It’s Spring Pergala JIMLANG photo Between the rows and lines is Helen Lang Helen Lang has been finding time away from her garden for about 10 years to help other green — and not-so-sreen — thumbs with theirs. Her forum has been the Over the Garden Fence column, a mainstay of The Review since the days when Helen ran her own garden shop in Sidney. Helen, who contributed most of the material for our spring supplement, has been gardening ‘tas long as I can remember, I used to garden with my mother.” Husband Jim contributed photos for this supplement. Jim, the notorious ‘himself’? who shows up often in Helen’s col- umn, is an important part of her writings, she says. “I?m absolutely sure most people read it because of Jim. If he isn’t in the column, people Start asking me why.” And if The Review and Helen aren’t careful, they may face a libel suit from ‘‘himself’ one of these days. “He gets a lot of kidding about it downtown. Sometimes he tells me, “That’s enough. No “himself? for the next two months.’ ” | get phone calls and let- ters. And if | don’t know an answer myself, look if up But ‘‘himself’’ was important from the start. In fact Jim made sure Helen insisted on money for the columns. The joy of writing the column, however, has always been the people, not the few dollars of pay. “I just loved it at the gar- den shop. I always got people coming in with their prob- lems.” Someone suggested her advice was good enough for a column. And the people- contact remains today. “I get phone calls and let- ters. And if I don’t know an answer myself, I look it up. And I phone back, even if I can’t find the answer.” The most common problems are from recent arrivals_to the Peninsula from the Prairies and eastern Canada. ““They’re not familiar with the growing conditions. They think the season is May to Sept. ee See LS aes PARES PMV RENE SEES Cm SUNS (tainty etek STAN NAC. Sa RL aA “But it’s 12 months a year, really.” And judging by the way Helen rolls her eyes, 12 months of gardening a year is a mixed = Plessis Fruit & Ornamental Tree Pruning * Topping & Timming - ¢ Brush Chipping - Fruit Tree Spraying Free Estimates : FA i _ SDK Fully Insured Mike Puckett 656-1558 SIDNEY TRACTOR SERVICE [10 +