The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

PAGU 12, WHrIY FME PRESS, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15,.1992 A SUMMER LIFESTYLE FEA TURE 'Healthy awn is possible 'without use of pesticides (NO) Now that spring bas arrived, and all that stuff in the garden is poking up green, it's time for action -- lots of it. Lets take the largest- chunk firet, which is usually the lawn. It bas been estimated that homeowners use up to 10 times more toic products per acre than farniers. A healthy lawn is posble without pesticides. The firet and xnost important treatment for the lawn is de-tbatcbing. Old grass clippings sink into theésoi and prevent air, sunligt fertilizer and water from reahig the grass roots. Thatch also provides a breedirig place for pesta and weeds. De-thatching should be doexe in early spring anid early fail, and Will solve about 80 per cent of your lawn problems. With a emali lawn, use a special lawn groom rake but with a very large area, give yourself a treat and rent a power de-thatcher for one day. You'd b. amazed at how much stuff comes Up -- but dont throw it away -- put it in y our compost pile. Next, have your mower ini top shape, well ciled and with freshly sharpened or new blades. Duil blades cari cause more damage than moot diseases and peste. Dont eut the grass too short, the suri will burn the roots. Between two and three inches is about right, ta, strengthen growth. Have a- good tal i Wl your local gardenting centre experts. They usually know the ldid of soil in the neighbourhood and cari recommend the right type of fertilizer. Grass needs phos- phorousg, potassium nitrogen, as well as suiphur anc1 iron, se look for these ingredients on the package. Experts recommend your firt lawn feedlingl be at haif the, recommended dose, as should the least- feeding of the year. Ini between trne, feed every three weeks (either liquid or dry food) at about 80 per cent of the reconimended rate. If youre forturiate enough ta have your compost ready, put in a box with a one-cm. sieve on the bottom anid walk ail over your lawn giving it a good banquet.. Your Iawn needs watering about once a week -- early morning is best. In the epring, it may get enough fr-om April showers. If not, give it a good. soaking - one ta two inches. AnMes wasy ta measure is ta put the mlar caris -- or measuriLng cups, ini three different locations, under the sprirnkler. Combine the contents anid divide by three, that should give you an accurate measurement. orne- owners are notoriouslytpro>fligate with water, frquent1y over- wateririg by 20 to 40 per cent. For more information eall the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy (NRTEE) conimittee secretaries at (613) 992-7189. TAILIS ARE, Iong-lasting, summer- sunahine b~y plantin them ame blooenin-g bulb beauties, available i grmd caSverahia nuib jm us many calours and foems. Thiey may be rich soil. AReilmbepr that Mies turn planted i either spring or fail just b. thefr faces towardl the liglt, so ftnd a sure the bulbe are not dried out when plao for them in the gardon that wil planted. Lilies bloom year after year eble yoei to see thofr bl«noeos and rightly belong in the perennial head-on as the sun moves aoeos the. gardon. Protect thefr roois from strong sky thrmOuhut the day. Pottedl bulbs thrive in, garden and on the balcony Although moot people asseciate coloured flowers, each edged with bulb fiowers with spring, there a fine lilae-red lime. are many that bloom throughout Oxalis, aise called the four-leaf the simer, such as dalias, clover or wood sorrel, is tuberous begonias, gladiolus and reasonable enough in price to, be lilies. competitive with most arinual However, in addition ta these, bedding pants, It bears littie, there is a host of lesser-known Iong-1atin white or pink flowers bulb flowers that are just as and clover-like leaves, bath of bright and attractive.Aie, they which contribute ta the planes have the advantage of being best ornamental value. suited ta container growing, The Calla lily, properly known makcing them ideal for the balcony as Zaritedeschia, is an exotic or patio. looking, sheath-like fiower -- Inthe garden, they can best b. white, yellow