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Growers and distributors of quality garden plants and craft products
NOW 8 beautiful garden stores to serve vou
HAMILTON 2500 Barton Street East Parkway Plaza Centennial and Barton St. 560-1600 755-5345
ETOBICOKE
SCARBOROUGH
1306 Kennedy Rd. South of Highway 401 North of Lawrence Ave.
MISSISSAUGA
1582 The Queensway 335 Dundas St. E. East of Highway 10 West of Cawthra Rd. 277-2727 Between Kipling Ave. and Highway 427 255-0725
CAMBRIDGE NEWMARKET 561 Hespeler Rd 55 Yonge Street Highway 24~ f 500 yds. S. of Highway 401 621-5281
WHITBY
1242 Dundas St. E West of Thickson Rd East of Anderson St 668-7505
Open 7 days a week
city gardens
Tropical Plants
Sales and Maintenance
Aloe Vera ENER-G JUICE
e Superior quality
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Toronto phone: 920-1796
Mississauga and Etobicoke: 248-9402
lan A. McCallum, B.Sc.(Agriculture) 446-1040 9:00 - 5:00 Monday to Friday
Mini Rose Nursery
Specializing in Miniature Roses
For 1982 Listing write Florence Gahagan
P.O. Box 873, Guelph, Ontario N1H 6M6
In this issue
Cover photograph:
March 1982
Volume 9, Number 2
Small World Cherry Hybrid Zinnia All-America Selections, Bronze Medal 1982
All-America Selections 1982 Award Winners / 5 / 22
New Rose Introductions / 8
Exotic Vegetables / 11
Keep your eye on the Centre / 13
Now is the time / 15
Successful Balcony Planting / 19
Horticultural Advisory Committee
Gerda Ferrington, Hal Price, Ken Reeves, Otto Richter, William Rock, Laurie Scullin
Executive Director: Tom Thompson .
Editor: Fredrik Kirby
Advertising: Shirley Kirby (416) 226-0996
Graphics and Printing Thorn Press Limited, Toronto
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.
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SMALL WORLD CHERRY'HYBRID ZINNIA
All-America Selections Bronze Medal, 1982
Invite this new award-winning zinnia to your summertime 1982 garden party. Small World Cherry is a natural-born mixer - - attractive, congenial and vivacious without being loud or pushy.
Flowers gain grace when their parts are in pleasing proportions. Small World Cherry will please your eye, with medium-sized blossoms on small, mounded plants. When grown on 1 ft. centers the plants will top off at 12 to 16 inches and will spread to cover 18 inches. The beehive-shaped blossoms average 2 to 2% inches in diameter.
The plants of Small World Cherry are comparable in size to the dwarf zinnia, Peter Pan , but its blossoms are smaller and more numerous. Although small, the plants are strong and durable.
Small World Cherry grows quickly from seeds sown in warm soil; plants can be moved to fill up gaps. The smaller the seedlings, the easier they are to move without transplanting shock.
Small World Cherry will perform well in about any kind of garden soil, but will benefit from sand and compost or pasteurized manure worked into the bed. Mix in soil amendments to raise the level of the bed 2 to 3 inches. This elevation improves drainage and helps the soil to warm up faster in the spring. Zinnias bloom faster in well-drained soil. /4
CARNATION SCARLET LUMINETTE" HYDRID
All-America Selections Bronze Medal, 1982
Three dollars . . . four? What would you expect to pay for a dozen long-stemmed carnations at a roadside stand? Would they breathe the heady clove fragrance of old-fashioned carnations, and would they keep for a week or two in flower arrangements?
Now you can grow bunches of fragrant, long-keeping scarlet carnations in your garden. Plant seeds of Scarlet Luminette , a new hybrid garden carnation with stiff stems that rarely need to be staked. They stand erect, well above splashing mud.
The plants of Scarlet Luminette will branch at the base to produce 6-8 stems 18-22 in. in height. Each bluegreen stem will branch to support clusters of three to four fat buds. These will open into classic double carnations with fringed petals. At an average diameter of 2% in., the blossoms are slightly smaller than most greenhouse types, but are more graceful.
HOW TO GROW SCARLET LUMINETTE CARNATIONS
If you want the new Scarlet Luminette
carnations in your 1982 garden, plan on starting them from seeds. Only those growers specializing in new or unusual varieties will offer plants of Scarlet Luminette .
A good grower can get three seedlings from every four seeds by sprouting them at 70 degrees F. and by growingon the seedling at 60 degrees. Set the plants on 9-inch centers in the garden.
Where summers are long and hot and where soil freezes hard during the winter, carnations grow best when started indoors under fluorescent lights, January through March - - the earlier the better.
The seedlings are frost-hardy and can be set outdoors as soon as the soil has thawed and is dry enough to be worked. Three months are required for blossoms to form on transplants.
