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D6 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday April 26, 2000 "Leading The Way'1 RIDLEY AffindabU Ekg<ma» WINDOWS & DOORS RIDLEY SHOWROOM 35 Crawford Cr., Campbellville · SALES · SERVICE F or A ll Your W indow , Door, C olum n & M oulding Needs I 905-854-2228 An Oakville Beaver Feature To reach this section call 845-3824 Fax:337-5567 Homes & Gardens SEARS CORRECTION This read-to-assemble wall system is from Canwood Furniture Inc. of Penticton British Columbia. Versatility is the keyword with these systems that can be cus tomized by the buyer. Add wood or glass doors to a basic unit to create a wall system for the living room, dining room or den. All pieces are constructed o f B.C. Lodgepole Pine. The system seen here was a category winner in a furniture design competition sponsored by the Ontario Furniture M anufacturers Association. You can check out C anw ood's line at w ww.canwood.com B.C. BEAUTIFUL: Sears' ad #NP0448100 should read: It's like there's no tax added on all "KENMORE REGULAR" price major appliances. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused Sears customers. S p r in g I n t o S u m m e r !! AWNINGS i E n j o y th e o u t d o o r s u n d e r th e c o m fo rt of a f a b r ic r e t r a c t a b le a w n in g . W e o f fe r a d iv e r s e lin e o f s t y l e s a n d f a b r ic s to s u it y o u r h o m e d 6 c o r. C a l l o r v is it o u r s h o w ro o m fo r a fre e e s t im a t e I A s k about our spring specials. l| 4 1 8 7 U p p e r M id d le R d . B u rlin g to n (9 0 5 ) 3 3 5 -3 7 3 3 Try something exotic in your garden this year In the mood to try something new and differ ent in your summer garden? The following four plants are, perhaps, less well-known, but defi nitely not less beautiful. Be prepared, however, to answer some questions about them as their striking appearance is bound to elicit questions from envious guests and neighbours. Acidanthera (Ethiopian gladioli) This tuberous plant originated in Ethiopia and produces leaves which look like those of the gladioli, hence its name. Planted in a sunny location, the flower stems grow to be 75 cm in height with clusters of delightfully scented, somewhat pendant flowers which bloom from August to September. Its white flower, with a diametre of about 5 to 7 cm has a beautifully marked reddish purple centre. The leaves and flowers of the Acidanthera are a wonderful addition to border plantings of grey-leaved foliage plants and white- and pinkflowered perennials. For example, an interesting border could be grey-leaved, low-growing Artemisia schmidtiana `Nana' with soft pinkflowered Geranium endressii in front, Ethiopian gladioli in the middle, and the soft pink mallow or Sidalcea `Elsie Heugh' in the background. Acidanthera will also create a beautiful touch of colour in a border containing soft blue and purple tints as these colours occur in the cen tre of the flower. If this colour combination in your desire, use Meadow rue (Thalictrum), Acanthus, purple and lilac phlox and Monardas. Eucomis (Pineapple plant) At first glance, the Eucomis is a curious plant. It's for good reason that its common name is `Pineapple plant' as it grows an inverted cone like cluster of greenish flowers topped by a tuft of little green leaves looking altogether rather like a pineapple. If you take a close look at the individual flowers, you'll see that they are charmingly marked with a delicate purple-red stripe along the borders. The Eucomis bicolor is the most well-known of the variety, however, there is also a white-flowering cultivar, `Alba.' Eucomis comosa (often named E.punctata ) is usually sold as a mix in which the flower colours include white, greenish-white and pink, all with a little lilac centre. The Pineapple plant is best displayed when it has plenty of room to grow and is, therefore, bet ter suited to planting in the front of a border, sur rounded by ground covers such as soft orange Potentilla tongei grey-leaved creeping thyme, Xanthium, or low-growing Lady's mantle. All that being said, the most common way of using this stunning plant is in pots and contain ers where it can stand alone in all its glory. Galtonia (Cape hyacinth) The Cape hyacinth is a bulb plant with white, delightfully scented, bell-shaped flowers clus tered on a one-metre stem. Flowering occurs from July to August and it prefers to grow in full sun or light shade in fertile, well-drained soil. Place the Cape hyacinth among and behind perennials which do not get taller than 45 cm so as not to obstruct the view of the pretty flowers. Appropriate plants include: Geranium, Lady's mantle, Coreopsis, the soft yellow Achillea taygetea, or the Tradescantia. Great Seasonal Cut HONDA Power Equipment Dependable and powerful Honda GCV160 5.5 hp overhead cam engine Heavy duty 21 " steel deck, side and rear discharge models Durable, large capacity grass bags are standard on rear discharge models Folding control handles for easy storage/transport Operator-friendly controls Operator safety with zone start and automatic shut-off Versatile, mulching, bogging or side discharge