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SCARBOROUGH CAMBRIDGE NEWMARKET 2500Barton Street East 1306 Kennedy Rd. 561 Hespeler Rd. 55 Yonge Street Parkway Plaza South of Highway 401 Highway 24 South of Davis Drive Centennial and Barton St. North of Lawrence Ave. 500 yds. S. of Highway 401 895.2457 560-1600 755-5345 621-5281
ETOBICOKE MISSISSAUGA WHITBY UNIONVILLE 1582 The Queensway 335 Dundas St. E. 1242 Dundas St. E. No. 7 Highway Between Kipling Ave. East of Highway 10 West of Thickson Rd East of Woodbine Ave. and Highway 427 West of Cawthra Rd. East of Anderson St West of Kennedy Rd. 255-0725 277-2727 668-7505 297-3330
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e AQUA-TERRA extends watering 3to 5 times longer.
e AQUA-TERRA granules store water in : ke sl Specializing in ¥ succulents and the soil. Plants take water when needed.. unusual tropicals. R a4
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May 1981
Volume 8, Number 3
In this issue
Cover photograph: Pelargonium domesticum Prince of Wales photographed by Fredrik Kirby at Pine Ridge Nurseries
The Joys of Geraniums/5
Worms Eye View/9
Now is the time/10
Civic Garden Centre Questionnaire/11
Civic Garden Centre Financial Information/14
Bugs . . . friends and foes/19
Horticultural
Advisory Committee
Gerda Ferrington, Hal Price, Ken Reeves, Otto Richter, William Rock, Laurie Scullin
Executive Director: Clive E. Goodwin
Editor: Fredrik Kirby
Advertising: Shirley Kirby (416) 226-0996
Graphics and Printing Thorn Press Limited, Toronto
General Information 1ssno03s-1470
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 L 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.
You can enjoy allthese benefits when you subscribe to TRELLIS horticulture and gardening magazine.
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4. You may register forcraftcourses,seespecialshows, hearqualified speakers.
5. You can borrow free from over4,000gardening books.
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The JOYS of GERANIUMS
by Marjorie Mason
What we call a geranium is not a geranium at all, but a PELARGONIUM! Botanically speaking it is a member of the Geraniaceae family and the genus Pelargonium or Stork s Bill . The other genera in this family are Geranium or Crane s Bill and Erodium or Heron s Bill . These names are descriptive of the shape of the fruit. The true geraniums are hardy herbaceous perennials which do well in rockeries and the front of borders. However, for the remainder of this article we will refer to the Pelargonium as geranium in deference to common usage.
The first geranium was taken to England from South Africa, its native home, in 1632.
Zonals
The best known geraniums belong to the group called P. hortorum or zonal pelargoniums. The word zonal refers to the darker horseshoe shaped zone on the otherwise green leaves. Many of the modern varieties have completely unmarked leaves while others have multicoloured leaves. Some are large vigorous plants, others are by nature compact and still others are actually miniatures. Nevertheless, they are all referred to as zonal geraniums.
Within the zonal geraniums there are many groupings according to the flower type. Some of the more unusual ones are:
Rosebud The flowers resemble tiny rambler rosebuds that never open entirely. They were developed by 1870.
Cactus Flowered These blooms have very long pointed petals resembling a type of cactus.
Carnation Flowered The petals have a serrated edge similar to that of a carnation.
Bird s Egg The flower petals are speckled with a contrasting colour e.g. white speckled with pink.
Painted Lady (originally called Cyclops) these were introduced around 1909. They are always single blooms with a large white eye.
Stellar This form was developed by the late Ted Both of Australia. The blossoms have narrow, forked upper petals and wedgeshaped broader lower petals with serrated edges. Their unusual small leaves are deeply cut and the plants are bushy and exceptionally free blooming.
The fancy-leaved zonals were first recorded in the early 1700 s. There are green and white bicolours such as Mme. Langoth ; green and yellow bicolours or butterfly geraniums (the yellow centre suggests a butterfly shape) such as Happy Thought . The tricolours are quite glamorous
Pelargonium hortorum Mrs. Henry Cox
Mrs. Henry Cox and Skies of Italy being two personal favourites. These varieties make excellent bedding or container plants, either in groups or amongst plain green leaf zonals for contrast.
Miniature Varieties
Characteristics of the miniature varieties are: small leaves, short internodes and bushy tendencies. It is difficult to set height standards because plant size depends on environmental conditions but miniatures are usually 3 -5 ; dwarfs are usually 6 -8 and semi-dwarfs are usually 8 -10".
All these plants grow half again as large when used as bedding plants or placed in large containers.
These miniature geraniums make excellent sunny windowsill plants and will bloom constantly with proper care. They will also thrive with 14 hours of fluorescent lighting. Because they are in small pots they must be watered and fertilized frequently.
Hybridizers are constantly developing new miniature varieties in all the different groups: green-leaf zonals; fancy-leaf zonals; single blooms; double blooms; cactus flowered, even miniaturized ivies, scenteds and regals.
