For us gardening nuts, as joyous as this time of the year is, it can also be tortuous. April is a temptress, isn't she?
Sure, you can putter in the garden, but it is far too early to do any major activities or planting as the ground is not only wet, but cold as well.
There are some gardening activities that are perfect for this time of the year.
So while you're waiting to get down and dirty, I recommend picking up these two books: Perennials for Alberta and Best Garden Plants for Alberta both authored by Donna Dawson and Laura Peters (Lone Pine Publishing).
The former book profiles more than 600 perennials featuring colour photographs of each. The gorgeous photos accompany planting, growing, spread of each perennial, height, flower colour, blooming periods, hardiness, recommended varieties and information about problems and pests.
The Getting Started section at the beginning of the book is invaluable in that it groups Alberta perennials by light and soil requirements.
So if you're challenged with a shade garden, the authors recommend these perennials: Astilbe, bleeding heart, dead nettle, foamflower, hosta, ligularia, lily-of-the-valley, monkshood, Siberian bugloss and Solomon's seal.
And for those who prefer spending time in the garden sipping a cool one rather than "working," the authors recommend these low-maintenance perennials: Artemesia, bee balm, bergenia, bleeding heart, coral bells, daylily, foxglove, globe thistle, hosta, Japanese spurge, lamium and pinks.
Perennials also suggest buying up-and-comers such as Persicaria microcephala "Red Dragon" (a tender fleece-flower); Cimicifuga racemosa and C. simplex "Atropurpurea" (unique bugbane specimens); and Macleaya cordata and M. microcarpa "Kelway's Coral Plume," two plume poppy varieties once thought too tender for Alberta.
Best Garden Plants also features colour photos plus a detailed description of each plant including its habitat, height and spread.
Finally, as we do each year in the last and first columns of the season, remember these words:
"The kiss of the sun for pardon/The song of the birds for mirth/You are nearer God's heart in a
garden/Than anywhere else on Earth."
