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PAGE 4, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 31, 1976, SPRING GARDENING SUPPLEMENT, WHITBY FREE PRESS Battling- Your Lawn... The onfy way ta win 13 "ta ke -care" To get along wilth a lawn without a battle requires sorne understanding on your part of what problems the grasses in your lawn have to contenld with. Let's suppose that you are losing the battie - an assortment of weeds have invaded, in thb areas under trees the grass has thinned out, there are browned-out areas - and you are trying to figure out whether to make the big break and buy sod or to start from scratch with seed or sprigs or to try to renovate. When a lawn goes bad yau can, be sure that there is samcthing basicalty wrong. Killing weeds in a scraggly Iawn is not the answer. Bringing in. sod may salve the problemn tempararily, seeding, bare spots may help for anc season. But you witt neyer get along with your lawn agreeabty untit these basic requirernents are mnet: The kind of grass ini the lawn must fit your climate, soit, and degree of suri and shade. Air and water and nutrients must be able to penetrate every square foot of soiltot a depth of 8 ta 12 inches at the sarne rate. Good surtface drainage so that water does not stand on the tawn is essential. D rainilage thirough the soit is a must. SOIL INIPROVEMENT If youi were starting [rom scratch and tl1C sait was heavy clay or tiglit and sandy youi wotd add generous amouints of composýt, peatmoss or other organic matter. And by tilling the soit and mixing in the organi. matter you would break Uip any soit com- pacted by traffic or heavy niachinery. The first job in renovat- ing a law is ta imprave soit drainage and relieve any sait campactian. A thorough "aerifying" job will da it. Power aerators that remave cores of sait '/2 to '4- inch in dimeter to a depth of 4 ta 6 inches can be rented in many areas. The core hales permit air, water and fertilizer ta enter deeply into the sali and greatly increases roat develapment. Best time for aerating is in earty spring before the first fertilizer application. Grasses an heavy souls that crust and become hard are given new tife with an annu al "aerifying" treatment. Hiennils bloom one season but. Add variety and colour Bienniats are plants whicti are started in the tate spring or eart.y suinmer of onie year for bloomn the fottowing spring or stimmer. They bloorn for one season only and, once their flowering period is over, they die. Somle people steer away frorn biennials and stick ta annuats or perennials because of the short life span of tte biennials. However, ta do this, means ta deprive ourselves of some of the most charming ftowering ptants around. Biennials relieve the rnonotony of the annuals and mnake a much wider choice of flowering plants available. The home gardener -; 'ovide a truly effective has three ways of adding show. bietnniats ta his garden. The dakity forget-me- One can buy ptants from the nursery either in the faIt or the foth,-wiig' spring. The plants wilt then btoorn and die after the flowering period is over. Another rnethod is ta start thiem [rom seed in a cold [ramne, seedting fat or pit, or ta 50ow themn ouldoors in the garden. The third, but genleratty the rnost unsat- isfaictory mnethod, is starting thie bienniats ini February for bloom the saine year. Fottowing is a 1Pt of somne of thienostpoptar bieno ials. Canterbuiry belîs, when plan ted in gr v pI-s of three or miore iii the border or in the founidation ptanting, nots are ideal for beds, borders, founidation plantings, orrock gardens. Sow the seed outdoors during Juty or early August. In late Septem- ber or early (Jetober, the plants shoutd be.set eight inches apart in their permanent location in the garden. Other bienniats include faxglove or digitalis, hollyhocks, Icetand pop- pies, violas and pansies. Corne and Pick Up Our 1976 NURSERY CATALOGU E Available Now There are many SPRING SPECIALS available from our Garden Centre. Pay us a visit NOW and take advantage of our LOWER PRICES. THICKSON ROAD NORTH RA No. , BROOKLIH. ONTAhIO LOCATED 4'h MILES NORTH 0F HWY. No. 2 PHIONE 555-3331 lit. ALNEWmU AVAILABLE FRO.M 8-16 H.P. Battery power 1better COME AND SEE THEM Roberi C, Heron Ltd. BROOKLIN, ONT. 655-4401 r,ýýJVCC] NEW I:D:EMA