Most miniatures root more quickly than standard zonals. A cutting is
17-2 . Rooting hormone is unnecessary because they root very quickly. A potted miniature geranium makes an excellent patio table centre and they make a superb show in window boxes.
Regals
The group that is most often called by its true name of pelargonium is Pelargonium domesticum or Regal or Show Pelargoniums. They are also referred to as Lady Washington or Martha Washington geraniums. One group of these has huge azalea-like flowers with ruffled petals while another group has round flat petals making the blooms resemble pansies. Consequently, they are usually referred to as Pansy Geraniums.
The varieties of Pelargonium domesticum are usually sold as breathtakingly beautiful spring pot plants which can later be set out into the garden. Unfortunately, they require cool night temperatures to set buds, so sometimes the reblooming effort is disappointing. Hybridizers are striving to create new varieties which will have better rebloom.
Scented Varieties
The scented geraniums include plants from many different classes and there is a wide variety in their growth habit and leaf shape but they all have one thing in common when the leaves are touched they yield a scent. In the days before room deodorizers, these plants were a useful household item.
Along with the back to the earth movement, scented leaved geraniums are making a strong comeback. Each variety has a unique scent that is released by bruising the leaves or even by misting them. The scents can be classified as rose, fruit, spice, mint and some simply as pungent. Not everyone finds all these scents pleasing. They are best sampled one at a time as with fine perfumes or wine.
Pelargonium quercifolium Fair Ellen
The foliage can be used in corsages and flower arrangements, to perfume drawers and closets, to flavour cakes and beverages, and to make potpourris.
A scented geranium planted at that particular spot in your garden which is often walked past makes for a fragrant pause in your daily routine. These plants are grown mainly for their foliage and while the blooms are not the main attraction many of them do in fact have beautiful flowers.
Ivy-Leaved
A group of geraniums that is very different in growth habit is the IvyLeaved, so named because of its similarity in leaf to the true ivy. The botanical name Pelargonium peltatum means shield-shaped . This refers to the way in which the leaf is fastened to the petiole underneath the centre, thus causing each leaf to resemble a warrior s shield. The natural blooming time of these plants is from March to October; they are not as successful as houseplants because they need a resting time during the winter. As an outdoor basket plant they cannot be surpassed.
The Hybrid Ivy-Leaved Pelargoniums have come from P. peltatum crossed with P. hortorum. They are sometimes referred to as cascade geraniums. They resemble zonal pelargoniums but have the sprawling growth habit of Ivy-leaved varieties.
One beautiful aspect of the geranium is that it is not a difficult plant to accommodate and thus even an amateur gardener can succeed admirably. By buying blooming plants in May, you can even obtain that instant garden which so many people desire nowadays. It is an excellent plant to brighten a mature foundation planting as it is not dwarfed by large evergreens. On the other hand it is not wise to use the standard zonal geraniums in a new planting of tiny ever-
greens because by the end of the season the geraniums will be dwarfing the evergreens.
While geraniums make excellent bedding plants, they are unsurpassed for container gardening. For the many people who have only an apartment balcony for a garden, the geranium will be indispensable.
Cultural Requirements
The geranium s cultural requirements are few. It appreciates good soil, being neither too sandy not too heavy with clay. A location which ensures a half day to full day sun will give best results. While geraniums are able to withstand periods of drought, this should be avoided as they will grow best if they have the constant necessary moisture requirements. When container gardening be sure that you have adequate drainage as nothing will kill a geranium faster than standing in water-logged soil.
Pine Ridge Nurseries
Home ofall your gardening needs SPECIALIZING in:
e Geraniums over 100 varieties (zonal, novelties, regals, ivies, scented, fancy leaved, miniatures.)
e Herbs
® Fuschias (over 30 varieties)
® Perennials
e Annuals
@ Tropicals
® Trees and Shrubs
® Roses
e Evergreens
We care about your gardening problems. Come andsee us at our unique Garden Centre and Greenhouses. =
Do not feed with a high nitrogen fertilizer as this will result in all leaves and no blooms. The best fertilizer is one that is high in phosphorus e.g. 15-30-15. This analysis applied in liquid form every 3-4 weeks from planting out until August gives a spectacular display of bloom. Once a week, make a trip around the garden to remove all spent blooms. This prevents the plant from producing seeds and thus encourages more bloom. It also prevents the unsightly decaying of the bloom. All decaying matter should be removed immediately to prevent the fungus, Botrytis cinerea, from having a place to grow, particularly in cool, moist summers.
The most bothersome insect is white fly. This pestis particularly attracted to the regal and scented varieties. There are several good insecticides on the market. The secret is to make four or five applications five
days apart and to reach the underside of the leaves where the larval stage resides.
