Smell the Spring Flowers
The gooseberry 
A first flower is crocus. Crocus flowers are one of the brightest and earliest spring bloomers. Plant them in the fall and these easy-to-grow bulbs will light up your yard.
warm spring-like weather in Vancouver means many gardening enthusiasts have already got their hands dirty.
Veggies Seeds to start in March
- Cool weather veggies go in now including:-arugula, broad beans, collards, corn salad, kale, Oriental greens, peas, radishes and spinach. Our robust veggie starts are generally in stock by early March.
Veggies Seeds to start in April
- In addition to the above March list you can also plant:- beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots (unless we are having a colder/wetter spring) fennel, green onions, kohlrabi, lettuce, onions, parsnips, swiss chard and turnips
Borders & Flower Gardens
- March is the month to feed your garden. Trees, shrubs, hedges, roses, perennials, vines, and small fruits can all be fertilized now. We stock a large selection of organic fertilizers which we know you will love! Our bulk ‘Organic Mix ‘ Fertilizer makes it easy and it is great for just about everything and is available in a large sack or in small amounts by the pound. Not sure what to use or how? Ask us and we will show you:)
- Rhododendrons, azaleas, heather, camellias, hedges and other acid loving plants can be fertilized with Plant Prod ‘Ever Acid’ liquid fertilizer for lovely deep green foliage and for the acidifying that they need
- Plant new trees, shrubs, roses, perennials, pansies, small fruits and hardy herbs. Include bonemeal, peat moss and manure or your own compost when planting and don’t forget to water new transplants frequently
- Hold off trimming down bulbs such as tulips and daffodils until the foliage is yellowing as this process is feeding the bulb for next Spring
- Prune summer blooming clematis back to about 3′. Leave Spring blooming varieties of clematis to prune, if necessary, after they flower as you would cut off the buds if you pruned these now
- Prune roses when the daffodils begin to bloom (usually early to mid March) and apply ¼ cup dry Epson salts around the base and scratch it in
- Prune Spring blooming shrubs such as Forsythia, magnolia and lilac after flowering
- Weed gardens before the weeds have a chance to flower and go to seed
- Compost or manure can be added to flower beds now
- Purchase summer flowering bulbs, roots, and tubers such as dahlias, lilies, hostas, glads and plant as packages recommend. Generally the winter hardy types like lilies and hostas are planted after March 1st and non-winter hardy types like dahlias and glads are planted after April 1st. Begonias are started indoors from February on but do not get transplanted outdoors until after Mother’s Day (same as most annuals)
- This is the time of year that the large shipments of new plants arrive and there is just about always something new at the Garden Centre!
Lawn Care
- Control Moss in lawns if necessary (You will need two days of dry weather after it has been applied)
- Thatch lawn to remove thatch in older lawns and dead moss in lawns recently treated with moss control. (10 days after moss control)
- Lime lawns in preparation for fertilizing about two weeks later
- Feed lawn with a good quality Spring fertilizer. We like BC made Garden Pro 32-4-8 as it is made for our specific growing conditions
- Pull dandelions and other weeds from lawn before they flower and make new seeds
Ensure plants used in gardens will provide visual enjoyment all year long and meet the the sizes set out are set out front to back where visibility is a concern
In the garden.Garden accents can take the form of some serious statuary or be as delicate as a glass wind chime. Big or small, I believe such accents give the viewer information just as my card Does
A-Plus Gardening and Landscaping
has been Working on the North Shore 25 years
In North Vancouver And West Vancouver and the GVRD
A-Plus Lawn and Garden does it professionally with all the Good tools and experience that is needed.
From -Lawn care to Tree topping, Pruning trees and Shrubs & Trimming hedges. also paving stones …. pathways and retaining walls.
Drainage and Ponds, Sprinkler systems & Rubbish Removal
For more garden stuff Contact me aplusgardener@gmail.com
A-Plus Gardening and Landscaping
North And West Vancouver BC For 25 Years As
A-Plus Gardening and Landscaping… •*♪ ♫
Spring Sunshine In North Vancouver
✬ ¯`•.¸¸ღ ❥ Flowers And Blooming ❥ღ¯`•.¸¸✬
Last Week of Clouds changes When Growth Is Faster with Sun this week
And April is a new change In warm weather as the lawn start to grow
Chafer Beetles Destroyed Your Lawn?
