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In an effort to prolong the enjoyment of life outside the back door, I have been considering the many options for adding a bit of heat to the chilly late summer and fall evenings.

Dear Reena: About 10 days ago, I purchased a bouquet of flowers from a market. The clerk wrapped them in heavy black poster-type paper. The stems were quite wet and seeped through the paper, resulting in stains on my white denim jacket.

Dear Helen: My Barbara Jackman clematis flowered beautifully late in the spring, but now it seems to be dying back. Should I have pruned the plant after it flowered? The weather this summer has been hard on many plantings in the garden. J.E.

Dear Tony: I recently attended the annual general meeting of our strata corporation and was given two proxies from my neighbours.

You don’t need a green thumb to grow vegetables indoors. On the contrary, there are plenty of indoor greenhouses that take the work out of growing plants, from the amount of water they get to the right dosage of light.

Pat Preston and John Tylee have filled their Beacon Hill Park-area space with frames of colour

Two sleek, gentle presences have appeared in the garden, soon after the arrival of new neighbours next door — their rescue cats. Normally, I don’t welcome cats in the garden. They stalk the birds and leave their messes in the plots.

Dear Helen: Can you identify the shrub or tree in the attached photo? I saw it blooming late last month at the end of the Oak Bay marina. The pink colouring is unusual. I can't find it it any of my plant books. L.M.

Dear Tony: Our property manager has recently sent to all its clients an addendum to sign.

Sights and sounds of summertime garden make up for crippling injury