WHrFl'BY F EEgS WEDNESDAY, AP¶UL 10, 1991, PAGE 19 Your garden' plants helIp the environment By the. Canadian Gardon couenl For centuries, individuaesand famnilies in countries throughout the world have participated in gardeming. flxey generalby did so either because they eirjqyed it as a hobby or pasttime, or because of tho viial improvement it made Wo their own surroundings. At the same, Urne, aznenity horticulture, or the ornemental plantings ini parks and around public buildings, bas beon oearried out by municipalities, provinces and the federal government (Ottawa's Central Experimental Farm was founded a century ago, and it remains an apex of gardenmng activity today) for the same reasons. Only in the lest two decades have wo earnied that the plants wo grow in our gardons are extremely valuable Wo us in other ways. For exemple,' trees and other plants are much cheaper colers of our air than are air conditioners. The trees, however, have few, if any, negative aspects (such as hydro consumption and the release 0f undesrale gases into tho atmosphere when they are repaired) as do air conditioners. In the sunirner months, hot suni that strikes plant material, either direct or refiected, will not penetrate it. The resut is the shaded side of a home 'or other building bas cooler tomaperatures than the sun-heated aide. This is likoly obvious, but how often do homeowners plant, their gardon to take advantage of the fact? Further, the temperature of an area may be lowered by plants even though they aren't tael enough Wo shade tho building or area. Landocape plants and grass, or other ground covers, reduce temaperatures by absorbing much of the sunes radiation, by scattering some of the sunes rays, and through evapo-transpiration of moisture in the plants. Researchers have found that temperaturesl just abovo grass surfaces on sunny summer days are from ton Wo 14 degrees (Fahrenheit) lower than those just above oxposed soils. Deciduous trees (those such as maples and ash which loue their beaves each auturen) are excllent temperature controllers becuse they cool in summuer,* but allow winter. sun W asstbrough. Properly placed,;tre trees around a hous can cut air conditioning needs b~y ton Wo 50 per cent. Other plants, too, play a rolei this. Vines such as ivies, Dutchrnan's pipe,. cimbing hydrangea and viriMa creeper on walls, or trellises against WallEs,- are excellent automatic heat control dovices which cool by shaLing and providing evaporation. Ini addition Wo their ability to cool' our bildings, and environment generally, trees and other landscape plants are alo effective air purifiers. I fact, they are the cheapest and moot efficient air purifiers on earth. One of the major concerns Environmentalists Start Here Be a part of Canada's original green movement - with kids. aM 4 e about out- envirornent currontly i. -the build-up of- C02. Enorgy use is the single greatest. contributor Wo C02 build-up. As the world's people continue to use more and more energycountries must burn increamng amounts of fuel to meet the need. I 1987, global consumption of fuel resulted in the robeas. of 5.6 billion tons of C02 into the air.. This fact alone gives us special reasons to participate in slutions such as planting trees. Trees are especially valuable in cities. Urban 'heat islands," caused by expanses of concrete and pavement such as parking lots, can be as much as ten' degrees (F) hotter than sumrunding areas. breaks up the heat islands, and cuts energy needs as well as coats. lIn fact, thie shading and coolmng effect of just one tree indirectly reduces C02 omissions Close to 15 times the amount one tree can procees. On a block of eight average houses, frot lawni have the cooling effeet of about'70 -tons of air conditioning. (The average home-size central air unit has a three- to four-ton ce,-pacity.) Most. of us cannot do rnuch to revent acid rin, but wie can help neutralize some of it. Rainfail is often as much as ton Urnes more acidic than the same water filtered through a healthy lawn. Dragonfnes common in marshes The dragonfly is common on lakeshores, mrehes sud ponds. The larve are aquatc,. passing through several stages beforo climbing onto reed stalkcs, etc., where the adult omerges. Size varies fi=r 3/4 Wo 3 inches long. Fond, * capturod by lightning-qudck twists sud turne, consista 0f small mSects, incbuding mosquitoe. Some species bey their eggs on the surace 0f the water, others on reeds, floating vegetation or on the sand or mud bottoin. Adulte, egg and larva. are eaten by lish and birds. DID YOU KNOW- 14 per cent of Canada is covered by bogs, ferns, maruhes, swamps and shallow water wetlands, and this area makes up 24 par cent of the worldls wetlands. Garden prepara tion FROM PAGE 18 Hndlnu e gotly When doing this, b. sure W bandile them very gently. Transplant the seedlngs into pets or _space thern approedmately one and-a-balf inches apart in a flat. Keep them in these pots for a few weeksý, until theymr ready Wo be planted outdoors. During this Urne, you May want Wo fertilize them with a zild fertilizer either once a week or every two weeks Wo encourage healthy growth. Check with your gardemng centre Wo see which type of fertilizer you should use. Before planting your seedlings in the grounci, make sure you prepare thesoil. Also b. certain Wo exorcise great care. whep~ removing the plants fromn the pots. Dig a bole deep enough for pah lant and space them s0 they bave room te grow. Give them a thorough watering once planting is complete. Once you've completed aIl these stops it'mre tW sit back and watch your flowers grow. Scent dimension FROM PAGE 18 pleasant fragrance. Soin daffodis are scented. The jonquil varietios c'Cheerfuinee, 'Yeflow Cheerfinems,' Cragford'p and «'Gerenium' place high in the. meont sweepstakes. A few people are able tW detect the mcent -of fris reticulata and grape hyacinhs (Micari) but it tekes a sensitive noue W ,doE».. It often cornes as a surprise Wo people tW loarn that some tulipe, too, are lightly scented. This includes 'General de Wet' (oranget, IBellona (yellow) and < Christmnas Marvel, (pink), al early, single-fiowered varieties. In addition, 'Monts Carbo' (sulphur yellow), an early, double-fiowered tulip, is an attractive, scented cultivar. The key factdr in planning a scented gardon is Wo choose just one -- or a few --. stron gly fragrant varieties; too rnany tegether becomo muddled and not as erjoyable. 0f course, plant size, coour and shape are stl 0of major importance, tao, icreating BEAUTIFY YOUR LAWN NATUILALY In an effort to better our approach to effective and environmentally Sound lawn care, we have introduced a fortified natural organic fertiizer to Our lawn programme. This balanced fertilizer will not only enhanoe turf growthp but will also aîd ini thatch reduction and encourage soil neutrality. 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