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By Miles Hunter, 2021/01/04

January 4th, 2021

Add a Touch of the Tropics to your home!

Most people know that having house plants is good for your home, but how are they good for your home? There are many benefits to having indoor plants including their ability to clean your air. With the right number of house plants you can breathe easier, enjoy improved health, and have a sharper focus.

Over the years NASA has conducted research into the best house plants for cleaning and purifying air. Some of the best include; Areca Palm, Pothos, Peace Lily, Chinese Evergreen, Philodendron, Dracaena, Weeping Fig, and the Rubber Plant. For a list of the best plants for cleaning your air click here. NASA recommends one plant, in a 6 inch (15 cm) or larger pot, per 100 square feet of household. So an 1,000 square foot home should have 10 small house plants.

For tips about growing indoor plants click here.

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By Miles Hunter, 2020/12/25

December 25th, 2020

Recycling Your Christmas Tree!

Due to Covid many of the tree chipping events are not happening this year. So be sure to check before taking your tree.

There are still several ways that you can recycle your Christmas tree in Greater Vancouver. Here are some alternatives. For more alternatives call the BC Recycling Hotline at 604-732-9253.

Residential Collection (Surrey, Delta, or Langley)

Surrey residents that receive yard trimmings collection may put their tree out before 7 AM on their regular yard trimming collection day until January 31st. Residents are asked to cut the tree into branches and bundle the branches together for ease of pickup. For more information contact the City of Surrey Garbage and Recycling line at 604-590-7289.

Delta residents can put your Christmas tree out with your yard waste but regular restrictions apply. Bundles must be no more than 1 meter by 60 cm.

Langley (City or Township) residents can put your Christmas tree out with your yard waste but regular restrictions apply. Bundles must be no more than 1 meter by 60 cm and weigh no more than 34 kg (75 lbs).

Transfer Station (Surrey, Delta, or Langley)

Surrey residents are welcome to drop off their tree at the transfer station at 9770 – 192nd Street, Surrey. The Transfer Station is open from 8 AM until 5 PM Monday to Friday and 8 AM to 6 PM Saturday and Sunday. For more information call the Transfer Station at 604-513-2409.

Delta residents are welcome to drop off their trees at the Vancouver Landfill for Composting. The composting facility is located at 5400 – 72nd Street in Delta.

Langley residents are welcome to drop off their trees for a fee at the transfer station located at 1070 – 272 Street, Langley. The transfer station is open Monday to Saturday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. or Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Chipping Events

Many local Charities normally host chipping events but due to Covid many have been cancelled, so please check. Here are a few:

•  Newton Athletic Park (128th Street and 74th Avenue) Surrey firefighters will be on hand to assist with the chipping of Christmas trees
• Emanuel Covenant Church – January 4th and 5th 10 am to 4 pm, at 17029 16th Ave., Surrey. Info: Emmanuelcovenant.ca.
• Lions Club/Surrey Food Bank tree chip, Central City mall east parking lot – cancelled for 2020
• Enver Creek Secondary Dry Grad fundraiser Date/Time TBD. Held first weekend of January at school, 14505 84 Avenue, Surrey, Check their website for more info at www.surreyschools.ca/schools/envercreek/Pages/default.aspx
• Surrey Firefighters’ Annual Tree Chip (by donation) Newton Athletic Park (128th Street and 74th Avenue) -  visit Surreyfirefighters.com/charitablesociety/campaigns/treechip/ for more information
• Holy Cross Secondary School, 16079 88th Ave., 
• The North Delta Lions Club are hosting a tree chipping event at Memorial Park (5010 47th Avenue) in Ladner

Residential Collection (Vancouver)

Households that receive yard trimmings collection may put their tree out before 7 AM on Saturday January 11th or Sunday January 12th. For more information visit the City of Vancouver’s website here, contact the City of Vancouver Recycling Hotline at 604-326-4600, OR recycle@vancouver.ca.

Vancouver South Transfer Station

Any city of Vancouver resident is welcome to drop off their undecorated tree at the transfer station until January 31^st at the Vancouver South Transfer Station (377 West Kent Avenue North) and the Vancouver Landfill (5400 – 72^nd Street, Delta)

Lions Club Chipping Event (Vancouver)

The Lions Club of BC hosts usually Chipping Events at several locations but due to Covid they have all been cancelled for 2021. Donations of Cash and non-perishable food items will be distributed to local charities. Chipping events will take place at the following locations:

• Kits Beach Parking Lot (Cornwall and Arbutus) -
• Kerrisdale Ice Rink (5670 East Boulevard North of 41^st) -
• Sunset Beach Upper Parking Lot (Beach Avenue and Broughton Street) -
• Trout Lake -
• Mount Pleasant BIA, Kingsgate Mall east parking lot
• Little Mountain Neighbourhood House, 50 E. 30th Ave.

Contact the Lions Club for more information:

(www.vancouverlions.com)

UBC Christmas Tree Chipper Event (Vancouver)

“Chip In” by recycling your Christmas tree at the UBC Botanical Gardens. Your tree will be chipped into bark mulch for the pathways. For self service you can drop your tree off anytime between December 26^th and January 10^th, between 10 AM and 2 PM.

Drop trees at the UBC Botanical Garden parking lot, at 6804 South West Marine Drive Please remove all lights, decorations, tinsel, stands, or other items. No yard trimmings please, just Christmas trees. UBC Plant Operations and UBC Botanical Garden proudly sponsor this sustainability initiative. Donations are gratefully appreciated. Visit botanicalgarden.ubc.ca or call 604-822-4208 for more information.