As a houseplant the geranium requires a good potting soil (not soil from your garden); the sunniest spot in the house; thorough watering when the soil approaches dryness; applications of a high phosphorous liquid fertilizer once a month (not during November, December and January); and cool nights preferably 55 degrees. Pinch back the growing tip to make bushy compact plants rather than tall lanky ones.
One of the virtues of geraniums which I appreciate is the number of hummingbirds their bright blooms attract to my garden. Truly, geraniums are a fascinating hobby.
Marjorie Mason is Greenhouse Manager of Pine Ridge Nurseries and a collector of pelargoniums.
BOUNTY
TRUSTY
A saferway toeffective plant control. HKills Aphids, Mealy bugs, White fly, Spider mites on Vegetables, Ormamentals, Shrubs and Trees.
Charles Bateman Lnnited PO Box 489, 67 Rodinea Rd., Unit 7, Maple, Ontario LOJ 1E0 (416) 832-2919
Worms' Zqewg\/@%w
Every gardener who has earned his green thumb knows the value of earthworms in the garden. Not only does this useful garden resident aerate the soil in his constant search for food but his relentless burrowings form channels for the expansion and downward growth of plant roots. Aerating the soil, of course, results in less water evaporation and surface run-off, leaving more moisture available for plant-life.
Each earthworm ingests its weight in organic matter every 24 hours. Its wonderfully intricate digestive tract enables it to excrete a highly nutritious fertilizer commonly called worm castings. Processed through the worm s digestive tract, the castings form an almost perfect plant food. Worm castings are water soluble and are therefore an immediate source of rich plant food. Regardless of the quantity made available to plants, there is no possibility of plant burn.
The red earthworm is a prolific breeder and as long as there is sufficient mulch or organic vegetable matter for the earthworm population to feed on and sufficient moisture to keep the soil from drying out completely, it will happily perform its useful garden chores for you. Garbage in rich plant food out
Another variety of worms commonly called red wigglers work wonders in your compost pile. These red fellows are 3!/2 to 4 inches long and when they are kept moist, warm and fed, will double their population every three months. Red wigglers will live in and eat leaves, grass, cardboard, manure and food wastes. In a compost pile, their activities will cut in half
the time required to turn the raw compost into useable soil as against depending on bacterial action alone.
As red wigglers like hotter temperatures than the ordinary earthworm, they will be found burrowing throughout the compost pile rather than just around the edges. Thus the breakdown process is accelerated.
The resulting compost excreted by the red wigglers is a very dark, granular fertilizer that won t pack down when added to the soil. It's water soluble, about neutral on the pH scale and of course is odorless. Mixed with several parts peat moss or potting soil, no other plant food is necessary as the red wigglers have processed the needed nutrients from the raw compost.
In the fall, the compost pile should be well insulated with leaves or hay to keep it from freezing. Then come spring, the red wigglers are ready.
As well as providing a highly nutritious fertilizer for your garden, earthworms are a sensible solution to organic garbage disposal.
Christine Pugh is Sales Manager of Eastern Earthworm Farms, distributors of earthworms and packaged castings.
Organic Fertilizer
Pure earthworm castings can be mixed with up to 10 parts peat moss for repotting or sprinkled on top of potted plants. No other fertilizers are necessary.
Composting
Speed up composting in half the time by adding Redworms to your compost.
Free brochure and price list
Wholesale retail prices
EASTERN EARTHWORM FARMS
R.R. #1, Little Britain, P.O. Box 48, Ontario KOM 2C0 (705) 786-2484
Now is the time
by Ernest Pope
May 1st June 30th
May is here again, the busiest month of the year when even the casual gardener becomes active. It is time to do something about annuals.
May 1st
Dig and fertilize the beds or spaces where annuals are to be planted. First, place a two inch layer of compost or peat moss on the surface, plus a general purpose fertilizer such as 4-12-8, at the rate recommended on the bag.
After digging this in, rake the surface evenly in order to break up any lumps. Doing this well before planting out the annuals starts the fertilizer activating ahead of time as well as settling the soil.
May 15th
A good date to buy your annuals if you have not been fortunate enough to grow your own. Even though it is still too early to plant them into the garden, you will find a better selection than you will later. The best results are obtained from plants that are not in bloom, although nursery men know that most people buy by colour, and oblige them accordingly.
May 24th
This is the first date (no matter how warm it has been before) that the hardier annuals should be planted out, unless night temperatures are below C 10° F 50°. During mid May 1980 several nights were over C 20°
continued page 15
Annual FlowerSelection Guide
24 page, full colour catalogue of ourentirestock of Annual bedding plants for the 1984 season.
Drop by the garden Centres and pick up our catalogues. They're interesting, informative and they are free!
HelpUs.... HelpYou
Telephone number:
As a member of the Civic Garden Centre and a reader of TRELLIS, you can provide valuable guidance by participating in our reader survey. The questionnaire that follows asks about your gardening interests, the sort of garden you have, and for some general information. It's anonymous; we're not seeking personal data. The survey will show the kind of people who read TRELLIS. The more information we have, the better we know you and can meet your needs while continuing to produce an attractive, reasonably priced publication.
