WHENEVER I VISIT VANCOUVER in June, I'm amazed how green conifers can be. It's an intense, luminous shade I seldom see at home in Ontario. Shrubs and trees that are brilliant green in Vancouver, bottom to top, regularly produce brown branches at home. This is true even of the cultivars of the North American native species that are supposedly hardy to zone 2, like those pretty little pyramidal Alberta spruce (Picea glauca 'Conica') and slender white cedars (Thuja occidentalis 'Emerald,' also known as 'Smaragd' or "Prairie Cedar") sold in military ranks in spring. Although the species are tough, it seems these nursery youngsters, as well as many junipers, are susceptible to the elements everywhere east of the coast. The elements include not only dry autumns and winters, but also strong winds, salt, and extremely low temperatures. When it's colder than minus 35 degrees C., bark exposed to the sun may crack and scald, especially if the plants grow close to a wall. On the other hand, warm spells in late winter and early spring can cause foliage to brown because the soil is frozen, roots are dormant, and the leaves can't replace the lost moisture. Soil salinity, often a problem in dry areas with alkaline soil, can cause leaf "burning" even when shrubs have been watered and fertilized. If you garden near a road treated with salt in winter, as I do, splashing can cause the same problem, especially on pines and white cedars. If you can, plant evergreens where they won't be exposed to road salt. Winter damage and browning hasn't killed any of my evergreens outright, but some have become irreparably ugly. I've had the sunny side of Alberta spruce die entirely, while the shady side sailed through. Even an Extreme Makeover can't save that kind of disaster. But when the damage is less severe, I carefully prune back damaged branches in late spring, keeping the tree or shrub as balanced as possible. I use fertilizer spikes in spring, followed by deep watering to encourage new growth. Yew can be cut back freely since it will grow new shoots and branches. Cedars can be sheared back once or twice during the growing season. I can cut juniper branches back to a healthy side branch, sometimes creating a juniper "bonsai." Since I can't move my shrubs to Vancouver, I have to coddle these supposedly prairie-hardy versions of North American natives if I want them to look west-coastish in May or June. Protecting young evergreens with burlap on the sunny side would help them look their best next spring but I, for one, don't want to look at burlap all winter. Planting in partly shady places facing north or east is more appealing. Deep watering-think of those heavy, west-coast rains-is essential, especially from late summer until just before the ground freezes. Even if the fall weather is rainy, all evergreens should be watered deeply once a week. As soon as the soil thaws in spring, I start again. There are other solutions. I can grow truly hardy native species, not the "improved" cultivars, and choose the shrubs that overwinter dependably in my garden, like mugo pines. I also keep my nursery receipts in case I need replacements. Eventually, plant breeders may be moved to create cultivars as hardy as the species native to our mountains, prairies and forests. - JENNIFER BENNETT