Early starting will give you big seedlings that will bloom in early summer, 10 days before the standard garden carnations are ready.
In warm areas, the intense sun can burn out carnations. Plant them where they are shaded from the afternoon sun.
SQUASH JERSEY GOLDEN ACORN
All-America Selections Bronze Medal, 1982
Have you ever grown summer squash? Then you d know to harvest it during the warm months for cooking or serving fresh for finger foods or salads. Winter squash is a different breed - - harvested late, stored, and baked or made into pies. But hold everything; here comes a delicious dual-purpose squash that can be eaten fresh like zucchini or stored for winter use.
Jersey Golden Acorn is the name, and it won an All-America Selections medal for 1982. In addition to being a multipurpose vegetable, it is also nutritious, with a high content of beta-carotene. This supplies building blocks from which the human body can make vitamin A. The 2-to-4 pound golden fruits are about three times as rich in vitamin A sources as the standard green acorn squash.
Jersey Golden Acorn plants are bushform, four to five feet across, and can be grown in gardens that are too small for the vining types of winter squash. Each bush will support from two to four mature fruits; many more fruits will form. They can be eaten fresh like summer squash with no loss in the number of storage fruits.
For crisp summer squash with a unique nutty flaver, harvest Jersey Golden Acorn when the fruits are smaller than a tennis ball. To store squash, harvest after the bushes have dried down but before a hard frost. Mature fruits are thick-fleshed and deep golden-orange in color.
YELLOW LEAVES ON SQUASH? No Cause for Worry
Jersey Golden Acorn squash has a peculiarity that can puzzle gardeners. Often, the first two leaves are yellow -not green, but a distinct butter yellow. The cooler it is when the seeds sprout, the more yellow the seedlings.
Relax; the squash plants will grow out of it. The leaves that form later will be green. Don t add fertilizer; the yellow color is not caused by a nutrient deficiency. Warm weather will balance the yellow and green pigments.
Tests with Jersey Golden Acorn have shown no advantage to planting early in cool soil. Early plantings can be stunted from the cold. Wait for two to three weeks after corn planting time before starting Jersey Golden Acorn seeds.
ew Rose Introductions
by Alexandre Raab
| have been asked to talk about our new varieties of roses and our most recent introductions. Before proceeding | would like to describe the criteria on which we are basing our selections. Generally, we observe new varieties for about three years before a decision is made for their introduction.
Firstly, we are looking for hardiness. After the winter of 1980-81 with its 30 and 35 Celsius, followed by an extremely cold spring, the importance of hardiness is quite obvious. Secondly, we are looking for vigour. With our short growing seasons vigour is extremely important. Varieties which are too slow in the spring and too slow to regenerate new growth after the first blooms, are just not rewarding enough under our climate. We include under vigour the number of flowers a rose bush will produce during the growing season.
Thirdly, we are looking for varieties with blooms of long lasting quality in the garden and as a cut flower. Ultimately, the reason to grow roses is the enjoyment of the flowers so for every additional day a flower will last is a just reward for our efforts. Needless to say, a beautifully sculptured bud or delightful fragrance will weigh heavily in our decision and will be given due consideration but firstly our selection has to meet our three points mentioned hardiness, vigour and long lasting qualities.
At the present time, we are testing mainly varieties introduced by the famous hybridizer Mr. George Delbard. We have done so because we found a strain of vigour and a strain of long lasting quality of the
flowers quite unique to this originator.
As of now, we also have under testing over 80 varieties of new and older introductions from English hybridizers, including Mr. Harkness and Mr. Dickson and many others. We hope that within two years we will be able to report to you on their worthiness for the Canadian gardens.
Our introductions of the last 15 years, such as Lancome, Dolce Vita, Versailles, Woman, Grand Mogul and Crepe de Chine are worthy examples of the criteria we are looking for. More recent introductions are Camera, an orange red Hybrid Tea, Northern Gold a non-fading daffodil yellow, John Snowball, snow white with green base, Sir Wilfrid Laurier pure pink on long stem, long lasting, extremely valuable for bouquets, Bordure Rose an extremely hardy Floribunda, Blue Nile with its seductive fragrance by far the best blue Hybrid Tea rose on the market, and obviously we are very proud of our Arnaud Delbard which became the 1977 All America award winner under the name First Edition . A more detailed description of these varieties and many others I have not
ANNOUNCEMENT
ANNUAL MEETING
Civic Garden Centre
7:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 14 Helen Skinner, Past President, The Garden Club of Toronto, will present an illustrated lecture.
TORONTO
A CITY OF GARDENS
Everybody welcome Door prizes ® Refreshments
mentioned can be found in our spring catalogues.
