SUI Exotic indoor house plants are 13 - Friday, January 27, 1939 — North Shore News worth the hunt to find them i REMEMBER it well. Those days of early spring in the garden centre were full of enthusiasm and anticipation; designing new marketing plans and strategies, re-arranging displays, looking for new and interesting additions to the inventory. Athletes call it getting ‘pumped,’ and we were too — like balioons. Each spring we would swarm over the unsuspecting cus- tomers who braved the clements and arrived before the rush began. We would virtually shower them with service. Doing our best to demonstrate our abilities to pro- vide knowledgeable service and a terrific selection of interesting plants. And then she would arrive. 1 will call her Mrs. Rootweevil because she, too, was a royal pain in the ..., well, you get the picture. Just like her namesake, she would arrive in the spring and begin cut- ting holes in our self image and Soon after her arrival, we would be back to barking at the custom- ems and eagerly awaiting the com- ing of the summer doldrums. Her visit, and those of the few like her, This week's article. will concern itself solely with hard-to-find Fir’ is probably among the most beautiful of coniferous evergreens. Compact, tidy habit and beautiful, dark-green needles with glaucous undersides are 2mong this plant’s special features. 2e does very well in the coastal areas of B.C., tolerating a wide variety of soil conditions. As with moet conifers, it prefers open, locations. fiome buyers get help THE PUBLIC Legal Education Society will be offering a free evenircg class for first-time home buyers. . The evening class will cover topics ing dealing with real estate agents, Lawyers and financial imterim agiccment, title search, documents ana how to avoid some encountered problems. The class will be bed Wednes- day, Feb. | from 7:30 to 9:36 p.m. at Windsor Secondary School, 931 Broadview by phoning North Shore Continu- ing Education at 986-8883. of the new. On a warm morning, the pink, fuzzy blossoms of this deciduous, summer flowering tree have a bushy habit which will re- quire trimming, but this is just an excuse to fill the house with fragrant, winter bouquets. Plant this in any decent soil against a south facing wall. Cornus mas — The ‘Cornelian Cherry’ does make occasional ap- pearances in the garden centres. The dazzling display of bright, give off a tremendous fragrance. Growing wider than they are tall, the tiny leaves of this plant make it outstanding as a patio shade tree. Really severe winters can cause moderate die back, but this is seldom a problem. Give this one lots of sun and good drainage. Chimonanthcs preacox — I like the ‘Winter Sweet’ because of its fragrant, winter flowers. 3t does WHEN over the garden gate Geojf Tobiasson yellow flowers rivals those of the forsythias for early spring atten- tion. When one compares the habits of the two, cornus mas emerges as the winner. Crocosmia x ‘Lucifer’ — This member of the Montbretia family is really outstanding. It was developed by the Blooms of Bress- ingham Garden in England and is currently being produced under QUALITY COUNTS... THE “BLUM” DRAWER SYSTEM 1325 MARINE DR. NORTH VANCOUVER 984-4361 licence by Homestead Nurseries in Abbotsford. Clusters of bright-red flowers appear on the three foot spikes in July and August amidst ar attrac- tive display of narrow, arching foliage. Select a sunny site sith well-drained soil. Davidia involacrata — It is easy to understand why they named this the ‘Pocket Handkerchief Tree’; the huge, floppy, white bracts (flowers) look as though they © could do the job. If you want a medium-sized, attractive yet distinctive tree, this is the one. Plant in sun or partial shade in any average, moist soil. Dierama poulcherrimum — This one could be hard to find, but I had to include it anyway. Initially taking cn the appearance of a rather coarse grass, the plant will amaze you with its six-foot high arching stems which are covered with rose-pink flowers. Although the only place I have seen them in cultivation was on the southern portion of the Oregon coast, they give every indication of surviving the south coast of B.C. quite comfortably. If you find them, give them a sunny, well- drained, peat-enriched soil, and then tell me where you got them. Disanthus cercidifolias — Another tough one, but worth the hunt. Its main attraction is the unbelievable display of fall color you can get on this six to 10-foot high shrub. The small, round, blue-green leaves turn dazzling shades of zed, yellew, and orange before falling. Plant them in a woodland setting and an acid soil. Well [ managed to get through the ‘D’s, but we will have to leave the rest until the next instalment of Dr. Deciduous’ 60 ways to frustrate Mrs. Rootweevil. Question: What place has 3 Million people and 50 million sheep?