Our advertisers, by paying for part of the cost of TRELLIS, keep our membership fees lower than they otherwise would be. Advertisers too need to know the interests of those to whom they are sending their messages. Advertisers can then provide you with sources for the products and services you want.
PRIZES!
To encourage you to act now, we offer four valuable gifts for answering the questionnaire, from responses chosen at random. Prizes are:
® Set of trigger-grip garden tools
® Terrarium decorated in silk flowers o Wedgwood box
® America s Garden Book
If you wish your completed questionnaire entered in the prize draw, put your phone number at the top of this page so you may be called if you are a winner.
Please help us build a better magazine by answering the questions now. Gently remove the questionnaire from the centre of the magazine and mail to: Executive Director, The Civic Garden Centre, 777 Lawrence Avenue East, Don Mills, Ontario M3C 1P2.
READER QUESTIONNAIRE
AREAS OF INTEREST
OUTDOOR GARDENS: (Please check those of interest to you.)
Annuals 20
Garden design sl Balcony garden o Perennials = Natural garden o Container garden _
Vegetables
Spring garden S Patio garden a0
Lawns e Rock garden g Roses ey
Trees B
Cutting garden gh Herbs L
Shrubs G o Decorative pools _ Rhododendrons s Rruittrees| i Chrysanthemums and Dahlias
Other areas of interest:
INDOOR GARDENS
Are you interested in houseplants? Yes _ Notsii
Do you grow them now? Yes tin, No s
Do you grow under 1lights? Yoo ks
Do you grow: Bonsai: ' . Orchids: .= (Cacti: _ Gesneriads:: =
Other:
Do you use hydroponics systems? oSty Now:ee
Do you have a greenhouse? Yes et Noteas For:iindoor plants? For extra living space?
GARDENING PROFILE
1. What kind of garden do you have?
Small city Tot (25' to 50' by 50' range)
Medium size Tot (50' to 100' by 100' range) _
Larger lot
Patio or balcony
2. Do you and/or members of your family do your own garden maintenance? (Include maintenance of indoor plants.)
ALl Part 5 None .
3. Do you own a cottage/country home you use regularly? Yesiiin Noftirs If yes, do you garden there? Yes wip Not sl
4. Are you a member of: garden club: _ horticultural society: specialized hort group:
5. How many gardening magazines do you buy? None _ Number _
6. Where do you obtain gardening information? Newspapers: Nurseries: Vi Magazines: Television: ~ci Books : S5 GeE Librayy: Neighbours and friends: __ Garden clubs/groups: __
7. Do you buy garden seeds? Yes No __ If yes, where do you buy? Mail order: __ Nursery: __ Food market: __ Other:
8. Where do you buy bedding plants? Nursery: Food market: __ Other:
9. How many years have you had your present garden?
10. How many years have you been gardening?
11. Roughly, how much money in total have you spent on gardening? In the past three years? § In the past year? $
Gently remove the questionnaire and mail.
GENERAL INFORMATION
1. Household head: Male: _ Female: 25w fAgee #18=24 .= 252840 4% e 35200 45-64 65 or over
3 i Marital status: Married: _ Single:
4. Children at home: 18 and over: __ 17 and under __(Show number.)
5. Education: Elementary: _ High school: _ University: College/trade school/community college: ___ Horticultural courses:
6. Residence: House: __ Townhouse: __ Apartment: _ Own:__ Rent:
7. If homeowner, estimated value of your home: $ 50,0005 -~ "% 89,999, . $ 90,000. - $129,000. $1304000. -7 $1493999. = Over $150,000.
8. Total income before taxes: Under $14,999. 5,000 ii=i 919,999 (i $20,000. - $29,999. $30,;0005 -2 8895999071 $40,000. - $49,999. 85050003 =0 $59,999. 5 e Over $60,000.
Please use the space below for additional comments and ideas: ABOUT TRELLIS:
ABOUT THE CIVIC GARDEN CENTRE:
OTHER IDEAS:
Thank you for your help.
THE CIVIC GARDEN CENTRE
REVENUE
Membership fees
Auditorium & meeting facilities
Donations
Activities net
Garden Shop
Book Shop
Floral Craft Workshop
EXPENDITURES
General and administrative Salaries
Trellis net
Library Other
Excess of expenditures over revenue
Accumulated excess at beginning of year
Interest on funds held in trust
Accumulated excess at end of year Represented by: Cash and term deposit
AUDITOR S REPORT
operations for the year. SUMMARIZED FINANCIAL INFORMATION FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 1979 AND 1980
1979 23,929 41,406 6,796 11:252 8,136 1321 7,417 99,657 66,393 15,390 16,299 34,478 132,560 (32,903) 34,284 34,791 36,172 8,751 12,542 50,010 2,936 2 74,241 18,773 3,290 1272 3,834 38,069 36,112
We have examined the statement of financial position of The Civic Garden Centre as at December 31, 1980 and the statements of accumulated excess of revenues over expenses, and revenue and expenses for the year then ended. In our opinion, these financial statements present fairly the financial position of The Civic Garden Centre as at December 31, 1980 and the results of its
Murray Henderson Keeso & Co. Chartered Accountants
continued from page 10 F 70°, only to be followed by nights in the low C 5° F 40°. Tender plants such as celosia, coleus, impatiens, marigold, tuberous and fibrous begonias, should not be set out until June 1st. Nothing is gained by earlier planting in Southern Ontario when a good chill may set the plants back.