The Great Century introduced in 1979 is surely one of the most amazing roses. When fully open the petal unfolds to a graceful shape, delicate like a butterfly. It is not a very free bloomer and not every flower will develop into its full beauty, but ten or twelve exhibition flowers are ample reward. During the rose pilgrimage in Jerusalem, Mrs. Audrey Michaeljohn cut a basket full from the new Jerusalem rose garden. She used them with her customary talent in her flower arrangement and it was certainly the sensation and the most talked about flower in the rose show.
Hallelujah will be one of our introductions for 1983. A few bushes have been shipped already to our garden centres in 1982. It is a big rose with dark royal velvet red and the silver reverse of the petals is a beautiful bluish reflection. It is vigorous but lacks the waxy long lasting quality of the petals customary to Delbard roses. I expect we will see some improved variation of this rose in the next decade.
[ think it is appropriate at this time to express our apology for some of the poor quality roses which reached our garden centres in the early spring 1981. I want to state emphatically that we only sell roses in our garden centres produced in our Goodwood Farm. Roses grown in the field are dug in the fall, planted in containers and spend the winter solidly frozen with only the protection of one sheet
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of plastic. The sudden cold spell in December 1980, caught a large part of our roses without any protection causing considerable damage to the root system before we became aware of the problem. This was the reason for some of the poor quality plants reaching our garden centre.
Our experiences of past years has proven to us without a shadow of doubt that roses can be successfully grown under our extremely cold climate as long as we respect a few basic requirements:
1) Roses can be grown successfully in sandy, clay or organic soil. What is important is the addition of necessary nutrients in the form of fertilizer.
2) The planting bed should be considerably higher than the surrounding area to ensure a rapid runoff of rain or melting snow. Planting land with poor sub-soil drainage (when heavy clay or other obstruction
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prevents the downward percolation of moisture) should be raised to additional heights. I consider this the most crucial point of all.
3) Roses should be planted with the graft union at least 1 or 2 below the level of the soil; every spring the soil should be cleared away from the graft union creating the shape of a saucer about 12 in diameter and they should be pruned heavily down to 3 from the ground. This is particularly essential the first spring following the year after planting.
4) Winter protection should be with soil only. A good light soil is by far the best. I would strongly advise against the use of peat moss or other organic matter for winter protection.
We have planted many test gardens during the past years by respecting these recommendations and our award winning rose garden at the
Floralies 1980 was planted under the same guides.
For nutrient we recommend a high phosphorous and potash fertilizer (such as 4-8-12) applied in the fall, following with a spring application of high nitrogen fertilizer in April and early June (such as 12-4-8) and here we unabashedly recommend our own White Rose Nurseries blend of Iron Plus for the reason that this is the only dry fertilizer on the market containing chelated iron and magnesium so essential for successful rose growing. This fertilizer has been blended to our specifications to cover the needs of our rose fields and it is the only secret we have to explain the beauty of our rose fields. They never cease to amaze visitors to our Goodwood Farm.
Alexandre Raab is President of White Rose Crafts & Nursery.
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International Orc hid Centre
EXOTIC ORC HID PLANTS
Potting media and accessories (416) 961-7335
1098 Yonge Street, Toronto
PRUNING SPECIALIST
All types of trees and shrubs pruned properly
Tree pruning Insured
Willing to barter
Winter Rates
Brian Sinclair 762-5828 anytime
Other natural bug controls: Purple martin bird houses and beneficial insects. /- AVAILABLE AT
®xofic VEGETABLES
by Anstace Esmonde-White
He either fears his fate too much or his deserts are small, That dares not put it to the touch to gain or lose it all.
My Dear and Only Love Marquis of Montrose 1612-1650
No doubt the Marquis did not have horticultural activities in mind as he penned these lines but the same principle applies in the garden.
Exotic vegetables can and should be grown in home gardens where space permits. After all, why stick to the old proven favourites. Be adventurous. With very little extra effort you can grow vegetables that are generally regarded as luxury crops, are hard to obtain and expensive to purchase.
Leeks
Garden leeks have a mild delicate flavour and are the aristocrat of the onion tribe. They are native to southern Europe and the Near East. The leek that grows wild in North American forests has a strong flavour and pungent odour and must not be mistaken for the cultivated garden leek.
Leeks are known to have been a highly esteemed vegetable by the early Egyptians. The Romans are believed to have introduced them to Europe and the British Isles where they have remained very popular ever since. It is surprising, therefore, how seldom leeks are grown in North American gardens. They are very well suited to our climate, practically free from disease and insect problems and very easy to grow when the correct cultural practices are observed.
Leeks need a long growing season and must therefore be started indoors or in a hot frame by mid-March. Some gardeners start them as early as February, but [ do not consider this necessary.
The seed can either be sprinkled evenly over the entire surface of a flat or container and covered lightly with soil or sown quite thickly in drills in the hot frame. Germination is often poor and irregular, so it is better to seed thickly and then thin the seedlings if necessary. Germination takes 8-10 days under ideal conditions, but in the home it frequently takes much longer.
