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1M 16 NORTH LEEDS LANTERN DECEMBER 1990 This Is the time of year. when I am supposed to write my annual howâ€" toâ€" take- care» of- yourâ€" poinsettia column- Nobody tells me to do this every year but It seems that many people continue to have pro- blems with this sea-- sonal plant; I feel some sort of obliâ€" gation to r e p e a t myself year after year- If you require the long version, if you have not read any after care information on Poinsettia, then go to the Elglu library and read last year’s Lantern for the full story- This year, its the short version ! Are you ready 7 Keep them damp but not wet, fertilize them with houseplant food, give them as much light as you can, keep out of drafts â€" both hot and cold, try to keep them between 60-70 degrees F-, don’t carry them around outside withâ€" out a protective wrapper and finally do not give them to a person who Please note our special Christmas hours for December: closed 17& 78 We will be open 19, 20, 27 from 10.00 a.m.-3.00 pm. only. 359-62 77 Order your Christmas Baking now. We have Homeâ€"made Fruitcake, shortbreads and many more treats. We will close for the Christmas holidays December 22 and reâ€"open in January. Main Street, 9.0. Box 234, Elgin; Ontario, KOG IEO hates plants because this insensitive person will likely do all of the above- That’s it, the annual short version of how to keep your poinsettia alive and thriving- Perhaps next year I’ll do the long version again; I have to confess though that the short version is so much easier and quicker- Well what else can we talk about this month if not the Christmas plant- How about keeping tender plants alive over the winter 7 It seems that many people have not heard of antiâ€"dessicants- These waxy coatings that we can spray onto the leaves of plants such as Rhodo- dendrons, Lavender: and tender Evergreens help keep the plant from loos- ing water during the winâ€" ter- By putting a thin coating of tough biodeâ€" gradable wax onto the leaf surface, water is preâ€" vented from leaving the plant- This prevents leaf scorch and that-resulting leaf browning and dying that we see next spring- Dwarf Alberta Spruce are particularly sensitive to this drying out and last winter a lot of Cedar and Yews were particularly hard hit- I know that our Yews In the front yard lost a whole seasons growth to scorch- Not this year folks, I sprayed my plants very well during that last warm spell In November- You can still spray your plants If you do so on a day when the temperature is above zero so the water in the mix will evaporate and not freeze- If you can not get It done before Christmas, It can still be done on those warm days In February (when the plant damage ls really done)- Typically, anti-des- sicants will last for 3â€"4 months before they are worn off- They do not hurt plants or the environment and are a welcome sight to my eyes (you can’t see them) when compared to the hideous sight of burlap wrapped Evergreens- Why people plant Evergreens and then cover them up In the winter when we need the colour ls beyond this gardeners understanding- The All America selections have been released for this year and to my amazement there Is not a single One mile from Perth Road Village on Shales Road- DDN'T BU TO THE CITY THE CITY HAS COME Tl] YlJU LAKESIDE HAIRSTVLINB Bev Morris is a master hairstylist with many years experience as a perm, colour and cutting technician,and currently lectures and teaches other stylists from Toronto to Ottawa- Call for an Appointment to-day at 353-1308 for quality hairstyling and haircare products, featuring Paul Mitchell, Exclusive Senior Computer Perm System- Petunia among the list- We do however have Waterme- Ions, Squash, Gazania, Pole Beans, Pansles, and Vinca- Next month I will go into some more detail about these new plant gems but this month, let me just tell you a little bit about Vinca- Vinca Is the up and coming plant of the 90’s- It Is very heat tolerant, flowers all sumâ€" mer long (its an annual), does not need a lot of water, performs well in the low annual garden, in hangâ€" ing baskets, or in conâ€" tainers growing on the hot deck_ It has a succulent type of leaf and while we - have grown It the past few years, it has not had a lot of success on our retail benches (nobody knows what It Is)- This is going to change- The breeders have been working on this hardy plant and the new colours, mainly in the pink specâ€" trums, will really interest you if you have a hot spot in your garden- Oh yes, the plant Is almost indestructâ€" ible- It’s pest free, does not need pruning or flower picking and will bloom until a 'frost knocks it down- The tough part is that unless you are an accomplished seed starter, you will have to buy this plant from a greenhouse; its a monster to germinate and get growing, having very speâ€" cific requirements for gerâ€" mination- Try it on your own, but do not invest’the farm in seed stock until you have it mastered- Next month, I’ll focus on a few of the newer plants that you might want to try- in the meantime, I hope that all Lantern readers have a very Merry Christmas and that the very real joy of the season Is yours- Andrea and I, along with our family hope that the simple gifts of life will be yours in 1991- AT Nucleic A and our