Mass plantings of one colour are the most effective. Don t use less than six plants of a kind and colour, otherwise your garden will have a spotty patchwork appearance. It is better to have them planted too close together than too far apart.
Petunias
Here is a list of the ten most popular petunias as compiled by BallSuperior Ltd. one of North America s largest wholesale distributors of seeds for commercial growers.
1. White Cascade 6. White Magic
2. Red Cascade 7. Red Knight
3. Sugar Daddy 8. El Toro
4. Pink Magic 9. Pink Cascade
5. White Knight 10. Red Baron
White is the most popular colour with red a close second.
The cascade group, which now consists of seven different colours, is not only outstanding in hanging baskets and planters, but also excellent in outdoor beds. The very large flowers stand up well above the trailing branches. It is surprising how seldom one sees them in mass plantings at ground level. Petunias are North America s most popular bedding plant.
Growing Vegetables
With the continual rise in the cost of living, growing vegetables in 1981 will probably rank as a number one priority, both from the standpoint of economy and superior flavour.
Many gardeners plant their entire vegetable beds all at once, usually about the middle of May, completely ignoring the fact that there are two classes of vegetables frost tolerant and frost prone. The former prefer to start growing during the cool spring weather, the latter during warm summer weather. By planting the cool weather types two to three weeks earlier than the latter, you will have vegetables ready to eat much earlier.
Here are some of the more popular in the two types
Cold tolerant Heattolerant
Lettuce Tomatoes
Onions Peppers
Radish Squash
Peas Pumpkins
Carrots
Melons
Beets Beans
Spinach Cucumbers
Seed for the first list should be planted by May 1st, and the second list about May 20th. If plants are used for the heat tolerant group transplanting should be June 1st. Vegetables such as cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli prefer cool weather but because of their long growing season they are usually started indoors or purchased as plants. They should be transplanted into the garden about May 15th.
Pansies and Violas
Two of the loveliest varieties are Imperial Blue Pansy which the writer finds is the most vigorous and floriferous of all modern pansies, and Blue Heaven Viola, far the best viola to date. Both these are standouts in any spring garden.
Imperial Blue has a deep intense blue centre shading to soft porcelain blue on the upper petals. Blue Heaven is a celestial blue.
Pansy Imperial Blu
Hosta sieboldiana
This is probably the most striking and distinctive of all the plantain lilies, with very large blue gray leaves and tall upright stems. A clump of this variety creates more comment from visitors than any other plant in the writer s garden. The leaves turn a lovely golden shade in the fall. The flower stems are tall, and the blooms are white in colour but unfortunately without perfume. It s a very hardy shade loving perennial and a vigorous grower that needs lots of space. Available at Sheridan Nurseries.
Two outstanding perennial varieties
Chrysanthemum Grandchild is a beautiful bright double pink with a garnet centre; striking and unusual. Phlox Starfire , an incomparable scarlet red is available at Sheridan Nurseries.
Coleus
No annual grows better in a shady area or has a greater colour range than a mass planting of coleus. It is very easy to start indoors from seed because it enjoys ordinary house temperatures of 70°F. Seed should be planted March 1. Plants purchased from nurseries should not be planted out until June 1st, as they are very sensitive to cool temperatures. There is a greater variety of coloured leaf structure than in any other annual. The writer prefers the Rainbow type including the new dwarf Wizard varieties as they seem to provide a more solid blanket of colour. The only real drawback of this annual is that it is a favourite food for slugs. To thwart this pest, use metaldehyde pellets starting in mid-June and again in midJuly.
Emest Pope is on theAdvisory Committeeofthe Civic Garden Centre and an active memberof theMen s Garden Club andNorth Toronto HorticulturalSociety. He contributes regularly to TRELLIS.
$13.95 (shrink-wrapped set)
KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE CENTRE
Horticultural and Centre events in May and June
Events in May and June include the Centre s Plant Sale, the Garden Club of Toronto Flower Show, and an International Show by the Rhododendron Society of Canada. The Hawaiian Pavilion of Caravan will occupy the Centre in late June.
Courses for the period are the Photography course starting May 6, Pine Cone Crafts lecture on May 11, and Four-way Bargello and Pulled Thread workshops on May 25 and June 1. For further information phone the Centre at 445-1552.