Some of the most extensive lawn damage we’ve seen lately has been courtesy of the invasive chafer beetle. With grubs feeding on grass roots throughout much of the year, lawns can quickly become wilted and brown as they struggle to acquire much-needed nutrients and water. Above ground, birds and small mammals act as mini roto-tillers as they search out a meal of grubs. The end result of chafer beetle infection is often wide sections of lawn, damaged beyond repair.
By amending their existing soil with a quality topsoil to improve the nutritional quality and structure of their soil – the better to support a beautiful lawn!.
Some lawns may also benefit from the addition of garden lime, as heavy concentrations of weeds and moss are one signal that your soil may be too acidic. Learn more about what garden lime is and when you should consider using before applying lime to your lawn.
Keep grass healthy, long to ward off chafer beetles
letting grass grow to combat chafer beetle infestations.
“The adults in the summer have to lay their eggs into the turf grass, and if the turf is thin or if the grass is very short then they have no problem getting their ovipositors [organ used to lay eggs] into the grass,”
More on chafer beetles in B.C.
“If your lawn is mossy or thin, or if you over water, over fertilize that makes the grass really soft, really easy to rip up, so those kinds of things make lawns susceptible to chafer beetle.
“Really if the grass is healthy and the roots are deep and your grass isn’t cut too short, then chafer beetle is not a big problem.”
❀A Garden Beauty ❀ is Like waves At the Ocean
Now is the time to breathe and nourish the soul. We all have our own way of doing that.
I will be Meditating on glorious color, harmony—and beauty in the garden as I Work and play.
2006 05 pond West Vancouver
West Vancouver
Waterfall leading to a second pond in West Vancouver BC
And a pumpkin patch in the yard in the rain makes Color
Rock Garden
Fall color Pond
And for when it rains you need a Hobbit House
❀ And A Place to rest when it snows ❀
Garden Beauty
So nice flower gardens with colorful flowers different height garden decoration ideas bring the beauty into any Garden
Cherry and Apple tree N Vancouver
Just plant your plants flowers and trees in the Right place place
Contact Me
A-Plus Gardening and Landscaping
has been Working on the North Shore 25 years
In North Vancouver And West Vancouver and the GVRD
A-Plus Lawn and Garden does it professionally with all the Good tools and experience that is needed.
From -Lawn care to Tree topping, Pruning trees and Shrubs & Trimming hedges. also paving stones …. pathways and retaining walls.
Drainage and Ponds, Sprinkler systems & Rubbish Removal
♩ ♬ Flowers, gardens, and trees make music in the yard ❄ •*♪ ♫
For more garden stuff Contact me aplusgardener@gmail.com
A-Plus Gardening and Landscaping
North And West Vancouver BC For 25 Years As
❄ A-Plus Gardening and Landscaping… ❄ •*♪ ♫
Tree Talk
There are no doubts that coast redwood is the tallest tree species on Earth. This might be lucky (for coast redwood) coincidence – in recent past there were coast Douglas firs (in United States and Canada) and eucalypts (in Australia) of comparable height and possibly higher, but these trees were ruthlessly cut. Nowadays there are known many hundreds of coast redwoods exceeding the height of 100m… and no trees of other species exceeding this height.
Tallest and largest known tree was Lindsey Creek tree (Fieldbrook, California), uprooted by storm in 1905. This tree was 118.9 m tall, diameter could reach 11.6 m.
It is believed that if there was a Robin Hood, he and his merry men took shelter under this tree, and even inside its trunk, when Sherwood Forest was much larger and easy to disappear into. It is at least 800 years old, and maybe 1,000, making its use by people of Robin Hood’s time possible. It would have already stood close to its present size by that time. 
