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Hardymums are amusthrHallowe'en This summer, I pruned them to about a foot high and kept pinch- ing the buds until mid-July. This delayed their probable flowering date to late October. The worst part is that they have grown into their usual 30-inch high sprawl- ing mass of stems. The stems are brittle. and break off at ground level when they are lifted to be tied together. There is really no good, late-flower substitute for them. Mums are ideal and just about a must for Hallowe’en and the fall season. y tall single perennial " '3 mums are on the short list for the compost heap. As they are about the latest flower 1n the garden and last well into November, I have been try- ing to convert them to compact, neat bushes. ' There is certainly no lack of hardy mums. Large pots in full bloom are available at $4.00 to $6.00 in supermarkets. Small plants or rooted cuttings are sold in spring from $2.00 to $3.00 each. One strategy is to buy sev- eral large potsin the fall and place them throughout the garden or concentrate them in the entrance way flower beds. Many potted varieties are hardy so could later be set in the ground in the cutting or vegetable garden and left there until spring. They may be moved then to a row in the vegetable garden until they flower in the fall. They are easily- transplanted in bloom to the front garden for show and, thus, start the cycle over again. Mums have very fine shallow roots. They dry out easily and rot. rapidly in cold wet soil. They ugp 5! '1! ' ‘I '«I ' vw look forward to meeting with you. Your Oakville and Area kitchen store KITCHEN CENTRE Oakville North News 599 Third Line (below Speers Rd.) 827-461 1 require well drained sandy organ- ic soil. The greatest loss occurs in the spring due to frost heaving. A mulch of chopped leaves, straw, or shredded bark. applied after freeze-up will prevent this. A near sure fire method is to plant small clumps‘of mums ‘in a shaded cold frame whiph is closed after freeze-up. The clumps may be planted out in spring or used to take cuttings. A few sorties could result in a well filled cold frame and beauti- ful mum display next fall. It must require some effort to have a good perennial mum display or there would be many more visible in local gardens. This is the time to search out any real good looking plantst you congratulate the gardener on his/her show, you may be offered a root piece or two for your col- lection. ’ The Dixie Belle hibiscus has been touched by frost and some of the flower-s have browned around the edges. It is less than three-feet tall this year compared to a usual six-feet. Several new plants of malva “Pink Queen” are a mass of flowers up the two-foot stems. These were seeded in late May. Their bright and shiny foliage sets off the pink dark striped flowers. The pink magnolia is spotted Talk to the experts at the Oakville Kitchen Centre! Your Oakville and area HANOVER gigaler for over KITCHENS- years THE FALL GARDEN . fiperienced Accredmzd Designers 0 ha! Prefect Management 0A Professional Installation Team 0 The Latest In European Appliances, Sinks Taps ' O Excellem References I And our new value line Nonhmark Kitchens Please visit our Showroom or call to set up an appoinhhent. . They should sprout in The spring. Another methOd of stratiâ€" fication is to place the seeds in a " plastic bag in moist peat moss or vermiculite. Seal the bag and place it in the refrigerator for at ‘least four months. Then sow. the seeds in pots ina no-soil mix indoors at 50°F until they germi- nate. with orange-colored seeds which make an interesting centre piece. This year, the chestnuts ripened before the seeds of the magnolia. The squirrels prefer the chestnuts to magnolia seeds which left a short window for collecting seeds Magnolia seeds are easily ger- minated by stratification. Soak them for twenty-four hours and remove the pulp. Plant them a' half-inch deep outside this fall in a shady spot in a cold frame or covered with a jar 'or screen to protect them from birds and squirrels. ' The magnolia seedlings will flower in three or four years. Seeds from the pink tree has pro- duced about 20 shrubs so far. The three I kept have a narrow pink stripe on a white flower. Crab apple seeds are germinated in a similar manner. Anyone who would like. a few seeds to grow can phone me at 845-8380 and arrange to pick them up. STREET TREES . You may remember my praise of the Japanese lilac as a street side tree in the suburbs. Some neighbors have used a selection of seven crab apple trees spaced 20-feet apart about 15.-feet back from the street. They are about 20-feet to the west of several tall maples. These are now in full fruit and make an interesting pic- ture with the color mixture of fruit and leaves. Crab apples tend PEACH TREE GALLERY art Cb“ frame sfiop 0 Quality 0 Service 0 Selection 0 Price UPPER OAKVILLE SHOPPING CENTRE 1011 Upper Middle Rd. E. 842-6114 CUSTOM FRAMING 30% Off Includes iodized metal frames in 26 colors to be disease prone and may sucker in the lawn, but they seem a reasonable substitute. Select disease resistant varieties. TAX FREE ALL FRAMED EDITION ART WITH THIS AD