"A Family Tradition for 130 Years" e er (Ca From idea to implementation let these area businesses help you with all your home and garden needs this spring. Books for Green Thumbs Although its title would seem to indicate it's solely for Ontario, The Ontario Gardener is much more. And, when one considers the vastly varying climate experienced in the pro- vince, there is something for virtually all Canadian gardeners in this book, published by Whitecap Books, a British Columbia publisher that has recently put greater emphasis on eastern Canada. In just over 200 pages, mostly clearly readable text (although there are 32 pages each with two excel- lent colour photos), author Trevor Cole has managed to cover a wide variety of topics from soils to prun- ing, landscaping and pests. He discusses all aspects of lawns from getting them started with seed or sod to some of the lesser-known operations such as aeration. In the chapter on roses, he lists his favourite of each type of bush and even describes how to store bare root roses if you are not able to plant them when they are received from the nursery. In the chapter on peren-- nials, Cole comments on planning perennial plant- ings: "One of the beauties of perennial plants is that if you don't like what you see one summer, you can change things around in the fall until you get it to your satisfaction. Nevertheless it's probably a good idea to have a basic plan that you can work towards. No matter how marvelous a plant sounds in a gardening book, try not to pin yourself down to spe- . cific cultivars of plants unless you are willing to put in a great deal of time tracking down sources." If you seek a good general book, The Ontario Gardener is that. Trevor Cole is a trained horticul- turist and curator of Agriculture Canada's Dominion Arboretum in Ottawa. Another book that is at least part Canadian is Book of Garden Secrets by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent and Diane E. Bilderback. This is a book for vegetable gardeners, especially those in cooler regions of the country. Actually it is a revised, updated and expanded edition of a 1982 book by the same authors who live in Missoula, Moritana, which has a rela. tively cold climate; some- what cooler than southern Ontario, for example. It is published by Camden House Publishing, Inc., in Vermont, of which the par- ent company is Canadian, and the book was printed and bound in Manitoba-- the two Canadian connec- tions. "The best time to begin a new garden is a year before you want to plant. Mark out the garden area in the spring or early sum- mer and cover it with black plastic, using rocks along the edges and in the middle of the plastic to hold it down. By mid-August the plants that were growing there should be dead. Yard Pro SPECIAL ¢ 12 HP Briggs & Stratton Industrial/ Commercial Engine eo Step-Through Design e 5-Speed In-Line Transaxle e Convenient Operator Controls e 12 Position Height Control with Memory We also have... WALK BEHIND MOWERS F) § $125. 20" cut YOUR : ONE STOP CENTRE 985-3192 o 2 Blade 36" Deep Draw Mowing Deck e 24" Cutting Radius .» » 2-Year Limited Warranty eo Grass Catcher Optional SMALL WY ENGINE & MARINE & REPAIR on Fax 985-4729 17300 Simcoe 8t. N. Port Perry ON just for Mother's Day! 20% off Hybrid Teas Floribundas Climbing reg. 11.75 NOW 9.40 Sale ends May 14/96 Garden Centre oo DURHAM"S LARGEST POOL & SPA Door Crasher 14 x 28 29999 3 = SE ={eYe]! | 4 (011311 o1[=) (NI 217 To [VR LRT T11 } SOLAR BLANKETS 14 X 28 *69 16 X 32 $79 $ 18 X 36 89| tomatic 20X40 *129| ByAmesan POOL LINERS i No money down! No Payments, No Interest to Sept./96 O.A.C. Reg. 16x32 from $1375. installed 300 POOL LINERS 16 x 32 from $137 installed includes Hayward pump and filter, plumbing kit sand. Installation available. North American Pool & Spa PORT PERRY > yA > (905) 985- 3557 SALES & SERVICE Bo 5854 CRIMSON KING MAPLES 200% off 175 cm (6) potted reg. 35.00 NOW 28.00 225 cm (7') potted reg. 44.00 NOW 35.20 250 cm (8') potted reg. 59.00 NOW 47.20 above sale prices until June 1st only NORWAY MAPLES 200% oOoFfFF 175 cm (6) potted reg. 29.00 NOW 23.20 225 cm (7') potted reg. 37.50 NOW 30.00 250 cm (8) potted reg. 55.00 NOW 44.00 above sale prices until June 1st only Located on NE corners Hwys. 12 & 47 905) 980-7667