Leeks planted in trench 8-10 inches deep. Photo: Larry Esmonde-White.
The seedlings remain in the seed bed until they are the size of a thin pencil, usually about eight weeks. They are then ready to transplant into the garden. When hardened they can withstand light frost.
The best, and, in my opinion, only way to grow leeks successfully is in a deep trench. Dig a trench the width of the spade and about 8-10 inches deep. Pile the soil on either side. If the topsoil in the garden is shallow reduce the depth of the trench accordingly. Incorporate well-rotted manure or compost with the soil in the bottom of the trench, as well as a sprinkling of bone meal. The trench is now ready to receive the seedlings.
With a trowel lift seedlings from the seedbed, a handful at a time. Trim the roots and leaf tops with scissors leaving the roots about 2 inches long and the leaf section about 6 inches long. All the plants will now be the same length.
Usinga stick or pencil make two alternate rows of holes in the trench. The holes should be 6-8 inches apart and should form a zig-zag pattern within the trench. Drop the roots of the seedlings into the holes and firm them in. Keep well watered and fertilize every two weeks. Fertilizer is best applied in liquid form by flooding the trench. Liquid manure is excellent if available, otherwise a complete fertilizer should be given. I use a combination of Bounty (6-2-2) and Sturdy (0-15-14) with consistently good results.
As the plants grow the leaves will spread out in the shape of a fan. The base will become a thick stem. As the plants develop, gradually fill in the trench with soil from either side. This will exclude all light and gradually blanch the stem which is the portion of the plant that is eaten.
Harvesting usually commences in late August and continues until freezeup. Leeks can be served hot with
cream sauce, made into soup or served cold in a marinade.
Leeks deserve a place in every garden.
Globe Artichokes
The globe artichoke is truly a gourmet s delight! We have had such a successful crop this past season, and good crops in the previous two seasons, that | am beginning to wonder whether an earlier crop failure was just my bad luck.
Globe artichokes are perennial plants in their native Mediterranean region, as well as California and other warm parts of the United States.
In Canada, however, we must grow them as annual transplants. The seed catalogue claims that with heavy mulching they may survive the winter. We have not yet succeeded in doing this. The mice got them first.
continued page 14
Y VEGETABLE GARDENING Anstace Esmonde-White
Common-sense advice on the special problems of growing vegetables, herbs and fruitin a cold climate. lllustrated with photographs and drawings.
$12.95 paperback
Available at fine bookstores
MCcGRAW-HILL RYERSON
March 1
KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE CENTRE
Horticultural and Centre Events in March and April
IN THE GALLERY in March Watercolours and oils by Myrtle Hamilton and Aileen Hussey.
Botanical Art Course starts.
March 2 Introduction to Creative Design workshop starts.
March 3 Japanese Flower Arranging Course (Intermediate) starts.
March 6 Home Gardening Course starts.
March 20
Vegetable Garden Workshop 10 a.m.
A free workshop for everyone who wants pointers on this popular topic.
March 28 Ikenobo lkebana Show from 1.30 to 6 p.m. Professor Masumi Horita from Japan will be demonstrating Ikebana.
April 1 Birdwatching in Spring course starts.
April 2 Rug Hooking Show 1-9 p.m.
April 3-4 Toronto Gesneriad Society Show. Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. Open to the public.
April 14
CIVIC
GARDEN CENTRE ANNUAL MEETING
Business meeting 7.30 p.m. Hort. night 8.00 p.m.
April 21-25 Garden Club of Toronto Spring Flower and Garden Show
Flowers, Naturally! Wed., Thurs., Fri., 10 a.m.-9 p.m.
Sat. and Sun. 10-6 p.m.
April 26 Advanced Needlepoint course starts. See January Calendar issue for details of courses or call the Centre for information.
NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING
7.30 p.m., Wednesday, April 14, in the Auditorium. To approve accounts, elect directors, appoint an auditor and transact any such other business as may come before the meeting.
Spring Plant Sale
Don't forget to set aside some plants for the Centre s Spring Plant Sale on May 14. The date for receiving plant donations is May 13. Annuals, perennials, herbs, vegetables and house plants will all be welcomed.
Milne House Giant Geranium Sale
Order your geraniums early from Milne House Garden Club at an unusually low price of $13.50 per flat (12-4 pots).
Telephone orders only, deadline March 31, 1982. Orders to be picked up at the Civic Garden Centre parking lot May 19th, 10 a.m.-8 p.m.
Telephone Betty Varty 447-3750, Hazel Lyonde 445-0942 or Gwen Gray 425-3561.
continued from page 12
Globe artichoke seeds are quite large and only about 30 come in a package. Each seed should be planted singly in a Jiffy-7 in midMarch. Germination takes 7-14 days. They grow quite rapidly and will need to be potted up before the garden is ready to receive them.