The oldest known olive tree on Earth, with a tree ring age of at least 2,000 years. Carbon daters have estimated it to be about 4,000 years old, and it still produces tasty olives today. It is 15 feet thick at the base, is not particularly tall, as olive trees go, but is, quite literally, gnarly. Totally gnarly. The trunk is magnificently swirled, knotted, and bulbous
more here From A-Plus
http://porthole111.wix.com/a-plus-gardening
Tree power :]
![Tree power :]](https://aplusgardener.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/garden-tree-advice.jpg?w=479)
1995 geoscientist Paul Damon observed a prolonged spike in giant sequoia trees potentially corresponding to a supernova recorded in A.D. 1006.
http://dailynewsdig.com/mysterious-coin-covered-wishing-trees-in-the-uk/
A-Plus Gardening and Landscaping
has been Working on the North Shore 25 years
In North Vancouver And West Vancouver and the GVRD
A-Plus Lawn and Garden does it professionally with all the Good tools and experience that is needed.
From -Lawn care to Tree topping, Pruning trees and Shrubs & Trimming hedges. also paving stones Pathways and retaining walls.
Drainage and Ponds, Sprinkler systems & Rubbish Removal.
How to keep Up with the Garden Work with Healthy thoughts
Body by ViSalus is a good health product I have been on for 2 years now.
and is a good way to keep my belly full and making it smaller with all the good vitamins involved.
and the 25 pounds that I lost in 3 months with out working out.
its worth trying because it tastes like cookies,
so any type of shake is good with Visalus in it
so i keep making them shakes so I don’t miss breakfast, which is not good for anybody.
http://visalussexy2012.wordpress.com/ Visalus blog
A-Plus Gardening and Landscaping
has been Working on the North Shore 25 years
In North Vancouver And West Vancouver and the GVRD
A-Plus Lawn and Garden does it professionally with all the Good tools and experience that is needed.
From -Lawn care to Tree topping, Pruning trees and Shrubs & Trimming hedges. also paving stones Pathways and retaining walls.
Drainage and Ponds, Sprinkler systems & Rubbish Removal.
Exposing The Global Elite
I
“I think it’s absolutely essential that the public pay attention and get involved in expressing their view.”
..Life of a Tree…
..Life of a Tree…
Tree Facts
Trees help our soil remain healthy by reducing soil erosion and by creating a soil climate suitable for microorganism to grow.
There are over 23,000 different kinds of trees in the world.
A healthy tree can increase your property value by as much as 27 percent while trees with dead branches, hollow cavities and other problems can decrease your property value.
Evergreen trees are green year round because they do not lose all of their leaves in one season. Most will however lose some of their oldest leaves just before they produce new leaves in the spring. Some will lose part of their leaves in the fall.
A tree can absorb as much as 48 pounds of carbon dioxide per year and can sequester 1 ton of carbon dioxide by the time it reaches 40 years old.
Tree leaves are composed of many colored pigments — green chlorophyll hides them during the spring and summer growing seasons. Shorter days and cool temperatures in the fall cause the chlorophyll to break down and the other pigments to be see.
Every state has an official State Tree. We do not have a national tree, however, there is a campaign to have the oak adopted as our National Tree.
Arbor Day, a day site aside to plant and recognize the importance of trees, is not a national holiday. If fact the day observed varies from state to state.
Tree wood is a highly organized arrangement of living, dying, and dead cells.
The beginning and growth of tall woody trees in forests may have played a key role in the extinction of the dinosaurs.
Hundreds of food products (fruit, coffee, nuts, etc.) and food additives (for ice cream, chewing gum, etc.) come from trees.
One large tree can lift up to 100 gallons of water out of the ground and discharge it into the air in a day.
One large tree can provide a day’s supply of oxygen for up to four people.
Each year, one person uses wood and paper products equivalent to a 100 foot tree 18 inches in diameter.
Over 5,000 products are made from trees.
Trees are included in most religions. Some hold certain trees sacred; other use trees to help teach beliefs. The story goes that Buddha received his enlightenment under the wisdom tree.
Each year over 600,000 people travel to Macon, Georgia to see 240,000 cherry trees in bloom. The estimated revenue is over $6.5 million dollars per year.
Age/Size
Trees are the largest living organism on earth:
– Some coastal redwoods are over 360 feet tall
– Some swamp ash trees are almost 300 feet tall
– Giant seguoia trees can weigh over 2000 tons (4 million pounds)
– It can take 10 minutes to walk around the crown of a giant banyon tree in Calcutta.
– Monkey trees can have a crown of almost 200 feet.
Trees are some of the oldest living organism on earth:
– live oaks can live to be over 500 years
– many giant sequoia trees are 2,500 years old
– some bristlecone pines are thought to be over 5000 years old.