During May the Centre s Annual Exhibition of Children s Art will be on show throughout the building.
May 4
RHODODENDRON SOCIETY OF CANADA
Rare plants: Sale 6:30 p.m. Auction 8:00 p.m.
May 8 WINDOWS TO THE WORLD Garden Club of Toronto Flower Show
May 15
10.00 a.m. 3.00 p.m. $2.00 admission.
CENTRE S SPRING PLANT SALE 10.00 a.m. 4.00 p.m. This is always a popular sale, so come early for the best selection. There ll be annuals, vegetables and usually some perennials and house plants, all grown by our members. We ask members donating plants to the sale to bring them to the back doors of the Floral Hall (at the east end of the building) on Thursday May 14 between 10.00 a.m. 4.00 p.m.
May 17 A WILDFLOWER FIELD TRIP Leader Frank Kershaw. Meet at 9.30 a.m. in the parking lot of Morningside Park, entrance off Morningside south of Ellesmere for this morning trip.
May 23-24 SOUTHERN ONTARIO ORCHID SOCIETY SHOW and TORONTO AFRICAN VIOLET SOCIETY SHOW. Phone 445-1552 for show times.
May 22-24 CIVIC GARDEN CENTRE TOURS OF PRIVATE GARDENS
June 19-21 Nine gardens can be visited over the weekends shown. . .all August 29-30 for only a $3.00 ticket. New gardens this year include a lighted garden, one featuring fine rhododendron plants, and two beautiful mature gardens. Staging over a longer period allows gardens which are at their best in late summer to be included. The tours present a rare opportunity and great value. Be sure to get your ticket early at the Centre office.
May 30-31
RHODODENDRON SOCIETY OF CANADA INTERNATIONAL SHOW
A splendid exhibition from 1.00 to 5.00 p.m.
June 14 TORONTO BONSAI SOCIETY SHOW. Phone 445-1552 for show time.
June 19-27 METRO CARAVAN: The Hawaiian Pavilion. Open daily with Caravan passport.
July and September issues to be combined.
We want to maintain TRELLIS at its existing standard without raising membership fees but cost increases this year are such that we must take action to avoid a serious deficit. Hence we have decided to combine the July and September issues. We trust that this one-time measure of combining two issues and other steps being taken will effectively improve the financial position of the publication. The July/September issue will contain the fall programme of courses, horticultural events and other activities at the Centre. Every member get a member!
If each of you signs up one new member this year, our membership would double. Simple. Share the benefits of Civic Garden Centre membership with more of your friends. With more members, we can expand the scope of programmes and perhaps even increase the size and content of TRELLIS.
Civic Garden Centre Horticultural Society
There s a move afoot to consolidate some of our smaller groups and form a new Civic Garden Centre Horticultural Society which would form a focus for Centre programming and activities. If you would like to join, write or phone. Help needed for the speakers panel
Our volunteer speakers panel, which takes speaking engagements in the 50-mile area around Toronto, needs drivers and a coordinator. If you would like to help by driving a congenial group of panelists occasionally, we would like to hear from you. We are also looking for a coordinator to arrange for the panelists to meet their engagements. This is mainly a phoning activity. If you can help, please call Clive Goodwin at 445-1552.
How to pick your plant like an expert.
To pick plants like an expert, ~% shop at Reeves. It s really that & simple.
Here, any plant you choose will be from the very best varieties of vegetables, flowers, roses, trees and shrubs. All selected by a horticultural expert Ken Reeves himself.
That means whatever you choose has been very carefully considered. And appr(})lved. qg Everything m should be so fee
Simple, Fiorist and Nursery 8700 Islington Ave., Woodbridge, Ontario, 851-2275
friendr aond foers
by Shirley Kirby in conversation with Peter Radonicich
Did you know that the beneficial insects of this world far outnumber the damaging pests? Some authorities estimate that ninety-nine out of a hundred insects are beneficial. When we attack our garden and plant pests with highly toxic chemicals, we Kill off 99 friends to exterminate one enemy!
So why not enlist the help of our friendly bugs in fighting the battle against the pests? Several categories of beneficial insects all do their part in holding the pests at bay. These are the predators, parasites and pollinators who contribute to your garden s good health.
Let s talk about the handsome ladybug. The adult will consume 50 to 100 pests per day, happily feeding on aphids, mites, scale, mealybugs, small bollworm, leafworm, moths and fleahoppers. The ladybug larva has an even more voracious appetite and will consume about 40 pests per hour. Ladybugs hibernate in your garden over winter and will be there in the spring ready to help control unwanted insects.
Another useful predator is the pray-
ing mantis. When young, it feeds on aphids and leafhoppers. As a mature adult, its idea of a gourmet feast is chinch bugs, crickets, beetles, tent caterpillars and other pests.
