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C6 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesdsay May 2, 2001 Homes & Gardens An early spring primer on growing a better lawn T he brilliant yellow forsythia, the beacon o f sp rin g , has joined the pink cherry, m agno lia and spring bulbs in celebrating spring. The forsythia has m ost o f the attributes o f a `b est' garden plant -- early, bright, hardy, few insects and disease problem s, and comes in many shapes and sizes, so I was surprised w hen it was not selected for W h y sall's 100 best plants for Ontario. Forsythia, interm edia is one o f the older favourites for hedging and ju st not a m ention in this section on hedge plants led by H ick's yew. We are sure that most o f the flowering hedges noted in O akville now are the forsythia. There are also many vari eties in different sizes, upright and arching in various shades o f yellow, one for m ost locations. Recently, I wrote o f the bleeding heart -- noting that there is an aggressive type. This week I came across a variety `spectabalis' that has been grow ing betw een the front walk, the house and the-driveway for 30-odd years and it finally has grown under the 7 ft. front width o f walk to emerge in the flow er bed in front. As it grew to the north, it withdrew from the south area leaving space for the remaining peonies. W hat good m an ners! W ith the break-out o f spring, the lawn mowers are cutting, contractors are spraying the lawn, and the con troversy to spray or not has begun. A m ajor problem in sandy soil is the nearly annual assault by w hite grubs. The attack is not so bad, but the counterattack on the grubs by the crows and raccoons makes a real mess of the lawn. W ith the early thaw this year, the grubs came up to the roots o f the grass and started early feeding. The crows found them and pulled out root clum ps searching them out. Generally, the whole lawn is not tom up. The lawn will need repair by rak ing, smoothing and adding and light ly rolling on a thin layer o f soil then adding the seed and another layer of soil and given a final roll. An alterna tive is to square up the area, dig it over, rake in the fertilizer, roll and y w JO H N SIMKINS In Your Garden add sod. Now, we want to prevent the sod going into w inter with grubs under it. The chafer eggs hatch in early July and the white grubs should be treated before they come to the notice o f the crows. In July, a spray of `M erit' (which must be applied by licenced technicians) will go to the grass roots. The grubs are eliminated, when they eat the grass. An organic method to use is nem a todes, which are applied to the lawn and watered in when the soil tem per ature is at least 60°F. There is anoth er variety used at 50°F. These pene trate into the grub when it contacts them in the soil, but does not go looking for them as does `M erit.' Most damage happens along areas on the top o f an incline or other place where the ground dries early. In these cases, a small garden along the top would open up the ground so the crows could get at the grubs without harming the grass. It could be all ground cover or a row or two o f hosta along the edge. Some natural controls for pests are using native plants, beneficial insects, com panion planting. Growing plants near the target to repel the pests, selection of plants resistant to com m on hazards and those that have different grow th cycles from the insects are others. Garlic has an odour that repels some insects. Choose plants that are strong and withstand the initial attack and carries on when it leaves. Avoid plant varieties that are susceptible to prevalent pests in the area. The problem with most fungicides and pesticides is that there is a cor rect time to apply them. This time is seldom the same each year. A con tractor managing a group o f lawns and gardens, sets up schedules for spraying the expected insects and diseases on the expected dates. Changes of weather and temperatures change the timing. Other times the insects may be expected, but they do not arrive and the spray was not needed. These are the unknowns in the programs. The true organic gar dener visits the garden frequently looking for early trouble then sprays for the bad actor. Fortunately in our lawns and gar dens, we have only a few trouble some insects and diseases to deal with. A good 450-page organic gar dening book, is R odale's Chemical Free Yard and Garden Book. The copy I have was published in 1991 and still covers the field with clear and simple instructions and explana tions. As an example, here is the eight point system o f organic gardening: Garden with a plan; Make compost; Feed the soil; Keep the garden clean; Learn to m anage pest problem s; Practice disease prevention; Banish weeds; and Keep records. Then we are told, how to do so. Three hundred o f the 450 pages are on weed, disease and insect control. Integrated Pest M anagement combines the beneficial insects and organisms, use o f m an agem ent and cultural techniques, use o f traps for m onitoring and trapping pest insects and safe use o f low toxi city substances. N.I.C. supply most of these mate rials which are available from N.I.C., RR 2, Stevenville, ON LOS ISO; em ail nic@ niagara.com ; w ebsite w.w.w. n a tu ra l-in se c t-c o n tro l.c o m . They have a very interesting 64-page catalogue with about 50 biological controls and other material for inte grated pest management. Bird houses for most varieties, feeders, binocu lars, butterfly shelters, and toad abodes. For advice on using native plants as a means of thwarting insects an authentic source is Sweet Grass Six N ations o f the G rand, RR 6, Hagersville, ON NOA 1H0. Phone 519-445-4828. Steps on building a colourful garden /Wt coifh fcre&k im (teefr f e d t+iOtff. F ertilise £re6ue*fiy C * > c fh (yl Grot+> 36 Fertiliser* Chocfe tfG t<r &t*r ecU ecfee*. s. fo 12.M Look fo r m ore G reat Specials in o u r Flyer in to d a y 's n ew sp ap er. 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 flow ering 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 bed. · 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 sunflowers. · Fertilize. Especially in areas where nutrients have been flushed out by frequent watering. Fertilizing will encourage 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 sea son 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. 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