Trees grown in city conditions often do not live as long (average 13 years less) as trees grown in their natural wooded environment.
Growth
Trees trap more of the sun’s energy than any other group of organisms on earth — they are in essence big batteries — the largest on earth. Only 0.1% of the sun’s energy is trapped by organisms — trees account for 50% of all energy trapped by organism.
Almost 98% (by weight) of a tree is made up of six elements: carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus and sulfur.
Tree growth occurs in specialized tissues referred to as meristems. This tissue is found at the tips of leaves and shoots. Growth in diameter occurs at the vascular cambium inside the stem.
If a birdhouse is hung on a tree branch, it does not move up the tree as the tree grows.
Trees need food to grow but you can’t buy food for them. They make their own food from sunlight, water, carbon dioxide and nutrients from the soil.
Trees do not grow beyond their ability to support themselves. During periods of stress they shed leaves, flowers, fruit and/or branches.
Trees do not restore and repair wood that is injured and infected — instead they compartmentalize off the damaged tissue. New cells are not produced to replace the damaged cells.
A hollow in a tree is never greater than the diameter of the tree at the time it was injured. It should not spread into the new growth that occurs after the tree was injured.
A tree branch is not actually attached to the rest of the tree. It is held in place by a series of interlocking “collars”. Collars overlap and mesh to form a tight woven pattern of tissue.
During periods of increased or decreased temperature, cracks may develop in the tree trunk — referred to as frost cracks and sun cracks. Both can lead to decay.
Each year trees produce an increment of new growth that covers growth from the previous year.
The age of a tree can be determined by the number of growth rings. The size of the growth ring is determined in part by environmental conditions – temperature, water availability.
Tree trunk cells produced in the spring are larger, have thinner walls and are lighter in color than cells produced in the summer.
Bark is the protective covering of a tree. The outer bark is composed of dead cells. The bark will often split as the trunk diameter increases.
Different parts of the tree grow at different times of the year. A typical pattern is for most of the foliage growth to occur in the spring, followed by trunk growth in the summer and root growth in the fall and winter. Not all trees follow the same pattern.
Roots
Most trees do not have a tap root.
Tree roots do not grow very deep. Most tree roots are in the top 12 inches of soil.
Tree roots often extend two to three times the width of the tree.
Roots do not have green chlorophyll.
Roots store more starch than the trunk.
Roots do not have a central pith (soft central tissue) while the trunk does.
The majority of tree roots are non-woody. These root hairs grow within days of when water, temperature, and nutrients are available to promote growth. These non-woody roots only live for a few weeks.
Non-woody tree roots can grow almost any time the soil is not frozen.
Flowers, Seeds
Almost all trees produce flowers — some are very showy. Trees that depend on the wind for pollination have non-showy flowers. Often their flowers are muted shades of green or yellowish green.
Trees can be classified as gymnosperms or angiosperms. Gymnosperms produce their seeds on the surface or tips of an appendage such as a pine cone. Angiosperms produce their seeds inside a fruit such as an acorn.
Most trees are grown from seeds — this leads to variability in the age at which they flower, the amount of flowers produced and the intensity of fall color. Ideally, trees you plant would be grown from seeds collected in a similar climate. Seeds collected in areas with significantly different temperatures will have a different cold and heat tolerance.
Most tree seeds require two growing seasons to germinate. Some tree species require a period of cold weather and others will not germinate for several years.
Cultural Practices
Topping trees is a costly, money-wasting mistreatment of trees.
Tree wound paints and dressings do not help the tree — some actually speed decay.
There is no conclusive evidence that tree wraps help prevent heat or cold injury.
Inserting screws, nails or injecting fertilizer into a tree trunk can cause decay and death.
A newly transplanted small tree will often out grow a larger newly transplanted tree.
Filling a tree cavity is not a very useful practice. If done incorrectly it can lead to further decay.
Non-staked transplanted trees are usually stronger than trees that have been staked.
When pruning, do not leave stubs or cut flush with the trunk. Both can prevent the tree from healing naturally and can increase decay.
Callus and woundwood forms around tree cuts. Neither indicate the tree’s ability to protect itself against decay. The decay must be compartmentalized off inside the tree.