The tiny trichogramma wasp is a parasite which attacks over 200 pest species and their eggs, including the codling moth, tent caterpillar, spruce budworm, fruitworm and cutworm. It lays its eggs in the host pest and when the eggs hatch into larvae, the larvae feed on the host. The larva completes its development inside the pest, emerging as an adult, thereby destroying the host.
When buying these helpful allies in the battle of the bugs, be sure to follow precisely the directions for releasing them in your garden.
Other Non-Chemical Alternatives For Pest Control
Bug controls formulated from natural ingredients are another option. One is the revival of an old North American Indian custom of putting what they called crazy sand into their stores of grains and seeds. The Indians found that such a practice eliminated insect infestations. Crazy sand, now known as diatomaceous earth, is the fossilized remains of microscopic marine plants. The sharp contours of these microscopic plants rapidly lacerate the insect until it dies, at the same time dehydrating the victim. The action of diatomaceous earth is a mechanical not a chemical process to which the insect cannot develop a resistance, unlike chemical control methods. Precise blending of the diatomaceous earth with other botanical additives increases potency and establishes various combinations for specific applications. For instance, certain formulations are precise to the extent that specific insects will be controlled and most beneficial insects will be unaffected.
Plain diatomaceous earth is a contact killer. However, to extend the death-dealing blows to pests, botanically based pyrethrum and rotenone are added as required. These additives don t persist in the environment but do extend the efficacy of these naturally-based bug Killers.
The sharp edges of the tiny particles of diatomaceous earth it resembles talcum powder until you look at it under a 3000 power microscope can t harm wildlife, pets, birds or human beings.
Soap Power
Another alternative to chemical bug controls is the use of insecticidal soaps. Using soap as a garden pest control measure also has a long history. In pioneer days when household soaps were made from an imprecise mixture of animal and vegetable fats plus potash, the soap was also used to help control garden pests. Sometimes the results were better than other times and nobody knew why.
Years later, scientific research turned up the fact that the active ingredient was fatty acid. (This fact was stumbled upon by a research team investigating ringworm in youngsters. They discovered that fatty acid is toxic to ringworm; when children reach puberty, normally ringworm is no longer a problem as the body then produces sufficient fatty acid to combat ringworm.)
The trick in getting an effective soap insecticide to exterminate the particular bug you want to get rid of is to balance the amount of fatty acids. Fossil Flower, for instance, has successfully blended an insecticidal soap which will destroy or control white flies, spider mites, mealy bugs and aphids, mites, scales, loopers, ants and fleas. It doesn t seem to harm the white fly parasites who feed on white flies or the lady bugs who can devour their weight in other bugs many times over.
Because of the low toxicity of the insecticidal soaps, sometimes all the bugs you want to exterminate aren t eliminated. By importing beneficial insects, you can augment your soap spray program and the beneficial insects will help keep control for you.
Insecticidal soap products can be purchased pre-mixed for small applications or in concentrated form which can be used in correct proportions with the mixer attachment on the garden hose. You can spray fruit trees, vegetable and flower gardens, even greenhouse plants with the hose attachment.
Better still, insecticidal soaps are perfectly harmless to people and pets, and our friendly insects ladybugs, wasps and bees are minimally affected.
There are some who say cleanliness is next to impossible. Try soap!
NEW NATURAL Q INSECTICIDAL SOAP -
AT MAJOR GARDEN CENTRES AND OTHER FINE STORES Other natural bug controls: Purple martin bird houses and beneficial insects. /%
Let s Hear It For The Birds
Our cheerful feathered friends are another of our hard-working allies in fighting the battle of the bugs.
Flycatchers and many other birds feed on insects. If their food supply is poisoned by toxic chemicals in the environment, they will no longer be around for our enjoyment.
Integrated Pest Management
Integrated pest management, a program successfully launched in the United States on a commercial basis, combines the use of beneficial insects, special plant breeds, restrained spraying and common sense. Although it s set up for the large scale agribusiness, the IPM philosophy can be applied by the home gardener.
For instance, if you have pests in your cabbage, instead of spraying the whole garden, just spray the cabbage. You might eliminate both the pests and the beneficial insects in the cabbage patch to zero, depending on what spray you use. But then the
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beneficial insects from the rest of your garden can move in. Pests are only pests when they outnumber the desirable insects. Remember, beneficial insects are both predators and parasites and they need some pests to support themselves.
If you use a pesticide, use something that isn t too toxic; something that will dissipate in a day or two and leave no residue. If your timing is right, you re going to Kkill the bugs the first day anyway so you don t want a high residual insecticide that will harm other life. Frequently, you have to spray twice because if the adults have already laid their eggs, you catch the offspring on the next spraying.
In the southern United States, large scale farmers periodically sweep their fields with billowing nets and report
their catch numbers and species
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Almost 200 sedums, 100 sempervivum, 20 different species and varieties of dianthus, geranium, thyme, veronica, primula, lychnis and campanula along with such rare novelties as carduncellus, rhaponticoides, dracocephalum, ruyschianum and erodium chrysanthum are included in a fine collection of over 1,000 perennials for Ontario gardens.
