Quote:
Originally Posted by Displaced Flames fan
See if you can't find a landscaping/tree book that is written specific to Calgary. You might not be able to, but with Calgary being so large there's a decent chance there is something out there.
Research the specific plants you like before buying them...make sure you know what kind of light, water etc they will need before you buy.
Spend a little extra and get a more mature tree.
We killed a little red maple last year....a tree that is supposed to be nearly impossible to kill. This year, we spent $575 US on a more mature tree and it is doing much better. I also paid to have the tree planted by a pro, because I wasn't confident in my own process.
Believe me...money was a huge concern of mine, but I feel much better having spent the extra that I did.
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Gardening under the Arch was written by the Millarville Horticultural Society.
And there are 2 books written by the Calgary Horticultural Society too, the
Calgary Gardener and the
Calgary Gardener II. All should be readily available to buy. Both Sunnyside Nurseries as well as Golden Acres Nursery and GreenGate Nursery have extensive book sections.
Personally, I much prefer to buy trees and shrubs on the small side. My experience is they are not set back as much as buying a large one. And while they grow, it is easier to prune them to a nice shape. Large spruce trees will do well if dug out properly with the truck that has the large spade, although they might not do much active growing for the first year or two.
In terms of nurseries for trees and shrubs, the major ones in the Calgary area are Sunnyside in the NW, Golden Acre in the NE and GreenGate in the SW. Sunnyside offers 2 year warranties, the others, one year. None will warranty cedars as they simply are not hardy in the Calgary area. If you want mainly smaller trees and shrubs, Edwards Garden Center in the NW, close to Sunnyside, has some as well. Also, Vales Nursery in Black Diamond has smaller trees and shrubs too, mainly the ones hardy for our area. Beaver Dam, south of Okotoks, on the west side of Highway 2, has a good selection, and the Saskatoon farm, almost directly east of Okotoks, on the east side of Highway 2, also has some. I do not know about the warranties offered by Vale's , the Beaver Dam, or the Saskatoon Farm. Most of the nurseries within Calgary warranty perennials for the first growing season, but not over the winter. Perennials would be those type of flowers and grasses etc that are winter hardy and come up year after year as opposed to annuals that you buy and plant in your baskets yearly. Be careful how perennials are rated for their growing zones. The same plant can have a different rating from different growers. I would not plant anything higher than a zone 3 in the Calgary area, in other words, buy for zone 1, 2, or 3, although some zone 4 will grow if you can create a microclimate for them, and perhaps mulch them over the winter. I live in the Priddis area, one of the hardest areas to garden in the province. Personally, I am really careful about looking at the temperatures they are hardy to, rather than how the growers rate them for a growing zone. Many plants that might do well in a sheltered yard within the confines of the city will not make it over the winter in my area, hence, I am very careful to buy anything that is not hardy to at least -35F. I have created a few micro climates, against rocks that I have incorportated into my large perennial bed and by mulching with straw, I have been able to grow borderline plants, such as perhaps coryadallis etc.