Lazy Gnome was originally hoping to provide a forum for local gardeners to share information on gardening—besides reading about LG’s complaints. Why? Because LG is convinced that other than the local gardening centres, there is actually a dearth of information for Zone 3, which is disappointing in Canadian publications. The Lazy Gnome blog-thing gives you a chance to share what you find, be it helpful information or to warn others off false, misleading or just annoying stuff. So, feel free to add to the tidbits offered here, to challenge anything you read, and ask questions...someone might actually try to answer them!

Edmonton is in Zone 3 (specifically 3a) which is better than Zone 2 as far as options are concerned, but the big markets in Canada are more like Zone 4a to 5b (Southern Ontario) and those lucky so and so’s in Victoria(Zone 8a). For the full map, see the link in the previous post.

Recently, Gnome finally got up off the couch and bought a couple of gardening magazines published north of the 49th. She would like to share with you her thoughts on Canadian Gardening’s Great Garden Guide (Annual, 2011, on display until April 30). The cover shows a serene, Zen-inspired scene with a water feature, lots of green and what looks like the Cranesbill geranium in the foreground. Inside there are several features, and a few that LG recommends for others looking for short tidbits of information, and a special treat.

The issue seems to built around the theme of “tens”—several articles presenting “The 10 best...”. An eye-catching piece is about the 10 best woody plants (trees and shrubs) for four season interest. The “interest” is in colour or texture of bark, or the colour and shape of evergreens. Happily, of the 10, while only 1 is labelled as zone 3 (“Candicans” white fir—never heard of it but probably LG’s community is filled with them) and THREE species that are labelled Zone 2: a gold-coloured cedar (“Sunkist”, a blue spruce (“Hoopsii”), and a dogwood “Cardinal Redosier”). Now, LG doesn’t speak Latin and so can’t remember those names well. She is occasionally willing to risk planting a Zone 2 shrub in a Zone 3 area such as Edmonton, on the ill-formed assumptions that since Zone 2 is colder than Zone 3, a Zone 2 should consider itself quite happily on vacation in Edmonton. But, LG advised that if the shrub doesn’t do well, it must really want more cold, and is therefore NOT a shrub of LG’s interest as she ain’t looking for more cold.

Meanwhile, LG also suspects that we can try some Zone 4 shrubs—you know, if you have that ability to create a “microclimate” in a warm corner with lots of sun and heat leaking from your basement, and you baby the crap out of a shrub labelled Zone 4, you might have luck. So, with that in mind, you might like to see that four of the rest of the list are Zone 4: a winterberry, a birch, a hemlock and something called a “Harry Lauder’s Walking Stick”. Someday I might look them up; I am certain there are some species of hemlock and that walking stick in the Lois Hole book on trees and shrubs. The photo in the magazine of the walking stick does provide lots of winter interest as the branches are all twisted and curvy. Cool.

The article on the 10 best Hostas claims they are all hardy to at least Zone 3. Now that is exciting! However, LG doesn’t recall seeing any directly attached photo and she can’t name hostas, although she can recognize some. Still, it’s promising.

The major feature in the magazine, however, is a 28-page series of articles and photos of ONE garden. Actually, it is a 10-acre private property, which incorporates different types of gardens: ornamental, formal, wildflower meadow and water garden. The photos do show all four seasons from the same spot, and sometimes you cannot tell without serious study that it is the same garden. Fascinating and educational. Let’s face it: real landscapers always tell us to consider what our gardens will look like all year when planning them or making decisions about what to put where. However, because this time of year we cannot do that—either the view is obscured by a snow storm, by darkness (because for three months we spend daylight at work and commute in the dark), or by glare when the sun reflects off the snow. Also, because while we have the four seasons, but they change gradually, we simply forget—like we repress that pain of -28C when it is +22. So, LG found these pictures quite interesting—and easier than taking her own photos.
LG actually pitied these poor people—how they must suffer with extreme green thumb-itis.

Ten acres is not a garden; it’s a park...LG nearly broke out in hives thinking about how much work must be involved...imagine the sweat, the heaving lifting, the mosquitoes...yikes! But, all those worries about that poor gardener receded when LG read the quote that they hire help: professionals to help with spring clean up, and part time help through the growing season...ahh, LG can ignore her inferiority complex for now. Hiring help? Well, not for LG. First, she’d feel compelled to share her Mojitos and that ain’t gonna happen. And please, dear friends, if Lazy Gnome starts to make noises about acquiring a freaking 10-acre garden, please, please get her help....yikes! That kind of effort and ambition can be admired, but is not for the truly lazy amongst us...

The verdict: this issue of Canadian Gardening Great Garden Guide is worth a look. It has more Zone 3-related information than LG was expecting, and that makes her happy!!