th

a

to gardens
‘signs of

OVER THE GARDEN GATE

“WHO OR what are the true

harbingers of spring? }-have
heard this title - bestowed
upon the crocus, forsythia,
snowdrops, daffodils . and
even the robin:

1. cannot: agree.’ I. believe the

“true signal for the. approach. of

“spring tide is delivered by the
‘primrose.

Iam well’ aware that the
primrose (primula vulgaris) will

Rot usually flower in the garden
after

_ until early April, well
spring’s in full swing.

Yet there they are lining the en-

“trance -to every supermarket and

, comer, store, announcing in a riot

of color that: spring, is. about to

1

* feel
owords of warnin

= out of them.

. pounce, teady or not.
Ever the doom and gloomer, i
compelled - to: : offer
g:. beware the ides
.of March — as’ ell as the ice of
-. February! °

It may be ‘with the’ springiest of
intentions that we jump-the gun,
and I-do not mean by this that
buying primulas now -will. be like
shooting yourself in the foot, but

is'a litde early to leave them out .

unprotected,

The vast majority if not all of ;

‘these early plants“ are grown in
_ greenhotises. They have been pro-

« tected: for..weeks:in an artificial -
atmosphere’ of perfect.

temperatures, humidity, light and
air circulation.

All of this care ‘is now being
rewarded with. vivid displays of
“colorful blooms, all of which will
disappear: like magic at the first
hint of frost. oo

I'do not-intend to suggest that
. you should refrain from using the
primrose to assist you in brighten-
ing up your grey, ' winter-weary
:, lives, just exercise a little caution. .
Here a few tips that should help
you get the most of these plants.

:Do not plant them out in overly

exposed locations in the garden.’

Too’ much bright winter sun, €x-
posure. to frost or even cold, wet
weather’ will: wash the color right

-- Do plant them in protected
-nooks and crannies. Try to place
..them' in sheltered spots up against
the house, under the overhang or
-the’ branches of overhanging
» shrubs such as thododendrons or

pieris:
If. you gel. any warning of an

impending light frost, a few sheets .

of . newspaper draped over’, them
will be sufficient to guard against
light damage.

. Better” still; keep them in con-

these .

spring

tainers so that you can move: them

“to a cool ‘spot indoors in the ad-

vent of some really cold weather.

I have recently seen some very
attractive planter arrangements
which make good use of the
qualities Possessed by the primula.

A nice 12” to 16°” bowl-type
planter filled with five four-inch
potted plants will brighten up an

entrance Way.

My favorite has to be Janice’s
woven wall basket. She filled its
narrow, crescent shape with three
or four plants and stuffed
sphagnum moss around them. She
then hung it on the wall, next to
the door at eye level for ‘all to en-
joy as they come to visit.

It looks great and its sheltered
position will ensure that it con-
tinues-to do so for many weeks to
come. ‘

If we examine the natural pref-
erences of these plants, it wil! im-
prove our chances of getting the
most of what they have to offer.

Cool, .moist environments are
ideal. These plants are not well

' suited to hot, dry environrnents

such as the interior of B.C., or
even our Gulf Islands.

This being the case, you would
think to see them growing like
weeds all over the North Shore.

The reason we don’t is primari-
ly due to the character of our soils
rather than severely cold winters,
overly wet springs or the occa-
sional dry.summer, all of which
can takeatoll.. | ° :

Polyantha “primroses. (a sub-
class of p.. vulgaris) prefer® the
types of soils that ‘are typically
found. on the floor of, deciduous
forests.

These are rich in organic matter
- allowing. for good meisture reten-
tion while remaining porous

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508-510 St. Georges Ave., built 1941.°

— Logan House

THIS IS a fine example of

a style of architecture that
became popular in the

1930s and 1940s known as.

Domestic Moderne,
Streamiine Moderne.
Hal Norman. designed this

home for Mr. and Mrs, Robert
Logan in 1941 when he worked

or

for the Streamline Construction.

Co. .

Both the Logan House and the
Cunningham House (built 1945)
‘on East 25th Street are two very
good examples of this style in
North Vancouver.

These homes are. cubic or
geometric in. design with soft-

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‘NORTH SHORE |
HERITAGE

by Dorothy Foster

ened angles and rounded curves.
The main’ surface is covered
with smooth white stucco, al-
though Hal Norman’s design has
incorporated lengths of cedar. for
a nice contrasting feature.
The windows in these homes

‘are square or rectangular, and in ~

some. cases circular cut glass
panes have been incorporated in-:
to doors, like portholes.

This ‘style . also uses: small

giuate furnishings at the - °

le lowest prices avaiable

panes or glass blocks sometitnes
found in horizontal sections’ for

. both ‘added interior lighting and
. exterior.design treatment.

Art’ Deco ornamentation is
usually: prevalent i in these homes
and- ‘projecting canopies with -
hard geometric lines are another
feature in Domestic Moderne

‘homes.

In 1959 the Logan House was »
modified for use as a duplex. ,

I would like to acknowlege the.
North Vancouver City’s Heritage :
Inventory. for background in-
formation, and thank‘ them ‘for

_ including ‘these. fine architectural

examples of Moderne. homes, in
their post-1939 heritage building
inventory.

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