Saturday, April 5, 2014

Zone 3 Gardening - 7 Helpful Alberta Websites

Planning to garden this weekend?  We have some major landscaping projects to tackle this spring.  Here are some of the most useful Alberta sites I've discovered.

...from a few years ago.  



This is an absolutely amazing site created by the Oldman Watershed Council's Urban Team. Their goal “is to demonstrate the beauty and benefits of having a xeriscaped garden in southern Alberta. Xeriscaped yards utilize native and drought-tolerant plants that naturally thrive in the dry prairie environment that we depend upon, requiring less water, pesticides and fertilizers. They allow homeowners to enjoy a beautiful landscape at home that requires less maintenance, and can conserve water and protect water quality.”

Their home page will link you to information about xeriscaping. Be sure to read the detailed article by the Lethbridge couple who completely redid their front yard – amazing!

Best of all is the section, “Native Plants”. Scroll down to find the PDF entitled, 50 Best Plants for Prairie Urban Gardens in Southern Alberta. Each plant has a brief description and a photograph. For more details about each plant, see the additional links on the “Native Plants” page: Perennials, Flowers, Trees, Shrubs, Grasses and Groundcovers.


This is Ann Van de Reep's Calgary garden design and consulting business website. I've bookmarked a great article on ornamental grasses

Ann also has an excellent page outlining Calgary gardens you can visit for ideas.


Sue's blog is very easy to read. She has a considerable amount of information on planning your garden. A Calgary gardener herself, she also has a landscape design and consulting business. Each week during the gardening season, Sue posts her Weekly Plant Pick. Check out her Top Twenty Plant Picks for 2013 as well as her Top Twenty for Twenty Twelve. Good photographs and clear descriptions.


Making the most of Alberta's growing season” is the focus of Pat's website. I especially liked her page on Lawn Care – crabgrass, quackgrass, clover, fairy rings, dandelions and chickweed. That's my lawn! Nice to see someone who doesn't think a jug of chemicals is the best solution.


Bylands Nursery Ltd. has a very detailed list of creeping junipers that I've printed out for reference.


Here's a landscaper from Red Deer with some strong opinions. Read his article, “Ten Best and Ten Worst Shrubs for Central Alberta”.


An amateur gardener but someone who dearly loves her Edmonton garden. She has a great photo record of shade loving plants.


1 comment:

  1. Maggie -- if this comment shows up twice, just delete one. The first one I wrote just disappeared but I've heard this has been a problem for others. The picture of your yard from a few years ago is beautiful, hope it grows as well this year after the hard weather. Some great resources for other gardeners in your neighborhood.

    ReplyDelete