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What : Fathers Day Garden Party Tour, silent auction and plant sale. Where : Oak Bay When : June 17, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets : $25 (no charge for children under 12 accompanied by an adult). Available online at uwss.ca or spca.bc.

Oak Bay bungalow owner鈥檚 passion for gardening often takes her to Europe, where seeds of ideas take root

Food gardeners delight in familiar edible plants that look lovely in the garden. That may be a row of red and green lettuces, cushions of frizzy endive, peppers in yellow, orange and red, frilly kale, purple-podded beans.

There are a few bold decorating steps that take an adventurous spirit and a聽personal sense of style to execute.

Dear Reena: I left my iPhone on the kitchen counter and spilled a bottle of olive oil nearby. The phone was drenched with oil. The phone still works except for the sound; the speakers are very quiet.

Dear Tony: We are looking to buy a unit in Vancouver.

Dear Helen: For the first few years in our garden, a young cherry tree gave us lovely fruit, but in the last three years the tree has flowered and set fruit that promptly drops off. I keep the tree watered in dry weather. M.C.

June, for gardeners, is a month of opulent delight. Our personal Edens, large or small, reward our efforts with beauty of form, colour, fragrance, and fresh, life-enhancing food.

It鈥檚 a headache known to many new parents: Suddenly, your stylish abode morphs into a menagerie of outlet covers and cabinet locks.

Dear Reena: There鈥檚 a wide, ongoing conversation about how to manage fitted bed sheets that are too large for 鈥渞egular鈥�-size mattresses. We have tried the elastic tricks, which are cumbersome and don鈥檛 work.