The plants should be hardened before being set out in the garden. Allow four feet between rows and three feet between each plant in the row. The plants will grow to a height of about 3 feet. Light frost does not bother them and the best results are obtained when they are set out around the 1st of May. Fertilizing with a complete fertilizer every 2-3 weeks helps boost production. They are greedy feeders and develop a large root system. Keep them well watered because if they are allowed to dry out the buds will shrivel up.
The first or main bud should be ready to harvest by early August. Later side shoots will produce smaller buds and harvesting should continue throughout September.
The buds must be harvested while the petals are still tight; the stem will be edible for 2 or 3 inches below the bud.
Muskmelon and Cantaloupe
It is only recently that melons have become a popular fruit in North America. New hybrids have been developed in recent years; these mature more rapidly, enabling us to grow the fruit in areas where the frost free period is relatively short around 100 days.
Although muskmelons are generally grown as transplants in Canada, [ have personally had great success seeding them directly outdoors. I do not grow them in the main garden; [ grow them on the compost heap!
The previous season s compost heap is still generating a small amount of heat, just enough to give the melons that extra little bit of base warmth they require and would not get in the main garden.
Because the compost has not yet fully decomposed you cannot plant the seed directly in it. The best plan is to make small round seedbeds about 2 feet wide, by removing some compost and filling the holes with good loam. In mid-May plant 8-10 seeds in each bed, thinning them later to the strongest three.
To provide protection during early growth place an automobile tire over each bed, fill the rim with water and cover the tire with clear plastic. The seeds will germinate quite rapidly inside this minigreenhouse. On very cold nights, added protection may be needed and on hot days, the plastic should be removed.
Ten to fifteen fruit may be harvested from each bed starting about mid-August. Muskmelons are at their best when vine-ripened. When fully mature they break away easily from the vine.
Mrs. Anstace Esmonde-White raises all her own vegetables and fruits at Evergreen Farm near Kemptuville, Ontario. She is author of Vegetables published by McGraw-Hill Ryerson.
Gourmet s delight: a fine harvest of globe artichokes.
Photo: Larry Esmonde-White
Now isthe time
by Ernest Pope
March 1st - April 30th, 1982
APRIL CARE OF THE LAWN
Lawns should be attended to as early in April as weather conditions permit, usually about the 10th of the month. Fertilizing, while there is still a little snow or ice coverage, often recommended, may waste some fertilizer due to runoff incurred when the snow melts. Also it may gum up the spreader.
As the grass doesn't start to grow well until night temperatures are at least 15°C (40°F) nothing is really gained by feeding prior to that time. It is best not to work on a wet lawn because walking on it packs down the soil. However, as soon as it is dry
enough it should be thoroughly raked with a soft toothed rake, and then the fertilizer applied. Again loss of fertilizer can result if used before raking, as some of it will cling to the disposable material.
While April seeding of the lawn is second best to September, nevertheless winter kill or failure to take action the previous fall may necessitate some seeding now. Just broadcasting seed over the established lawn or bare spots is ineffective because very little actually germinates, a lot is blown away by the wind, and a great proportion is eaten by birds.
Bare patches should have the soil stirred up to a depth of at least one half inch, plus the addition of moist peat moss, compost or top soil. Seed
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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 ved. * Everything m should ge $O fee simple. Fiorist and Nursery 8700 Islington Ave., Woodbridge, Ontario, 851-2275
should be sown on top of this mixture, and then covered by a quarter inch of the same. Then tamped down firmly with a board or light roller, and thoroughly moistened with a fine nozzle, being careful not to wash out the seed. After this, the most important thing is to continue daily waterings of the area unless it rains, never letting it dry out on the surface until the seedlings are at least half an inch in height. Dry soil is fatal to germinating seed. After the new grass is an inch high it should be given a feeding of milorganite which is non-burning, whereas commercial fertilizers might burn.
DIVIDING AND TRANSPLANTING PERENNIALS
While this can be successfully done in spring for almost all perennials, (except for a few like Oriental Poppies and Iris) discretion should be used. Some do even better when it is
THE neountry Squireo @arden
PERENNIAL PLANT SPECIALISTS
¢ Creeping phlox
e\ Daniel
) 0@. ® Fuldaglut sedum
A3 ol from Germany
\q ® Variegated Physostegia
Rock garden plants and alpines from the mountains of the world.
Vigorous herbaceous perennials, ground covers, dwarf shrubs, herbs.
Almost 200 sedums, 100 sempervivum, 20 different species and varieties of dianthus, geranium, thyme, veronica, primula, lychnis and, campanula and a full range of miniature roses and iris.
1982 OPEN DAYS
Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays from April 17 to June 13.
OPEN DAILY: June 19 to August 18
Steeles Ave. 2 miles west of Highway No. 10
delayed until fall, especially if you want bloom.