or pink -- that is incorporated by sinking the entire alnicet too, perfect ta be real. They pot 'in which they are planted do best in fui suri, sheltered fiom right into the flower bed. Or, set strong winds. them out on the dock for everyone Galtania is often called the. ta eirjoy. In the fall, you cari bring summ er hyacinth. Standing about theni indoor for the. winter as one metre high (approimately 3 bouseplarits. ft.), it bears a long stalk of Tendr bube tat OUwel* fragrant, nodding littie bell-like pots includo Agapanthus white flowers. EucomiUS Oxalis, Colla, GaloiU Canna wero favourates in and Canna. Mmgrarda' garden, arid taday are Agapanthus, called Llly-c-tho- niaking seotbng of a c«=ob.k. Nile, is a regal looking fiower, Thoy bave lush green, bronze oe about one metre tai bearing variegated foliage and flowers dense wite or blue blosoms. that grow ini tight spiksos f Eueomis i. eailed the pineaple yellow,, orange, red or pink. The plant becaus. it realY does ook dwarf varietzos range from 50 cm. hike one, thanks ta, a bunch of to, nearlycrie moire (appraxi- snmall eavesait i of0<the mately 18 to 36 ts.) fiower spike, that myrac af One advantage of planting a moire (18 iris.) o oe-We buUb* .~taI that you cari thon theapke yns ilaieuuunr, h plac pot s =e-varietios that,, idep&e ~fhltte nii t a diyn ifmceiii For instance, Galtania dae best in dry seil but Zantedeschia prefers a moiet enviroment. Encased in their separate pots, they cari both do well in your gardon while receiving the special treatment tl'ay need from yau. . For g ladiolusd bicolor, smelling, with a fragrance, try the- cousin, Acidanthera which bears eweet- crearny white flowere clark lilac heart. Polianthes tubeýrosa, the tuberos., ie aiea a treat for the nase as well as the eye. T'rue liles are an indispensable feature of the summer gardon. They come in many colours and forme -- and scents. , include begonias as a matter of course. That'u easy ta, do because there are so many fiower shapes and coloure -- literally, something for everyone. There are bogonias that look like roses, carnations, camellias and peonies, and ther. are trailing begonias as well, with showers of smaller blooms in clusters. Ail of them floursh in sun or in partial shade, giving a lively look ta, practically any spot in the garden. The other two traditional favourities among sumnmer- flowering bulbe are dahlias and gladiolus. There are -. few other gardon planta that provide as long a show as dahlas: blooniing may begin as early' as July and continue until frost. There are low-growing dahlias that stand just 30 cm. (12 ins.) or less, as well as taller onies that readily reach beyond two metres (approximately 6.5 ft.) - and a hcjst of them in between. Some of the flower formes are cactus, bail, decorative, mignon, ariemone- flowered, tapnix, collerette arid- pompon. Landscape architect çan deslan vour outdoor séace For fragrance, chos. Ir J11' --W - primarly sp'es ilies, such as L auratum god-banded lily), L For hiome buyers wantirig te windbreak, how -ta maximize candidum (Madonna lily), L. improve thir outdaor environ- slar gain ta the winter and hansonil, L. honryl, L. japonicuma, ment, laridsape architecte ean which materials cari help koep L. longifiorum (Easter lily), L. pro-vide a wide range cf slutions, homes cool in the sunmer., *pcism ruu, lum, etc) says the TorSotHome Builders' A mset plaoe tudying sd L regale (Regal lily).Thr Association. yor aniy's unique way oflifo, a are ise .that bloom ixfrcm Pz4vacylaridecapoarcitectseladscape architect cari esgn mid-spririg thrugh late faUli hes cari deuigri utdoor spaces to give outdoe sace that, suit your that prefer shado and othera that homos mor privacy by using fauniyspaîrtiua needsI, tbrivo in the suri. (However, they structure%, screeming, plantingE4 .jjjr a arindae-arhiteet ail gonerafly prefer ta have coolg _aIng arid othor methods. cari b. as80im'ple as rfefoing ta foet; that nmsthem perfect for IEnew%"efflonq land. tho local phono book. Check taesme tater-plariting with low growing îcpeMwitcts cr show you that the per son you contact la a Ses ad annuals. whore toat trees., shrubs aud -momber cf the Toronto Homo f-40- 13uild4, -