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Since all my socializing for months has been outdoors, much of it occurs in the garden.

Tucked into the woods of Shawnigan Lake, at the end of a gravel road, stands a house that suits its natural surroundings as well as the couple who call it home.

Dear Tony: I own a townhouse unit in Surrey that I have been renting out for the past 15 years with a reliable tenant. I conducted routine inspections, and all seemed well until the tenant gave me notice two months ago.

Dear Helen: I planted my first rose bushes last year 鈥� three Charisma Floribunda roses. They flowered through the fall and beyond. Because the plants kept blooming, I did not prune them.

The catalogue from William Dam Seeds has long been a significant player in my planting repertoire. The company was founded by Dutch immigrants to sa国际传媒 72 years ago, about the same time that some old friends of mine immigrated as a newlywed couple.

Dear Tony: We live in the Okanagan and our strata corporation is located on a higher elevation. We have snow frequently.

Dear Helen: I have a large potted poinsettia. Can I plant it outdoors in a sheltered area? I鈥檝e seen hedges of these plants on Maui. A.S. Poinsettias are not hardy outdoors in our climate, but they do benefit from a summer outdoors in filtered light.

In our coastal climate, February can be a tricky, undependable month. The forecasts I鈥檝e seen don鈥檛 indicate any super-nasty weather, just a few light frosts overnight.

Dear Tony: How do we get the year-end financial report from our strata corporation? Our fiscal year ends on Oct. 31, and we normally have our general meeting in November to approve the budget for the next year.

It used to be a 鈥渇armhouse鈥� was simply a house built on agricultural land. Not any more.