The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

WHYIW FREE PRESS. WEDNESDAY. MAX is 1e~2. PA<W 9r~ >1- z By Btick Pecinan< General manager 008 Garden Galli With Durhamn Regson brimming, with garden centres, homeownera fhave a wide selection to choSe fromL But what are tlsey really getting? An article published by t/se Americmn Asociat io of Nurserymen (AAN) givear you, t/he buying. public, tipa on exactly w/sot ta bah for," and ta/se t/se extra time ta ahop your local gardekn centre. There are three parts of a tree or shrub that you should examine before makdng a purchase: the root systein, the forin and shape, and the p roportions. Accoedn o the AAN, nursery three ways: container-grown, bailed and burlapped, an~d bare root. The firet way te, determine the health of plants je te carefully examine their roots. In container-grown plante, the root, eystems should be well developed, and the root and soil mass ehould retain its shape when removed fromn the container. When checking container- grown pants for potential probleme, make sure the plant bas ot outgrown the container. If this is the case, the plant may have beconme Reotund. In a rootbound plant, the roots coul around o'ne another and fifl the container tightly. Large rmots May coil around the trunk, or each other, cauing girdling. Avoid container-grown plante in which you can see roots ciréling onthe surface or coming eut of the drain holes. If a plant is-rootbound, some cirdling roots may need te be removed or cut te, avoid future probleins.' (Ini bare-rooted plants, however, some fibrous roots should be present, Before you can enjoy your deck this summer, there's work to be done this spring. That'deck is a .........k... The Central Lake Ontarlo Conservation Authority says the Heber Down Conservation Area camping facilities are now open for the public's use again this year. Treed sites are available adjacent te a 600-acre -Park., Camping rates are $16.50 per night and $99 per week (Canadian senior rates are $8.50 per night and' $49.50 per week), GST included. Ail sites have hydro and water hookups, as well as access te a dumping sttion. No reservations. Larger groupe requiring camping accommodation or intending te utilize the dayuse area1 for picnics, etc. are requested te bok these facilities tr h the main office (telephone 416-579-0411). Ini the past, visitars fro= al over have taloen advantage of the 4ýoe Brock StJHwy, 12 north te Hwy 7. Turn west te Coronation Rd. and south te the entrance. and major roots should* not be broken or crushed.) 1A second way in which. plants are offered te consumera ismi the ,balled and burlapped style. Bailed and burlappad plants are grown inthe ground. Asoil ball with roots je dug and' wrapped in burlap for shipping. Cominon 0bafedand burlappd plants include conifer, b=oadleaf evergreens, and deciduous trees and shrubs. Conifers and broadleaf evergreens can be recognized as those plants that neyer lSe their folage. Deciduous trees- and shrubs are distin- guished by their branchy, fibrous reots that hold solid. Because bailed and burlapped plants are root-pruned, the root astem, when dug as a bal, is compact and fibrous. One of the strong pointe of -both container- grown and balled and burlapped plants is that their root systems re-establish themselves rapidly. The third category of nursery plants, bare-root plants, are those that have had the soil washed or shaken from the reots. Growers do this to reduce the high shipping ceets. associated with the heavy weight of the soil. Dormant deciduous ,trees and shrubs are often sold as bare-root plants. When purchasing bare-root plants, choese plants with a large porcentage of fibrous roots. Avoid those whoSe major reots are crushed or broken. Do not allow the roots te dry out. To help keep bare-reot plants moist, you can store them in moist sawdust, compost or wet paper until they are set into the planting hole. Just as it is important ta check eut the root systeins of plante before you make a purchase, you should also check the forin and shape of any plants you buy. Except for specimen plants es -itfedirty, peling, mldy Here are somehnttatil help ensure the results you want. eClean it off. Decks should be cleaned thoroughly once a year to, remove built-up dirt, mildew, où and grease. You may want te cosidr using one of the new, fast-acting deck cleaners available in hardware and home centre stores. 0 Smooth out rough spots. Use sadpapar te, smoeth eut rouhspts. Be sure te caulk and seai al' cracks in the wood surface. YouMl need all-weather caulk and sealant that will flex with temporature. variances.ý Make sure your materials wil grown for their unique or exotic formne, most trees and srubs iehould have a natural shape, eays >AAN. flhere should not be major bare spots'caused by miesing or broken limbe.1 .Most shade trees ifpropaly pruned in the nursery M, Ihae only one central leader and an appropriate spacing of branches. Unfortunately, trees and abrubs may neyer outgrow bad branching that occur when they are sinail. Therefore, good form is a sign of geod quafity and care. If ebrube are overcrowded, they may become mnsshapen. The lower and aide branches will die and plante will be unnaturally tail for their width. In healthy, well-formned plants, the trunlcs should be straight in the container or the ball, deponding upon which type of root eystem you have selected, and the tree should net have slanted, twieted or deformed stems. While this Ind of imperfection is easy te glose over while you are stiil in the nursery, excited about having found the perfect shrub for that bare spot in your garden, buying a misshapen plant or tree can sabotage your efforts at a healthy and attractive landacapa. According te AAN, cheaply prioedý plante are net neceesarily the best choice. For example, if they are porluali1 and they die prematurrely, tley quickly become an expansive and disappitn mistake, no matter wht price you paid. 'When examining plants for formn and shape, be sure te keep an eye eut for damage caused by exposure to insecte or disease. The professionals at- your local garden centre can give you more information on what to look for when buying plante. take a stain. e Choose the right stain. When selecting a dock stain, choose one that pretects the wood from sun, and water and wen't crack, chip, peel or track. 0 Make sure you have the right stain colour. Stan a emali section of the dock firet. Pick an inconspicueus area and brush- out your stain. Cet a feel for how it' gees on, how long it takes to dry and how it looke on the weed. e Protect the wo&d To protect wood against water, cheese a wood mel that allows bare and pressure-treated weod te weather while reducing checking and cracking. FRED ROSE ~ ýQULff GARATI: I yu oe oI' lt svcfeure sen oui pr uchr e ul I tnyrond0 the leely c'lsidwl h lt f oui f oexpertise chse. lOW P dICEO A A ffrn. prdd i iliSaotle effe thve Ma o Jun.2, o92. ot i ies v iabe Si c ol e oit o r tesum 1916 luD urmnExuds bu Srplt. E., Whïtby nycmpllc'ss«e010loe (or he as t cl oife or n e 0sDn das & Garard) lhDn30dAys o ucoe ih0'd r HO6 UR:Mna'. .,-9 St 9- INTRODUCING PATIO 1 Op UUaiity AIUMinUM 3, Preparin g.the deck i 1-PIECE SET Manufacturer's suggested price: $1 ,547.0 NOW $9 990.9 BEACHCOMBER Centre Hobme Leisure 6 Pkenn . ~ PIC ERING 8 HOME & DESIGN CENTRE PICKERING HOME&- DESIGN CENTRE NHM 401 <Brock Rd and Hwy#401)A 428-9767 Landscape Retaining WaiIs Also interlocking stone installation & sales IRISO E 5825 TH-ICKSON RD. N. Wicster -d VRe cm Tantnjd 655M-4749 j MADE lm C»Ujm«- Professi à nal tips on selecting quality plants WHMY ME PRESS, WEDNESDAY. MAY 13.1992. PAGE 29 zmi dao 1 SAVE 60% 1 11,12 PRII=CCEE