In the world of trees and shrubs there is ordinary and then there is extraordinary. Ordinary is everywhere.

But once in a while the extraordinary jumps out at me and commands my attention.

Every neighbourhood has a few of them, however, I believe mine has more than its share.

Yes, there are the regular juniper and cedars and maple trees and common flowering shrubs, but whenever I drive down my street I’m compelled to briefly acknowledge each of my special friends even if it’s just to see that they are still doing well.

When the eastern red bud just down the street began to fail a couple of years ago from a stem rot, I almost felt like I was about to lose a family member. Even now, a couple of years later, I still look at the spot where it was and remember how it looked each spring in full bloom.

The Satomi dogwood next door, however, is doing very well and each year it puts on an even better show than the last.

There are some great evergreens as well that you don’t see every day.

A Stewart’s cypress is something I rarely see in nurseries and I have one to enjoy in my block that I drive by every day. I also enjoy seeing a bristlecone pine not too far away.

This species is my favourite of the pines with its relatively dwarf compact habit and interesting branch forms reminiscent of the monkey puzzle tree seen down at the coast.

The Hinoki cypress on the corner has been a favourite for years and I have taken several pictures of it.

There is a columnar blue spruce on the opposite corner that has reverted to a regular blue spruce with its new growth at the top making it quite interesting to look at.

Most of the trees I have mentioned have the potential of being here for many years, however, there is one evergreen that will surely outgrow its location—the concolor or white fir.

There are a few flowering shrubs that really stand out and in July and August a real showstopper is the blue bird rose.

I’ve spoken to the folks that own her and they say when she puts on her show, there is a never ending stream of admirers and picture takers.

Across the street a huge weeping mulberry adorns the corner of the property and anchors some evergreens lovingly groomed each year in bonsai form.

Not too far from my house is the best planting of hardy cactus I have seen and when these are in bloom they put on a fabulous show.

I suppose my neighbourhood is not unique in its abundance of special plants.

I probably just notice them more as I drive through on a daily basis several times.

Even though those plants are not mine, I enjoy them very much and I feel like they are family.

Tune in to The Don Burnett Garden Show on the new AM 1150 News Talk Sports Saturday mornings from 8 to 10 a.m.