WIH1TY FR~EE PRESS, 'WEDNESDAY, MARCH .29, 1989, PAGE 19 Now. is time toplngre Whether you have just maved inta a new home, whicb is totally lacking in trees and shrubs. or planning ta revitalize an older garden that bas become over-. grown, now is the time ta start planning for sprng. Avoid the springrs , Po yur planning * o fyu are going to bedoing it yourself. If you are planning on having a professional involveg give thein a caîl now. A littie snow on the ground will not delay the start on proper plan- Yudo not have ta be a land- scape architect ta plan y aour own garden. You will find that many better nurseries and garden centres have extensive cata- logues. Many of these catalogues not oniy contain extensive descriptions and illustrations of plants but many also contain much useful information on gar- den planning. Landscaping used ta be- con- sidered a luxur which only the wealtby couid afford, but ta day it is a necessity. The increased pace of living has resulted ini a need ta U et away from it aIl,» and wbat btte lce than your own backyard! Wit more leisure time, gardening is becoming a more and more popular pasttime, wbicb results in your own garden provding a place ta relax, work, play, dine or entertain. Equally as important are living plants, an indication of a bealthy environment. Green survival begins with you; As a bomeowner of taday, one of your biggest investments is your lot. Ini order ta get the best return on your money you *must make the best use o' this land. Your living area should be made up of the total spaoe within tbe four lot limes. Every family has different requirements, likes and dislikes, but with careful cPnsideration of the activities you enjoy (ganies, swimmin1g, sunming, gardening) and the uti- lity areas you need (garbage, compost) you can design a plan that puts the entire lot to the best use. Fenoes, flower barders, patios and plan areas can ail be incorporated ta, turn your lot into an outdoor family fun room. .Lastly, landscaping your home can make a cansiderable dif- ference to the resale value. By improving the appearance and increasing the outdoor living areas, the value of your home increases by far more than your origial expenditure. ~e irs, and most important, step in landscaping your home is to make a plan. This plan becomes a final goal towards wbicb you can workE as t-à ne and money wrill allow, and will belp you avoid costiy impulse mis- takes. By following these steps you can create the perfect plan for your garden. Onpie of grapb paper, make a scalpe dawing of your lot and bouse plans are a great help. On this plan indicate ail of the fol- lowing items; a nortb arrow, driveway entrances, windows wbere you want a pleasant view, drainage conditions, existing trees direction of connections. ThesZ are the contrai factors of the design. When tbe site plan is finisbed, you must decide on the specific =areas you wish ta incorporate in the p ian. The patio area is YOUr garden living room for relaxa- tion, dining, barbecuing. The most important tbing bere, is mot ta make it tao small. A play area is a wonderful world of sand or climbing fences and tricycle patbs for reschool children. This aiea can 9e converted ta another purpose in a few years. If you h ave a lot of garden tools, furmi- ture, etc. you may want ta con- sider a starage area. This is best located mext ta the utility area in an unobtrusive spot. The avid gardener will want plant beds for flowers, sbrubs, vegetables and evergreens. These areas add a ret deal of beauty ta the gar- Having made your list of required aieas, mow returm toaa copy of your site plan. Place a piece of tracmng paper over the plan and begin ta, mark off the areas y ou are going ta bave. Be carefui ta relate the variaus areas y ou are going ta bave. Be careful ta relate the variaus areas ta your eisting conditions. A play aiea sbouIdl be visible fromthe kitchen, if possible, and in a sunny part of the lot. Further more, watcb the reia- tionsbip between the areas you don't want ta see the utility area from the patio or living room. When you have included every- tbing you want in tbe best pas- sible location, you can beginta give y ur plan some shape. Start sipy, using circles, squares and rectangles. Be boldT and generous witb the areas, wbicb wili