-,ýPAGE 8, W4 EDNESDAY, MARCH 31, 1976, SPRING GARDENING SUPPLEMENT, WHITBY FIREÈ PRESS grden talk. LANýDSCAPIN*G PLANSCAPING Landscaping is the word we use to sum up ail the things we do to> make our outdoor envirotiment more healthy, beautiful and livable, and at the be- ginning of a new gardening year again we can, with a little' extra thought, enjoy the' most wonderful hobby of growing a bit more. It is weIl known that John Brouwer does Iandscaping - we also want to make it welI known that we enjoy planning your garden, and then you do the work! How do you start? Where do you begin? PLANSCAPING.. It is a lot easier to r evise a plan than a planting. Even if you want help with the planning, you have to decide a few basic things for yourself - what kind of 'family are you? Do you want a plan for your foundation plainting at the front of your home, or a patio area for' relaxation, dining, barbecuing, suni- bathing, or a pool area screened by natural plantings from your neighbours, or a play area for your pre- school children, or a flower-bed because you love floral arrangements, or a vegetable garden because you are great at preparing for your feezer and pick- ling, and so on and so on. If, in two years' time you plan on a pool, do not plant a shade tree that wll have to be moved etc. etc. If you have a plot plan with your house and gar- den shown, sit down and pencil in different areas for different activities. .- . considering your lifechanges and the growth of your children as well. Plans can be worked over a period of years, so that if money is a problem, you can work away at what you can afford, but always working towards your'final goal. You can now come down ta the Garden Centre and say this is what we want and where, but I have fia idea how to plan the evergreen, or the shrub bed. If we are extremely busy, you might have ta leave this with us for a day or two - but when you return we will go over the whole plan with you, take you through the shadehouse ta see the different evergreens or shrubs that have been recommended, and take yau along our large evergreen plantings, s0 that you can see how they look in a planting. If there are some varieties you do not like, substitutes can be easily founci, and very soon you can go home ready for the first step of any planting - the pre- paration of your evergreen and shrub beds. If this has already been done, we can load up your car and awav you go wîth everything you need. We prîde o urselves that we can supply aIl your garden needs, from topsoil, seed, peatmoss, fertilizer, tools, ta the after care praduots of aur plant - insecticides, fungicides, or weed-killers, etc. everything ta make a garden and ta keep a garden. We do give estimates at your home, for complete landscaping by us and wve also vîsit your home ta IAQUARIAN POOL DEALERI by SaIIy Brouwer advise you how to do everyth ' ng. 0f course it can neyer be said enough, that the correct soil conditions are absolutely necessary - without them you are fighting quite a battle. After care of nursery stock is also very important, and it is flot just experts that have nice gardens - you can too. Happy Gardening! Garden Safety Yes Spring is finally hiere! And those or you who Possess 4",green thumiibs" ( and even those of you whio clo n't) will soon b e speîxlingig uclh of your spare timie in the garden deciding where youi'rc going to plant the petu nias and naking sure your lawn and hiedges look respectable. Whcn yoL1 do, rememiber that a garden- like any other work area hauis thle potential fo r seriaus i ijuLiry. That's why St. Johin Ambulance is suggesting these guide- linles for gardening safle t y *Keep your work area clean and tidy. * Don't uise electric ý;.1 appliances ini a wet or damp area. *Store your power garclen tools ini a high and dry place. " Neyer force a tool ta work faster t han the speed for which it was designed or do a job other than the anc it was intended for. " 1)on't carrY ail appli- ance b¶i the cord. and neyer yank the cord Mien reinoving il froin a receptable: gra'&sp the plg. not t I1CW i re. Keep the carcl away lrorn sharp edges, ail alud heat. *Kecp your appliances sharp and dcean for [est and safest per- farmance. Disconnect an applianice before servicing, chianging ac- cessories, or lubricat- ing. Follow the manu- facturer's directions for servicing the appliance. *Don't wear IQose clothing or jewelry when opcrating power tools. Neyer aperate a lawn mower in bare feet. *Keep proper footing apdl balance at al times don't over- reach. *Keep childIren a safe distance away from your wark arca. *Rake the lawn before aperating a lawn rnower ta remove any abjects hicîden in the grass. A "green thumb" is rather nice ta have - cspecially whien it re- mains connected ta your hiand. Take a tipi from St. John Ambulance and play it safe this Spring Mien vou (Ia your weekcend geardcing(,C Ferti 110 zer Fertilizing yotur lawn, trees, shrubs or flower beds is possibly the most important aspect of gardening. Fertilizers are a combination of chemicals and each part of that combinationi reacts and treats your planit or soit differenftly. Somne chernicals rnay do your plants anid soul no good while othersi înay be ideal. Fertilizinig is a forrn of diet to your plants and soul. Iii order that y(>L becorne a good dietitian we are providig you with a few basic facts. Before fertiliziing take a samnple of soil to your local nlurseryrnani who will advice you of the best fertilizer to Lise. Aniy fertilizer that is claimed ta be coniplete muLst contain three essen- tial food elements -- nitragen, phosphorous and potassium. Fertilizer manuifacturers use the chemical symbols N, P, and K respcctively when discussing or aclvertising ferti lizer. You may notice when buying fertilizer 3 large number on the bag or label (c.g. 8-10-6) this means that the brand of fertilizer con-tains 8 percent nitrogen, 10 per- cent phosphorie acid and 6 percent water soluble potash. Although two manufacturers have the same analysis the recîpe he uised may be different. Prices of fertilizing is rclated ta food content. The highcr the total units of plant food generally the higher the cost. The higher the total the less fertilizer you use per square foot. If anc fcrtilizer has a 10-10-5 percentage you Will Lise twice as much of that brand than anc that has a 20-20-10 percentage. liere is a general guIideCta fertilizîig. ROSES .Feecl everv 6 wecks from early spring ta late summer amounts recom- mcndcd by manufacturer. BEGONIAS, FUCHSIAS, et-c. Fced cither 4 ta 6 weeks with fuît power closes or 2-3 wecks with haîf dose. FRUIT TREES Best time for fcrtilizing, fruit trees in 2-3 weeks before blossoming. Un- like most plants fruit trees can take nutrients almost any time. LARGE CARDEN TREES Use hotes, - around miethod once a year if nccded. YOUNG TREES Use. samne quantities and frcquency as you would for shrubs. VEGETABLES When pIa-,ting use starter fertilizer, then give additional nitrogen when crop is wcIl started. As stated before the three essential foods are nitrogen, pho-sphorus and potassium. The nitrogen regulates the plants ability ta take prote in. PATIO & LANDSCAPE CONTRACTOR Del. & Installation * Patio Slabs " Fencing *Decking *Landscaping *Retained Walls *Top Soi], Sand *Rockery & Uni St2ýne 6D68-9525 934 HARDING (WHITBY) *ul Il ul'iI:limII;i3 L