For example, if you divide or plant spring flowering perennials such as Doronicum, Trollius, Jacobs Ladder and most rockery plants, you will forego or destroy the current blooming period. These same plants, transplanted or divided in the early fall, will adjust enough to bloom successfully the following spring. However later blooming perennials such as chrysanthemums, lilies, phlox, etc. will if planted in the early spring become well enough established to give satisfactory bloom the same year.
SPRING CARE OF FLOWERING TREES AND SHRUBS
The time to prune them is right after they bloom or not later than one month has elapsed as they start to form next year s flower buds during the summer. With shrubs cut out at least one or two of the oldest branches at the base, more if the subject is very old or has been neglected for some years. Also shorten any unusually long branches that are spoiling the natural shape. If this procedure is followed, the shrub will continually renew itself and substantially more bloom will result. Under no circumstances should it be sheared into the form of a ball, a favourite trick of professional grass cutters. Nothing looks worse and the loss of bloom is great.
Late blooming shrubs such as roseof-sharon and peegee hydrangea that bloom on the current year s growth should not be pruned until early spring (April).
All flowering trees, shrubs and vines should be fertilized as early in the spring as the ground can be worked (April 15th). With shrubs and small flowering trees a handful or so can be spread around the base and carefully scratched into the surrounding soil. With larger trees and evergreens a crowbar can be used to punch holes
one foot deep, and two feet apart around the circumference of the branches and then filled with fertilizer. A high nitrogen fertilizer such as 12-5-4 or 18-4-16 should be used as a leaf growth is the main function of the group, especially evergreens, where the leaves (needles) remain the year round.
You will be pleasantly surprised at what a difference it makes over a period of time. You may feel that you do not want them to grow too big but only heavy shearing and removal of the leaders will prevent it. They are going to grow large anyway so why not let it be, at a healthy disease free rate. Proper placement at the time of planting is all important. Don t plant a tree that will grow to a height of 50 feet in 25 years in front of a picture window..
Most of the trees and shrubs lining our urban streets have seldom, if ever, been fed and it is amazing how many have survived. Just think of how much more healthy and beautiful they might have been. The cost of fertilizing them would of course have been prohibitive.
FERTILIZING SPRING BULBS
Bulbs such as tulips, hyacinths and daffodils in fact almost all spring blooming ones, will benefit from a fertilizer application. This should be done as soon as the snow has departed and they start to push their noses above ground. Early application is important because as soon as the stems start to break out there is danger that the fertilizer grains may lodge in the stem axils and burn the foliage. Using a non-burning liquid fertilizer such as 20-20-20 or Rapid Grow 23-19-17 will overcome this. The longer lasting granular fertilizer could be 4-12-8, or some other low nitrogen fertilizer. Too high nitrogen could give weak elongated stems. The main reason for the early fertilizing is not to help the current bloom but to
give the tired bulb a chance to renew itself and create good bloom the following year.
SEEDING DATES INDOORS
March April
Coleus (1st) Marigold Tall African
Impatiens (1st) (30th)
Ageratum (15th) Marigold Dwarf (1st)
Zinnia (25th)
Lettuce (1st)
Onions (1st)
Tomatoes (1st)
Cantaloupe (10th)
Cucumber (10th)
Peppers (10th)
Vegetables, particularly long season ones such as cantaloupes and peppers, should be started indoors or they may not mature before the advent of frost. Others, such as lettuce and onions, can endure early spring cool weather and can be seeded directly in the garden about April 15th.
IMPATIENS
March 1st is still a good planting date for this currently second popular annual. Seedings at this time will give
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nice sturdy 5 inch plants, still not in bloom, for planting out June 1st. The seed is light, responsive and should therefore not be covered, but merely pressed into the soil. This means that it should not be watered from above, as the seed will wash together or may even become buried.
The best way is to set the container in a pan with an inch of water and allow it to soak up moisture from below, until the surface becomes damp (usually within an hour).
After draining for a few moments, a pane of glass or a plastic cover should be placed over it so that outside air is excluded, and then placed directly under fluorescent lights or on a bright window sill.
Unlike most annuals that should be transplanted as soon as a second set of leaves have developed (usually within 5 or 6 weeks of germination)
these seedlings should be allowed to remain for at least two months or until they are 3 inches high and have several sets of leaves. This will mean larger more vigorous plants when they are finally transplanted into flats. Very young seedlings of this annual seem to resent early moving having a tendency to rot at the soil surface line. To combat this, no matter when you transplant, it is a good idea to add a teaspoon of Benomyl or Captan to a quart of water for the first watering in their new home. As soon as they become adjusted and start growing again the top of each plant should be nipped out to encourage branching and to keep the plants sturdy.
EmestPopeison theAdvisory Committeeofthe Civic Garden Centre and an active memberof the Men s Garden Club andNorth Toronto Horticultural Society. He contributes regularly to TRELLIS.
werd that bloom i Spurg!
