It Can Be Done - Growing in Zone 1a!!

Yes, it can be done!!  We are contemplating a move from zone 3b to Fort McMurray but when I discovered what I thought was a zone 2 hardiness zone is actually zone 1, I was dismayed.  No way was this gardener going to consider moving somewhere I can't garden!!!

Thank goodness I came upon this site for Dunvegan Gardens.  They have a nursery in Edmonton and Fort McMurray.  A plant search page is available for you to specify what you are seeking and it comes up with hardy plants that fit that criteria! 

Besides balsam fir, tamarack, aspen and poplar, there's a lot to choose from including amur maple, birch, caragana, and ash.  Peonies, raspberries, saskatoons, roses, hostas, blue boy clematis, yarrow, monkshood, campion to name a few. Suddenly it is not so barren!

So for those of you considering moving or already living in a plant hardiness zone of 1, there is a lot to choose from.  Another nice thing is the number of daylight hours is greater than most, gorgeous aurora borealis (northern lights), and low humidity so cold doesn't feel so cold compared to, say, Southern Ontario.

So, as far as moving goes, that is yet to be determined.  At least I am hopeful about growing there. Sigh, there goes that determining factor.

Canadian Gardening Ezine Blogging Contest

I recently entered a contest with Canadian Gardening to blog on their site.  Here is my entry:

My husband loves to remind me that when we were first married I killed all the plants he gave me! That is until he bought me a philodendron called the sweetheart plant! It grew to monstrous proportions, cascading down the wall, across and beyond! It and my sanseviera rewarded my tenacity despite my toddler's attempts, either accidentally or on purpose, to bring it to its demise by repeatedly dumping it from its pot! I am convinced the sanseviera is foolproof!

Years later; with a home gardening course, my own joys and experiences in my gardens and a job at a local greenhouse; I am much better equipped as I expand my horizons and the beds in my garden. Who said you need grass afterall? When I come across a plant that calls out to me to come home, I just remove a little more sod and widen the beds to accommodate the willing. Aren't you the same?

I yearn for spring to feel the coolness of soil under my hands as I weed and widen the everchanging landscape. Introducing new specimens and coaxing the less willing along. Will my Endless Summer Hydrangea actually bloom this year in my zone 3 garden? Tomato fertilizer, soil acidifier and patience in hand, I hope to coax those blossoms to fruition. Will I succeed? You will have to read my blog to find out. I love the challenge of pushing the boundaries in the garden. Trying tender perennials. Introducing new specimens. I love my rare three-flowered maple! A slow-grower, its branches cascade over the garden pond shading the fish within. Hydrangeas, topiaries, rare plants, roses and new introductions all abound within. I'd love the opportunity to share with you, my fellow enthusiasts, the joy, the serenity and accomplishments and, well, mistakes (we all have them) with you. Won't you join me here in Western Canada? Come sit awhile and we will learn and grow together here on my blog. Furry friends welcome!

Your fellow garden addict,

Shirley

 

Comments are welcome on their contest site.  The link is:

http://bloggercontest.canadiangardening.com/