capabilities Dependable and powerful Honda quality at on affordable price See us at H opedale Mall May 3, 4, 5, 6 CURRENT POWER MACHINERY INC. 1661 LakeshoreRd.W.Mississauga (2 block east of Southdown Rd. in Clarkson) t\l> A A J J Search for antiques goes high-tech By N a n c y A le x a n d e r SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER A nyone who has ever pawed through som eone's dusty cast-offs at a garage sale, knows what it is to har bour the fantasy o f finding some obscure treasure that will make an antique dealer swoon. Like the hundreds o f hopefuls, clutching item s o f undeterm ined value, who line up annually for pro grams such as the A ntiques Road Show, there is always the dream of making the big score. And occasionally, as we all know, fairy tales do come true. Ask Oakville antique dealer Lucie Brings, owner of the Oakville Antique M all on Kerr Street. Brings has witnessed a few good finds over the years, the m ost recent involving a custom er who parlayed a 50-cent purchase at a Scarborough garage sale into a $15,000 (U.S.) pay day. The item was a 1920's-vintage A m erican vase created in a style known as carnival glass. Carnival glass is characterized by its heavy, opaque finish and its iridescent orange colour. It was produced by many dif ferent manufacturers during the 20's and 30's. M ost of us, Brings included, would probably find the stuff quite ugly, but to the right collector, it is priceless. And that is where the power of the internet com es in. Brings, who admits she now sells a majority of her antique item s on e-bay, says the internet enables dealers to reach a worldwide Both buyers and sellers are looking to the Internet when searching for special pieces market for rare pieces. In the case of the carnival glass, the buyer was a gentleman from San Francisco who happily parted with $15,000 to add the rare vase to his col lection. Brings delivered the piece in person, after breaking the good news to the unsuspecting buyer whose 50cent investment paid off handsomely. The Oakville Antique Mall charges $12 to list an item on the internet and 15 percent com m ission on sales. Brings estimates the store ships about 30 to 40 packages a month strictly from internet sales. The Kerr Street store is also home to 6,300 sq. ft. o f antiques and col lectibles. It contains 70 showcases which are rented out to dealers and collectors for $75 monthly, or $45 for half a showcase. "We don't charge any commission to the people who rent our showcas es," explains Brings. "We're here to do sales for them six days a week, and we collect all the PST and G S T " Among the more interesting items currently on display are two largescale, stately, brass chandeliers, circa 1920, which once hung in the original Oakville hospital. Both are for sale for $2,000 each. Mindful that browsers can often spend hours covering all the showcas es, Brings designed the store with a downstairs lounge, washrooms and vending machines-- Brings calls it a "husband's parking lot"-- where cus tomers can take a break or perhaps talk over a potential purchase. After all, some customers still prefer to do business face to face. C L i l . l l \ l ?Lv over 10,000 customers...and growing BUY IN GIANT CU. YD BULK BAG AND SAVE!!! d t* r D JM H WM n I IN C L U D E S D E L IV E R Y w ith in d e liv e ry zone G e t a $5 refund on re tu rn e d bag Qunfilti FIREWOOD · T O P S O I L ToP taxes Triple Mix · Black Loam (Peat) · Cattle Manure (No Bedding) Compost/Manure Mix or B u l k Econo Mulch ^ U a^ty Sheep Manure Sand Screened Topsoil ic V uP Or ONTARIO MOGfflgS 2376 Royal Windsor Drive, Oakville, ON L6J4Z2 TRY OUR NEW GREEN THUMB \^ `A business who' s reputation has been built on quality and service" a t Trafalgar Rd., )e ln'very It's simple: you call ·we deliver * I www.greenhorizons.net I * - o N ® RU L.K 01 * 1 \ I | S O IL a 257-8795 S S f r . MULCH BULK BAG If lM u p liv fr y BARK r 351 Dundas St. E. O pen 7 days a w e e k Oakville m I «Sg* .$129 jr even if 1 D-l-Y seminars at Home Depot The Oakville Home Depot is holding a number of How-to semi nars next month. May 6, 13, 20, 27th: 10 .m .-ll a.m.: How to plan and install under ground sprinklers. 11 a.m .-12 p.m.: How to landscape and build retaining walls 1 p.m.-2 p.m.: How to plan and build a deck May 7, 14, 21, 28th: 10 a.m.-11 a.m.: How to plan and build a fence. 257-SOIL (7645) »»3EEr*td0o 1 LOOKING FOR EXCITING WAYS TO IMPROVE Y00R HOME, IT'S ALL RIGHT HERE IN THE OAKVILLE BEAVER hom e i m p r o v e m e n t iershad e Ltd j UPTO SERVING OAKVILLE SINCE 1963 D E C O R A T IN G LTD. COMPLETE PAINTING & WALLPAPERING SERVICE · RESIDENTIAL SPECIALIST · INTERIOR I EXTERIOR · CUSTOM COLOUR MIXING · RESTORATIONS · PLASTER REPAIRS i TEXTURING 60%o f f ALL LEVOLOR BLINDS F r e e S h o p a t H o m e S e r v ic e V ertical · V en etian s P le a te d S h a d e s · W o o d B lin d s a n d m u c h m o re ' QUALITY WORKMANSHIP BY QUALIFIED TRADESMEN I DECORATING & COLOUR CONSULTANTS I 8 2 7 -5 5 8 4 A FTER HRS. C A L I ... 827-4612 ALVIN T. JO N E S - 131 M IS S IS S A U G A S T. 897-5044 K EV IN SM IT H To advertise in this section call Loraine 845-3824