Successtul Balcony Gardening
by T.W. Thompson
It seems the vogue these days to suggest you can grow anything, anywhere, and I suppose that is partially true, but many of the items I see promoted will require a great deal of attention and perhaps become impractical for most people because they would require an unwarranted amount of time and materials.
I am reminded of the number of people who have purchased bicycles responding to the popular myth that riding two wheelers is a great and healthy physical exercise. They soon find out that in the fifteen to forty years that have elapsed since they mounted the cycle, the seat is too hard, the road is too bumpy, and the leg muscles seem to have lost some of their power. After a few good tries, the cycle presents another storage problem, waiting for the children or grandchildren to inherit it, and thereby rationalize the validity of the purchase.
People who aspire to grow plants for food production or beauty whether in the garden, the house or balcony should understand that they require consistent cultural attention, and that the degree to which this becomes necessary increases with every foot above ground it is attempted. It is always regrettable to me when I see people spending considerable amounts of money on containers, equipment and plants, only to find the whole thing wilt and die, due to
lack of adequate care. If you are not prepared to check your plants twice daily, and that means every day, throughout the growing season you should not plant any vegetable crop on the balcony, because every time these plants wilt seriously, your chance of getting a crop is reduced. This means that when holidays come in the form of a weekend or a week or two, you will either have to stay at home, or find a neighbour who will be kind enough to take over your duties. While flowering plants will suffer somewhat too, you will lose some bloom but they usually recover with less vigor. All of this is by way of saying that whether you want to become a bicycle rider or a balcony gardener, you will not succeed by purchasing fine equipment but rather by applying your interest in a realistic continued page 21
Spring Flower and Garden Show Special Sale
KEN REEVES
Two invaluable plant books for the price of one! $7.95 shrink-wrapped set.
CLARKE IRWIN
Floweérs,°Naturally"!
The Spring Flower and Garden Show is taking to the woods this year!
Continuing its tradition of world class Flower Shows, The Garden Club of Toronto is presenting its twenty-fifth edition of the Flower Show from April 21st to 25th. And it s an all new kind of Show for 1982.
The big news is the convenient new location right here at the Civic Garden Centre in the beautiful springtime setting of Edwards Gardens and an exciting new theme, Flowers, Naturally! with the emphasis on the conservation and preservation of Ontario s woods and wildflowers.
You'll step into the Show under a big yellow marquee where a path will wind through a woodland of white birches, evergreens, mossy logs, rocks and blossoming flowers hundreds of trilliums, hepaticas, jack-in-thepulpits and purple violets.
Set among the evergreens and wild ground covers will be a special class of flower arrangements done to a theme, The Lure of the Wild. Here, Ontario s top arrangers will compete for the Canadian Club Award for Flower Arranging.
There will be something for everyone, with ideas for a backyard patio
or an indoor houseplant display, a walk in the country or a visit to a conservation area. Educational highlights include a replica of the wildflower sanctuary being planted at the Humber Arboretum at Humber College in Metropolitan Toronto, an exhibit by the University of Toronto Department of Botany demonstrating the effects of acid rain on plant material, and a Question Centre where noted horticulturists such as Tommy Thompson, Ken Reeves, John Bradshaw, Art Drysdale, Marilyn Dawson and Lois Wilson will help answer your gardening questions. As well, there will be an exhibit and sale of nature art, and a tea room serving light meals throughout the day. Proceeds from this event will assist in the development of the Wildflower Woods at the Humber Arboretum. For advance ticket sales (which will enable you to enter the Show directly) write The Garden Club of Toronto, c/o The Civic Garden Centre, 777 Lawrence Avenue East, Don Mills, or telephone Mrs. R.L. Woods at 482-1317 or 447-5218.
For further information, contact Heather Fuller at 485-9261.
Flowers,°Naturally~!
Shring Flower & Gardon Show
The Civic Garden Centre, Edwards Gardens 777 Lawrence Avenue East, Don Mills Wednesday April 21 to Sunday April 25
Hours: Wednesday through Friday
Saturday and Sunday
Admission: Adults: $3.50
10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Seniors and Students: $3.00
Children under 12: $1.00
continued from page 19
way. The difference with gardening is that you will lose your investment in the plants and get stuck with soil and containers which will end up being given away.
Having said that, I now urge you to try your skills if you have any interest at all. To test your abilities start in a small way, and find out at minimum expense if the rewards are worth the effort. You will notice that I did not mention the cost, because a test season can be explored at quite a low cost, if you are prepared to start with elementary containers.
Of great importance is the exposure to the sun. A northern exposure where there is little or no direct sunlight will not support a good growth of tomatoes, but lettuce and many flowering plants will do well. A direct southern exposure will offer the greatest problems because the sustained sun on concrete and brick surfaces will dry plants out at an astonishing rate. The south east and south west exposures are probably best, with the good amount of direct sun, followed by a good light level for the rest of the day.