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By Miles Hunter, 2020/12/22

December 22nd, 2020

It is time to treat your Roses, Fruit Trees, and other or other deciduous shrubs with a dormant spray!

A dormant spray kit contains Lime Sulphur and Horticultural Oil. The Lime sulphur helps to prevent the spread of fungal spores while the horticultural oil helps to kill the eggs of insects. The sulphur and oil can be combined and sprayed at the same time. You can use any type of sprayer including trigger sprayers, pressure sprayer, or tank sprayers.

Your Fruit Trees, Roses, and other ornamental shrubs can be sprayed on a clear day when the temperatures are above zero celcius for at least 6 hours.

Come in today to pick up your kit and have it ready for the next clear day.

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By Miles Hunter, 2020/12/21

December 21st, 2020

Heavenly Helleborus!

Helleborus, or Christmas Rose, are an easy to grow perennial that bloom continuously for many months. Some varieties start in early December and can bloom until March. They grow best in a dry shady location. They are fairly disease resistant, drought tolerant, and deer resistant. For more information about growing Helleborus click here.

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By Miles Hunter, 2020/12/20

December 20th, 2020

Add colour to your winter garden with Primula!

If you are looking to add a little colour to your winter garden a fresh delivery of Primula have arrived. Also known as Primrose these hardy plants are great for adding colour to your pots, containers, and gardens. With a range of colours from Pink, Purple, Red, Yellow and White you can be sure to find the right colour for your garden. They make a great planting over your spring bulbs as they will not get in the way when your crocus, tulips, or daffodils grow through them. Be sure to stop by and check out the colours we have available for you.

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By Miles Hunter, 2020/11/23

November 23rd, 2020

Fresh Cut Christmas Trees!

There is nothing more enjoyable that the look, feel, and smell of a fresh cut Christmas tree. You can bring the scents of the season home with one of our Christmas trees. Our stores in Vancouver and Surrey carry four types of tree to choose from including Noble Fir, Fraser Fir, Grand Fir, and Douglas Fir. The Douglas Fir is the most popular Christmas tree. You can choose from a naturally grown tree or a trimmed (cultured) tree that has been pruned to give them the perfect Christmas tree shape.

For information about the types of trees we have this year and how to care for them to ensure that they last the longest click here.

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By Miles Hunter, 2020/11/20

November 12th, 2020

Add Colour to Your Holiday Season!

Poinsettias make a great addition to any home during the Holiday season. This beautiful plant comes in a variety of colours but the most popular are red, white, and pink. Associated with Christmas since the 16th century these plants have been bred and cultivated to produce the huge red leaves that we are used to today. For information about how to care for your Poinsettia click here.

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By Miles Hunter, 2020/11/18

November 18th, 2020

Keep it Real with a Living Christmas Tree!

If you don’t want to kill a tree this Christmas, or your apartment strata doesn’t allow cut Christmas trees why not try a Living Christmas Tree this holiday season? A living Christmas tree still has it roots attached and can live for many years (If you take care of it). You can choose from a selection of Living trees including Dwarf Alberta Spruce, Black Hills Spruce, Colorado Spruce, Norway Spruce, Omorika (Serbian) Spruce, Austrian Pine, or Scotch Pine.

If you do choose a living tree this Christmas there are some important things to know about having a live tree indoors. The most important thing to know is that living trees cannot be kept inside the house for more than 7 to 10 days. If you keep your living tree indoors for too long the tree will think that it is spring and start to grow. Then when you put it outside the tree gets shocked and will die. If you try to keep your living tree indoors all winter it will not be able to handle to warm dry air and it will die. Which generally defeats the purpose, doesn’t it?

In order to prevent this from happening you should acclimatize the tree to indoor temperatures by following these steps:

1. On the first day place the tree in a cool area between 10° and 15° C (50° to 59° F)
2. On the second day bring the tree indoors and place in its spot
3. Place the tree away from the fireplace and all heating vents
4. Keep the roots of the tree moist while indoors by checking it every day
5. Use only miniature or LED Christmas lights
6. Do not leave the lights on for more than 4 to 6 hours per day

When the Holidays are over you need to acclimatize the tree to outdoor temperatures by:

1. Placing the tree in a cool area for at least two days prior to moving outside
2. Plant the tree in the garden with liquid transplanter fertilizer (If the temperatures outside are below freezing then keep the tree moist and cool, but prevent it from freezing, and delay planting until the ground has warmed up)

If you follow these simple steps you can enjoy your live tree for several years before it gets too big and needs to be planted in the ground.

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By Miles Hunter, 2020/11/16

November 16th, 2020

Add a Holiday Fragrance to your home with Fresh Greens!

If you are hosting Christmas dinner this year and are looking to add the scent of fresh greens to your home be sure to pick up a bunch of fresh greens this week. You can choose from Cedar, Fir, and Pine branches to decorate your table, mantle, or entrance way.

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By Miles Hunter, 2020/11/02

November 2nd, 2020

Start your Amaryllis now for Christmas Blooms!

If you are looking for some beautiful flowers to bloom in your home for the holidays look no further than Amaryllis. These bulbs provide your with weeks of colour through the holiday season, often blooming well into January. Amaryllis normally take about 6 to 8 weeks from the time you plant them until they bloom. If you don’t have that much time you can grow several special varieties that will bloom in 4 to 6 weeks. They can produce multiple flowers stems with 3 to 6 blooms per stem.

For more information about “Forcing Bulbs” including growing Amaryllis and getting them to re-bloom next year click here.

You can choose from a number of varieties including:

• Apple Blossom
• Mont Blanc
• Red Lion