The best time to fertilize a tree is late fall. The next best time is very early spring.
Newly transplanted trees should not be fertilized for a year.
Winter hardiness decreases for several weeks after pruning —- do not prune in late fall or during severe cold weather.
The best time to transplant most trees is in the fall. There are some exceptions.
Compiled by: Erv Evans
NC State University.
From -Lawn care to Tree topping, Pruning trees and Shrubs & Trimming hedges. also paving stones Pathways and retaining walls.
Drainage and Ponds, Sprinkler systems & Rubbish Removal.
Angel’s trumpet, a poisonous plant popular with Metro Vancouver gardeners for its pungent scent.
METRO VANCOUVER — BC Corrections plans to check the grounds of all its institutions for a commonly sold ornamental plant that contains hallucinogens after 12 inmates ate part of the plant to get high.
The inmates at the Alouette Correctional Centre for Women ate the seeds of angel’s trumpet, a plant popular with Metro Vancouver gardeners for its pungent scent and hanging trumpet-like white, pink, orange, green or red flowers.
The inmates were taken to hospital starting late Sunday for observation after one woman was seen to be hallucinating. They were all released back to custody by Monday morning.
The seeds were taken from angel’s trumpets growing as ornamental plants near Alouette’s medium security building, said Marnie Mayhew, director of programs and strategic services for BC Corrections.
She said BC Corrections has removed all the angel’s trumpet from Alouette and is checking on the other eight correctional centres in B.C. for it and any other “noxious plants.” She said it was the first time anything like this had ever occurred at Alouette.
“Despite available supports and strict protocols, people with addictions will take extraordinary measures in an attempt to become intoxicated,” Mayhew said in a statement.
Angel’s trumpet is sold at local garden stores. It has been known to survive for years in pots by spending the summers outside and then being cut down and taken indoors in the fall.
Angel’s trumpet, of the genus Brugmansia, contains two hallucinogens: scopolamine and hyoscyamine, the latter which is known to give sensations of flying. It is one of the ingredients in ayahuasca, a powerful psychedelic brew that originated in South America.
Taking angel’s trumpet and similar substances is such an unpleasant experience, few people ever want to repeat it, said Dr. Roy Purssell, medical director of B.C.’s drug and poison information centre. The effects of angel’s trumpet can last an average of 16 hours.
“It is extremely unpleasant as far as an altered state of consciousness,” he said, referring to case histories. “They all look like that they wished this had not occurred to them. I think it’s the way their mental state gets altered in a way that’s really quite unpleasant.”
He couldn’t recall any examples of poisoning or overdosing from angel’s trumpet being reported to the B.C. drug and poison information centre. The usual way of ingesting angel’s trumpet is by brewing it like a tea, he said.
Angel’s trumpet is anticholinergic, which means it can cause acute drying of the user’s mouth and skin.
Concerned that reports of taking angel’s trumpet may lead to copycat cases among students, Dr. Purssell said one of its effects is complete loss of judgment. There have been reported deaths not from taking angel’s trumpet but from the reckless acts that people do while under its influence.
“They’re simply unable to assess the risks of what they’re doing and can do something very dangerous,” he said.
A-Plus Gardening and Landscaping
has been Working on the North Shore 25 years
In North Vancouver And West Vancouver and the GVRD
A-Plus Lawn and Garden does it professionally with all the Good tools and experience that is needed.
From -Lawn care to Tree topping, Pruning trees and Shrubs & Trimming hedges. also paving stones Pathways and retaining walls.
Drainage and Ponds, Sprinkler systems & Rubbish Removal.
Vancouver Changing 1931 Looking North from Vancouver
Out with the old and in with the new and if that keeps up, Were going look like this, all the time and not just For a big Event >
Like the human fly Act “Over-Town” in Vancoucer With a awsum street party in 1918.
The Human Fly, Friday 1 November 1918
Harry Gardiner, aka “The Human Fly,” climbed 700 or so buildings in North America & Europe, unaided by any safety or climbing gear. Here he can be seen dangling from the fifth floor of the World Building (now the Sun Tower), with a huge throng of spectators packed in the street and on nearby rooftops.
the Sun Tower wascompleted in 1912, it was called the World Building and was the tallest building in the British Empire at 82 metres for its time.
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