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of insects to a central computer, aptly named BUGNET. The computer analyses the findings, takes into account weather conditions, the life cycle of the pest insect population, and alerts those farm operators tied into the computer system when the worms, weevils, or whatever, are about to reach damaging proportions. Farmers are advised on the appropriate combat action to be taken.
By following recommendations worked out by computer, some farmers found they saved as much as one third the cost of spraying programs by spraying only at the critically precise time in the pest life cycle. Money saved more than paid for the computer service.
Obviously, this approach is not for the home gardener. But it highlights the growing concern for both the effect of chemicals on the environment and the spiralling costs of chemicals. Fruits and vegetables, which make up one third of our diet, are for the most part commercially sprayed by chemicals.
Another important point that bothers some agri-environmentalists is the fear of a pollination crisis . Every year, about 10% of the honeybees in the United States are destroyed by chemical pesticides.
city gardens
Tropical Plants
Sales and Maintenance
lan A. McCallum, B:Sc.(Agriculture) 446-1040 9:00 - 5:00 Monday to Friday
RHODODENDRON SOCIETY OF CANADA
Tenth Annual Flower Show and Convention Civic Garden Centre May 30-31 1.00 5.00 p.m.
Plant Auction, Flower Show Photo Show and Lectures For details call Fred Gallop 278-7361
The most powerful chemical does not kill all members of a generation of pests. Susceptible ones are culled out but those few with chance genes resist the chemical and live to pass along the resistant gene to their offspring. Constant use of the same chemical favours more and more such individuals until the entire population of that pest variety is resistant. These survivors, given their rapid breeding rates, quickly bring along future generations resistant to the insecticide. Hence the unending search for new and more powerful chemicals.
Now its time to cooperate with Mother Nature, not fight her. We hope these suggestions for alternatives to chemical pesticides will add to the enjoyment of your garden.
Peter Radonicich is President of Fossil Flower, a company specializing in natural organic bug killers.
Mini Rose Nursery
Specializing in Miniature Roses For 1981 Listing write Florence Gahagan
P.O. Box 873, Guelph, Ontario N1H 6M6
Landscape Designers & Contractors
449-3338
Quality Installations & Year Round Services
801 York Mills Road Don Mills, Ontario M3B 1X7
Short lived Perennials
Two of our loveliest perennials, delphinium and the long spurred aquilegia (columbine), have an average life expectancy of approximately three years. Delphinium plants that have survived for three or more years should be divided in October. Columbines growing from a tight single crown are difficult to divide successfully, if at all. During the no-snow winter of 1980 some gardeners lost all or most of these two perennials. Even in mild snow-covered winters they keep disappearing for no apparent reason. It is possible the new hybrids have been bred from less hardy stock.
Joseph Harris Inc., a well known American seed house, located in Rochester, N.Y. has this to say about delphiniums: Some individual plants in each planting are biennial, and some hardy perennials. Therefore it is impossible to make every plant have more than one or two blooming seasons. However as both can be readily grown from seed this is the way to assure a ready supply of plants to replace the casualties. The seed should be started in flats about June 1st, and the seedlings transplanted into the garden about October 1st.
It is hard to imagine a garden without these two beauties and the extra work involved is well worth the effort. Both these perennials belong to the buttercup family of plants.
Pieces by Ernest Pope
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VINELAND NURSERIES
(416) 562-4836
P.O. Box 98 ® Martin Road Vineland Station, Ont.
Cymbalaria muralis (Kenilworth
Ivy)
This attractive creeping or trailing plant has small kidney shaped leaves. The tiny lavender-blue flowers, with yellow throats, are shaped like minute snapdragons. It is a native of Central Europe where it is considered to be a perennial. In the Metro Toronto area, it is not fully hardy only occasionally surviving our winters. However, this is no handicap because it is a prolific self-seeder and once you have it, it becomesa fixture. It is not a nuisance plant, as due to its soft texture and shallow rooting habit, it can be readily pulled up or transplanted.
In England it is used a great deal for trailing over stone walls. It is very pretty growing between the flagstones, on a patio or steps. It grows in average soil, in either sun or shade. In the sun the leaves are smaller, but it is much more floriferous. It is ideal for hanging baskets and window boxes.
It will also grow as a house plant but unfortunately likes cool night temperatures to 50°F to 550F (100 12°C). These are difficult to provide except in a cool greenhouse.
In view of the overall merits of the plant, it is surprising how seldom it is found growing in Ontario gardens.
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PRUNING SPECIALIST
All types of trees and shrubs pruned properly
Tree pruning Insured Willing to barter
Brian Sinclair 762-5828 anytime
The Chinese Flowering Dogwood flowers in mid-June with creamy white to slightly pinkish bracts. Autumn colour is scarlet with red fruit clusters. This plant is just one of an exceptionally wide choice in ornamental shrubs available from Sheridan Nurseries.