resuit in a feeling of luxury that will now be overtaken by later plant growtb. Outline plant beds, paved area, patbways, lawn, play areas,hedges, over- head protection for utîlîty areas. The plan you have just comple- ted is equivalent ta th e floor pi an 4~ your bouse. Now you must decide what materials ta use for your outdoor flowers, walks and ceilings. The floors or surface areas of your plan must be chosen in. accordance ta their use. The entrance and patio shouid be bard surfaced for ease of walking and furniture arrangement. Wbile poured concrete is one Of, tbe most common surfaces, wby not add paving stanes ta make tbe patio larger and more inter- esting. By removing a few stones yau create planting pockets for sbade trees and or'annuals. In addition ta concrete and paving stanes there are random flag- stanes, bricks, crusbed tule or gravel, and woaden decking, whicb can bo used alone or even botter, in combination. Paths control the circulation around the garden. In heavy trafflc areas, sucb as kiteben utility or patio, the pathe shoulâ bo bard surfaced, that is, one of the materials suggested for the patio. For patbways throughout tbe garden, consider using bark mulcb, or patio stanes set rigbt in the grass which act as stop- ping stanes. Play areas will have a com- bination of surfaces- concrete, for tricycls ad bopscatcb; sand, and grass or bark under swings. For problem surfaces sucb as siopes, a ground caver may bo the perfiect solution. When choasing the outdaar waiis, yau must decide an the height as well as the materials. To give direction or contrai traf- fic, choose a wall 50 ta 100 cm high; divide spaoes and give par- tial enclasure, 125 cm bigh; and ta, pravide privacy and protection from the wind, 1.5 ta 2 meters high. I DESIGNED FOR MANOEUVERABULITYI You must now decide whetber to use fences, or plants, or both. Where spaoe is fimited, or pri- vacy is required immediateiy, a fence is the best answer. If you prefer a living fence, hedges are the thing for you. A more casual screen can be achieved by plant- ing a shrub barder. F or best resuits the bed sbouid be 3 meters high to aliow the use of tali, sbrubs at the back, medium shrubs and then dwarf varieties nt the front. And don't forget large shade trees provide a natural ceiling which also cool q the air under it. Spring also brings earwig ivasion Forficula auricularia, or the European earwig, forager of fruit, vegetable and flowering plants, will begin the spri*ng sea- son devouring your garden and end up invading y aur home by Juntaryta the superstition wbicb iends itself ta t he nmne «earwig,» this insect does nat crawl inta human eais and nest in the brain! As a nocturnal, crawling insect, the earwig bides in cracks, hollow stalks, tubular lawn furmiture amd door frames during the day. Since the ear- wig's lifespan is about one year, they bore themselves inta the eartb for the winter, able ta withstand temperatures of up ta -30 Cesius, ta begin reproduc- tion in the spring. The adult earwig about 20 millimeters in lenth is reddisb brown and altbough it bas wings, seldom flues. Ap air of pincers located at the abdomen, are used ta capture prey and protect the earwîg from predatars. In early spring, the female earwig la ys approximately 60 white, ùval egs under rocks and in crevices. Unlike most insects, the mother tends the youmg for about two weeks. Te oumg become adults in 70 days from batcbing. A second batcb is often produced in June of tbat same year. The earwig population peaks in mid-August. Control-Preventionis Better Than Cure As with ail insects, precautiomE must be taken ta keep, earwigf out of the home and garder before they became a threat tc aur well being. Since earwigs originate in tbi grass and pgaen and tbem mak. their way ta the bouse, precau- tionary steèps can be taken. Pesticides sbould be used around the exterior of the bouse ta treat areas wbere earwg may enter; along the base ofaI doars, imcludimg patio slidimg and garagdoors, window sis and Make sure the products 'you use are applied ezut once a montb. During the rainy season, appiy products more often ta ensure maimum security. c5uatiîy i-eniiizer Ura0gy'dS LWULUF 4 ou. f. Compressed Bale -uFor est abtîshed lawns C.IL. 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