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Wednesdsay May 16 , 2001 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER C7 Homes & Gardens P a r k Annuals give garden instant colour If you want colour in your garden and you want it fast, annuals are the answer. Annuals only grow for one year and then die, while perennials come back year after year. However, most perennials take two to three years before they hit their peak flowering stage and provide vibrant colour. Also, they tend to bloom for just a few weeks of the year. Annuals often bloom from spring until frost, trying to make as many seeds as possible for the following year. To get your garden looking great in no time, here are a few tips: · Buy larger plants. The larger the plant, the more mature and ready it will be to flower. · Prepare the flower bed soil. Bad soil will halt the flowering of the best plants. Be sure to work in plenty of compost or peat moss for an excellent base. Work at least four inches of soil in a new bed and two inches in a mature tied. · Plant seeds outdoors. The risk of frost must have passed, but planting seed directly into the soil bed will spring like magic. Fast growers include cosmos, marigolds, zinnias and sun flowers. · Fertilize. Especially in areas where nutrients have been flushed out by fre quent watering. Fertilizing will encour age maximum height and bloom. However, don't over fertilize -- you'll encourage plants to produce more stems and less flowers. · Houseplants. Flowering houseplants can make a great addition to your garden. Sink the plant, pot and all, into your garden. You should be able to pull it out at the end of the season and bring it back indoors. Some other plants that provide fast colour are: Ageratum, Begonias, Celosia, Geraniums, Globe amaranth, Helitrope, Impatiens, Lanata, Periwinkle, Petunias, Salvia, Scaevola, and Verbena. -H om e D ep o t Ir*p6fcei«f &j-e o*te fhe fro fru b r A * t * u W $ '. Th ey re C f^y fc jrtfa f, e/epetu/cJ?(e, fo(ere/e {h id e b(ao**.f fA rc ic f/i efij-h) £cdl. Choofe /ro t* . jA A p ro v id e ;y , ^ jA w . * _ w t+L&*ty colour?. W s : . 8 | im & iio u fd ^ (?er6*tcu**v Trees must be planted properly to survive (Continued from page C8) grow without interference with the house, other structures or services such as overhead wires or sewer pipes. 3] For each tree, prepare a shallow planting area, about 30 cm deep, and five times the diameter of the soil ball by spad ing the entire area and adding small amounts of the peat moss, cattle manure, or other soil amendments. This preparation is not a hole but rather like preparing a garden bed for planting of annual flowers or vegetable transplants. LETT! zXPERTS REPAIR YOUR LAWN! 4] Dig a hole in the middle of this prepared area and set the soil ball and can improve your lawn with thicker Growth, Better colour spread out the bare roots in the hole. and greater resistance to Disease. Insects and Drought Damage. Remove the trees plastic pot with the soil as moist as possible so that will hold together. (Remember, the paper fiber pot stays on.) It is most important that the top of the soil ball be exactly even with, or per haps slightly above, the level of the soil. Obviously all roots should be in the soil! * Valid only on seeding and sodding Lightly pack the soil in place surround ing the tree. Do not packed the soil · S o d d in g - For an Instant Lawn down hard. Use water to remove air · S lit S e e d in g - M echanically slices into the soil creating pockets in the soil. a furrow into which our highest quality seeds are injected. If the tree is unable to withstand · L a n d s c a p in g · B o b c a t S e r v ic e anticipated winds, then provide a strong · L a w n C a r e · L a w n D r e s s in g stake, out at least 20 cm from the trunk. Remove the stake and ties nine months GUARANTEE - WE STAND BEHIND OUR WORKMANSHIP 100% after planting. Bark mulch applied to the original prepared area will also help FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CALL preserve soil moisture, but it should not touch the tree trunk. Thanks to Art Drysdale for the input and advice on planting trees. - a lso re s p o n s ib le fo r d e v e lo p m e n t o f C o rp o ra te P a rtn e rs h ip s fo r C o m m u n itie s in B lo o m , (w w w .c o m m u n itie s in b lo o m .c a ), a n a tio n w id e n o n -p ro fit v o lu n te e r o rg a n iza tio n th a t e n c o u ra g e s a n d p ro m o te s c o m m u n ity in v o lv e m e n t in e n v iro n m e n ta l e ffo rts , h e rita g e p re s e rv a tio n , u rb a n fo re s try an d civ ic b e a u tific a tio n . To c o n ta c t B rian , e m a il h im at: b b u rto n @ b b a .o n .c a Look for more Great Specials in our Flyer in today's newspaper. Y o u r se lf! Building your own deck can be easier and more affordable than you might think! 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