Direct winter sun is required for colour to appear. Several combinations of green and white appear on the same trailing plant. On others there are shades of maroon, pink and creamy white that beautifully fill a hanging container in a sunny window.
And of course no list of colourful houseplants would be complete without listing grafted cactus. There is an ever widening spectrum of
colourful tops available that are further enhanced by an equal variety of forms. Fascinating.
Let s end this tour of the nursery with a quiet note as we pause and admire the pristine beauty of the pure white flower of the Peace Lily. Held high above the brilliant green, shiny foliage, the Spathiphyllum epitomizes the serenity many find in the growing of colourful houseplants.
*Plants have different light requirements. These are the minimum light requirements. Plants willsurvive at the lowest light level, grow at higher light level.
Low Light (25 to 250 foot candles)
Ona dull winter day with drapes and sheers open, this light level would require you to turn light on to read.
Diffused Light (75 to 250 foot candles)
In or very near an east, west window, sheers open in winter, closed in
summer. Or officelight level if on minimum of 12 hours per day.
BrightLight (150 to 250 foot candles) In the direct sunlight of an east/west or south window in winter. >
Ken Reeves is President ofReeves Florist and Nursery in Woodbridge and horticulturist each Thursday on Radio Noon s garden phone in.
Ken is author ofa book on houseplants called Plants: Answers That Work , published by Clarke-Irwin. His second book by the same publisher, FoodPlants: Answers That Work , will be out in the early spring.
VIOLETS BY LAKE ONTARIO
15th Annual Convention
The African Violet Society of Canada
Friday, May 9: 2.00 9.00
Saturday May 10: 9.00 5.00
Roadway Inn (formerly Seaway Towers)
200 Lakeshore Blvd. W. Toronto
Hosted by the Lakeshore African Violet Society
Admission: $1.50
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THOSE AFRICAN VIOLETS SOMEBODY GOOFED!!
A couple of mistakes crept into our November 1979 article on Mr. Ernest Fisher and his African Violets. Our apologies to Mr. Fisher, and to anyone who misguidedly followed the fertilizing instructions.
On LeafModification, the Boy leaf is a plain leaf, as in Blue Boy , the first famous named African violet. Girl type leaves are scalloped with a white or creamy area at the base of the leaf. This was from a mutation found amongst a batch of Blue Boy leaves and so was named Blue Girl . Nothing whatever to do with the sex of African violets for they are bisexual.
Regarding fish fertilizer, the amount recommended is a HALF TEASPOON to a gallon of tepid water once a week to 10 days. Blue Whale brand is no longer available. BOUNTY fish fertilizer is recommended. Continue this fertilizing for up to 4 months on leaf cuttings before dividing into individual 21" pots. Fish fertilizer gives fine Continued next page
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AFRICAN VIOLETS ? 5 GARDEN
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