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Helen Chesnut's Garden Notes: Move balcony hostas against wall in winter

Helen Chesnut's Garden Notes: Move balcony hostas against wall in winter

Dear Helen: I have a balcony garden with potted jasmines, a Hyde Hall clematis, and hostas. I鈥檝e noticed signs of life in the clematis.
U.K. architects design condos near Vancouver鈥檚 Stanley Park as tall, curvy trees

U.K. architects design condos near Vancouver鈥檚 Stanley Park as tall, curvy trees

Is Vancouver ready for tree houses? Two new residential towers proposed for Alberni and Bidwell streets in the West End are designed to mimic large undulating cedars to lend a Vancouver character and identity to the project, according to the design a
Condo Smarts: Confirm all details of projects in writing before proceeding with work

Condo Smarts: Confirm all details of projects in writing before proceeding with work

Dear Tony: Our strata corporation has just approved $125,000 from our contingency fund for roofing replacement.
Helen Chesnut: Don't get too excited about early planting yet 鈥 remember 2019

Helen Chesnut: Don't get too excited about early planting yet 鈥 remember 2019

Around mid-month I was immersed in the reshaping of some vegetable plots as the sun shone brilliantly and emitted enough warmth to draw clouds of steam from the soil. I felt delight, and suspicion.
Helen Chesnut's Garden Notes: Difficult Fremontia puts on glorious display

Helen Chesnut's Garden Notes: Difficult Fremontia puts on glorious display

Dear Helen: I鈥檝e long admired Fremontia plants that I鈥檝e seen in bloom, and I鈥檝e noticed that you have written about this shrub. Friends have warned me against acquiring one because they are difficult plants. Do you agree? L.S.
Helen Chesnut's Garden Notes: Drywall saws useful for pruning in tight places

Helen Chesnut's Garden Notes: Drywall saws useful for pruning in tight places

My son and I do minimal gift-giving at Christmas. I give almost exclusively edible treats and vitamins. Chris usually comes up with something simple but wonderfully thoughtful, like a box of LED light bulbs to replace old bulbs in all my fixtures.
House Beautiful: Forester's secluded log home transformed into eco-retreat

House Beautiful: Forester's secluded log home transformed into eco-retreat

A serpentine driveway stretching more than a kilometre and a half descends a gentle slope to the lakeshore. Its destination is a rustic home built decades ago from cedar logs harvested and hewn on site.
Condo Smarts: LED conversion smart, but council must seek owners' permission

Condo Smarts: LED conversion smart, but council must seek owners' permission

Dear Tony: Our strata council entered into a contract to change all of our lighting in common areas to LEDs to increase light levels and reduce the cost of electricity.
Helen Chesnut鈥檚 Garden Notes: Flowering primrose plants thrive in cool temperatures

Helen Chesnut鈥檚 Garden Notes: Flowering primrose plants thrive in cool temperatures

Dear Helen: About ten days ago I noticed flowering primrose plants on shelving beside the entrance to the supermarket in my small town. Surely it鈥檚 too early to plant them outdoors. Are they sold this month as house plants? R.A.
Helen Chesnut: Sowing the seeds for a colourful 2021

Helen Chesnut: Sowing the seeds for a colourful 2021

Every autumn, I drop into my local bookstore to choose the calendars that will hold reminders and guide my daily living through the coming year. The 鈥渕aster鈥 calendar, a desk agenda production, resides by the phone on a kitchen counter.