Home ShowcR REVIEW EVIEW Friday, November 26, 2010 Tri-City News 41
Ahhh, he’s dreaming of a green Christmas IN THE GARDEN Brian Minter Greens can be a fragrant & colourful additions to your festive decorations
M
mm, nothing smells as wonderful for the Christmas season as fresh greens inside our homes. It’s good to see a trend towards more traditional Christmas decorating. There are all types of fresh greens you can enjoy indoors but I always look for two qualities: how long they will stand up under dry conditions and are they fragrant. For both longevity and fragrance, it is hard to beat pine. All pine varieties have a wonderful scent but one of the most attractive is Pinus strobus or white pine. Its soft blue needles look so graceful, and they can be used in a variety of situations, particularly to accent fresh flowers and centrepieces. Usually sold as single branches for swags, lodgepole and scotch pine are also very resilient. The long-needled Pinus ponderosa is also attractive, especially when branch tips are cut and placed in a large vase. The best use of these branches, however, is for door swags. With their naturally curved tips and
large cones, they look perfect when combined with a big red velvet bow and a few shiny baubles and Christmas novelties. True fir or the abies family is my second choice for indoor greens. Silver balsam and noble fir are very good when it comes to retaining needles and when you brush your hand against their boughs, the fragrance puts you back in the forest. I particularly like the silver underside of their needles. The flat nature of their branches makes these greens ideal for swags or for advent and traditional wreaths. Blue spruce is the ultimate picea, and its branches make beautiful door swags as well. The needles on spruce, however, do not last as long as abies or pine, and they are sharp, making them somewhat more difficult to work with. Douglas fir, named after Alexander Douglas, a British botanist who collected specimens of West Coast trees and took them back to Britain, is neither a spruce nor a fir - that’s why they are classified as ‘pseudo tsuga menziesii’. They have a delightful fragrance and make beautiful looking Christmas trees but unfortunately, their branches dry out far too quickly to make them an ideal green for indoor use. Hemlocks are much the same: lovely but difficult both for drying out and for needle drop. Cedar is an old time favourite for many reasons but I’m afraid it also has a short lifespan indoors. If you can keep it in a cool
room or use it outside the home, its pendulous branches are useful in swags, wreaths and most importantly, in cedar ropes. Another super idea is to pull all the spent flowers from your moss hanging baskets and replace them with all kinds of cedar tips to create wonderful Christmas baskets. Add a few frosted cones, some holly and a big red bow with long tails, and you’ve got a very attractive addition to your outside décor. One of the most unique and attractive ideas that I’ve seen in a long time is a tradi-
tional European greens arrangement. Using a piece of florist’s oasis in a low bowl, arrange a variety of colourful green tips from yellow, blue, gold, green and bronze foliaged trees. A twisted stem of contorted filbert, one or two tall thin candles, bits of moss and a few dried perennials can be added for a finishing touch. It’s a very creative way to wow your friends and guests, and it will last right through the festive season. Cut branches are no different than cut flowers, especially deciduous holly, Ilex verticulata, with its stunning red berries. Seven to ten days is about the maximum time for any greens to be indoors without being in water. Try to have an extra supply on hand so you can replenish your creations and keep them fresh looking. By cutting about one inch off the bottom of each stem and by keeping them in room temperature water, the life span of most greens can be tripled. Decorative branches of contorted willow and filbert or the stunning brilliant yellow and red branches of twig dogwoods look great in a vase by themselves, indoors or out. My favourite are the branches of ‘Midwinter Fire’ which is a yellow and orange bicolour dogwood. Christmas greens are so nice inside our homes at this time of year. They’re inexpensive, natural and fragrant. To enjoy them longer, be sure to mist them often and keep them in water if at all possible.
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42 Tri-City News Friday, November 26, 2010
Be Safe...
Be Seen
When the weather turns dark and rainy, cyclists need to make extra-sure they can be seen by other road users and pedestrians. To ensure that you’re visible on dark days and at night equip your bicycle with bright front and rear lights. Wear light coloured clothing with reflective strips and make use of reflectors on bikes a and gear.
Calling All Volunteers! We need your help in our community
Operation Red Nose 2010 November 26 & 27, December 3, 4, 10, 11, 17 & 18 and New Years Eve For more information or to Volunteer contact: Volunteer Chair Malcolm Kennedy at malcolm.laptop@shaw.ca
How does the service work?
is a unique program dedicated to providing impaired drivers with a safe ride home. Essentially, it is a volunteer driving service provided during the Christmas Holiday Season to all drivers who have been drinking or who do not feel fit to drive their own vehicle back home. It is an original and free way of getting a safe ride in their own vehicle without driving it themselves!
Make sure that you your brakes are in good working o order and time in cold and wet weather. NEVER ASSUM ASSUME THAT OTHER ROAD USERS EXPECT THE EXPE UNEXPECTED UNEXP RIDE WITH CARE!
The Operation Red Nose service requires a team of three volunteers: Escort driver: the person who transports the designated driver & navigator in his or her own car to the client’s location.
Designated driver: the person that drives the client home in the client’s car. Navigator: the person that accompanies the designated driver and the client, in the client’s car, to record the client information and provide directions to the designated driver.
The service is free. Although Operation Red Nose is a free service, we do welcome client donations. 100% of the donations received are turned over to KidSport Tri-Cities.
Please volunteer and help make this a safer Christmas Holiday Season. Each time your team delivers an impaired driver and their vehicle safely home, you have made the Tri-Cities a safer place for you, your family and your friends.
TRI-CITY NEWS
vacc.bc.ca
lue ot Units a V ding uare Fo n a t Outs ,200 Sq For 1
A New Plateau by Liberty Homes. Distinguished Concrete Apartments Starting from $380,000 Nestled between towering evergreens high on Westwood Plateau, Cascade features luxury 1,200 square foot suites in Coquitlam’s premier neighbourhood. Designed for a seamless transition from single-family to apartment living, these homes combine inspired architecture with spacious layouts and timeless finishes. Uniquely located adjacent to Westwood Plateau Village, Cascade also offers an exceptional setting that blends picturesque views with shopping and recreation at your doorstep.
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Friday, November 26, 2010 Tri-City News 43
more lenders = more choices = right mortgage FRUSTRATED? Is your bank offering you the rate or service you deserve?
4 Showhomes to View 44 Executive Suites • 1,172sq. ft. - 1,358sq. ft.
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*O.A.C. Some conditions apply. Rate subject to change without notice. **Present this ad and receive a free netbook, value up to $300. One netbook per closed deal of a 5 year mortgage term with an amount $250,000 or more. Not valid with any other offer. Not valid on prior deals. Void where prohibited or restricted. Expires 31st March 2011.
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For Further Information Call:
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44 Tri-City News Friday, November 26, 2010
OV
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46 Tri-City News Friday, November 26, 2010
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Friday, November 26, 2010 Tri-City News 47
HW
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48 Tri-City News Friday, November 26, 2010
Rowhomes starting from the $380,000â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s* 3 Bdrm plus unďŹ nished bsmnt, 1640 sq.ft.
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*In the continuing effort to meet the challenge of product improvement, we reserve the right to modify or change plans, site plans, specifications or prices without notice. Renderings are an artistâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s conception only and are intended as general reference only. All dimensions and sizes are approximate. Prices exclude taxes. E.&O.E.
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Finalist for Townhome Development of the Year, Brighton continues to offer a wide range of townhome designs to choose from and unbeatable buyer incentives for all purchasers.
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