Wind will also be another significant factor which is difficult to overcome, but the drying effect will become more obvious as plants increase in size. Tall growing specimens will probably need to be staked, and any with heavy foliage secured so that they do not tumble in wind gusts.
Of prime importance will be the size of the containers. Tomatoes and cucumbers have extensive root systems, and I would not consider planting them in less than 2 cubic feet of soil, with a depth of at least 10 inches for each plant. Soil volume will have a great deal to do with your success. Plants like tomatoes under normal conditions have very extensive root systems, because they have a lot of work to do to support strong
growth and develop flower and fruit. It is also obvious that the volume of soil will have a very direct relation to the amount of water that can be available.
Containers need not be expensive. Search around for 5 gallon containers strong enough to stand for a season or two filled with soil. Be sure to clean thoroughly so that there are no residual elements negative to plant growth. And always punch several holes in the bottom at least an inch across to assure the release of excess moisture.
Containers that hang from brackets must be located with great care to make sure that the wind does not adversely affect them. Boxes that hang on railings should be chosen with good soil volume and should always be hung on the inside of the railing to avoid the possibility of injury as a result of a fall, or aggravation to the neighbours below in the event of drip.
The balcony gardener will seldom have either the space or the inclination to prepare a suitable soil mix. There are excellent soil mixes, which have been sterilized and packaged for easy transfer to the balcony. Lugging bushel baskets of soil, and mixing the various ingredients is hardly a project for the balcony. Hillview Farms mixes are first rate, and a range is available suited to various plants.
Tomatoes are one of the favourites
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and varieties have been developed which do very well in patio pots. | have grown Big Boy , with great success, vielding fruit weighing 16 ounces or more, but they must be planted one to a patio pot, staked, disbudded, and cared for like a baby. Varieties have been developed which are much easier. One such is Patio, having medium sized fruit with good colour, it has a compact upright habit with dark green crinkled foliage, growing 24-30 inches tall. Its growth is very heavy and it should be staked. Patio-pik is a good dwarf cucumber for growing in pots. Egg plants grow well in large containers, and Slim Jim is a new variety which has small fruit, but unlike larger fruiting varieties, sets them in clusters of three to five. The above types will be planted as seedlings about May 24. Other possibilities which can be grown from seed are lettuce, radishes, while onion sets will provide good green onions for salads. Basic to the range of flowers are geraniums, petunias and impatiens. While these require constant care, they are not as demanding as the vegetable crop. If petunias and impatiens are planted in good soil they will require little or no fertilizer, but geraniums should have 15-30-15 liquid fertilizer watered every three weeks. Tomatoes, cucumbers and eggplant will also respond to the same fertilizer formula used every two weeks, except for the initial watering 20-20-20 would be preferable.
All things being equal you should have little difficulty with insects or disease, but standard all purpose plant insecticides and fungicides, used according to the directions, (it's always wise to read the directions), should handle any that may appear.
T.W. Tom Thompson is Executive Director of the Civic Garden Centre
HOW TO GROW SMALL WORLD CHERRY' HYBRID ZINNIA
Outdoor starting is best but wait until the soil is warm and frost danger is past. Cover seeds with sand. Space seeds on 12-inch centers. You can move seedlings to fill up gaps; keep a good ball of soil around roots.
You can start seeds indoors at 70-75° F, 4-6 weeks prior to average frost-free date. Protect the seedlings from sun and drying winds.
Small World Cherry seeds can be planted in gardens at any time through midsummer. Best uses - - edgings for taller flowers, massing to fill large beds, and planting in 3-5 gal. containers. Bedding plant growers will offer seedlings for summer 1982 gardens.
ZINNIA FANTASTIC LIGHT PINK HYBRID
All-America Selections Bronze Medal, 1982
Not content with simply being a beautiful, large-flowered, low-growing pink zinnia, Fantastic Light Pink hybrid changes in flower shape and color as the blossoms age. The first flush of blooms color up when the plants are only 10 inches high. These unfold to diameters of 4% inches and are gradually hidden by foliage while the plants are reaching their ultimate height of 16 inches.
The blossoms of Fantastic Light Pink open slowly; the outer layers of petals age to an attractive light pink while the fresh inner petals retain a deeper hue. As the petals mature they tuck under at the tips and edges, giving the blossoms a fluffed-up look.
Through all these transformations the plants of Fantastic Light Pink hybrid retain their symmetry with never an ungainly branch sticking up to ruin the effect. Bad weather doesn t break apart or topple the sturdy, many-branched plants.
Try Fantastic Light Pink in your garden this spring. Plant seeds 1 ft. apart in warm soil where the plants are to remain. Transplanting can delay maturity. Progressive grower-retailers will offer Fantastic Light Pink in 4 or 5-inch pots. These have a large rootball and transplant readily to larger containers or flower beds.
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