I'm going to do a landscape plan for my cousin in Prince George, BC which I understand is USDA zone 3b. Anyone have advice for plant selection, soil amendments and good resources other than DG? She likes variety. Thanks!
Advice for 3b Garden in PG
Don't know if by resources you would include books, but I love and own most of Lois Hole's books; they are my gardening bibles. The Hole Greenhouse is in St. Albert, Alberta, which is Zone 3, so those books may be helpful to you. She's done a rose book, a tree & shrub book, perennial book, bedding plant book, etc.
Joanne
That is very helpful information - Thank you!
I would dito Joanne's advice. The other person who has good advice is Donna Balzer( I can't think of her name exactly) who is out of Calgary.
Have fun with the 5 zone drop!
Ann
Wow, growin, that's quite a challenge you have!
While Prince George isn't exactly the prairies, this is a great site from Regina, Sask (zone 2b). If you click on Perennials, there's a listing of the plants they grow. Great photos and comments. One caution I would mention is that they like to push the zones.
http://em.ca/garden/
Sandy
Thanks! My cousin likes to push the zones too. Thats a wonderful site with lots of nice images to work with.
Spent some time in PG. Made a compost type box in the most sheltered part of the garden (against a berm) Potted up(one gal from Al Knapp) all my orientals and some other lilies, put them in the box -lined with that blue basement insulation - covered them all with soil and then more blue insulation on top, held down with rocks. In Feb. into the garage to let them thaw slowly. in May I planted lilies pots and all back in the garden. It worked well. I left at the end of the school year so didn't do too much landscaping.
inanda
Growin, I think Prince George has quite a different growing environment from where I live in the West Chilcotin, but there is a garden place near Quesnel, Richbar Nursery 250-747-2915, that I've been told has well-informed and helpful staff--they give gardening seminars and workshops all the time, and have extensive nurseries, and some of their handouts I've seen are excellent. Also, there are several Art Knapps in PG (one number is 250-962-7676).
So perhaps when you've done your preliminary plan you could call those places and ask them if the plants you're recommending would grow in Prince! Also, you might ask your friend (although I'm sure you've thought of this) what already is growing around her home; that would give you an idea what microclimate she is in. The zone designations for central B.C. are so general that they are nearly useless.
Good luck, and I think we'll all be interested in what you finally select. Sounds like a really interesting project.
Rosemary
Thanks Chilko. I'll certainly make use of those numbers. My friend grows Zone 4 plants but it is rated 3. She has lost plants that are rated 3a. She mentioned it has to do with the thaw, freeze cycle.
I know what she means--I occasionally lost perennials that were rated 2 until I learned to be more careful about mulching. This past winter was good in that respect--we had a lot of snow before it froze hard. I do a lot of mulching now with moss--looks nice and holds in the moisture but gives protection against the freeze-thaw cycle. (Even here in this dry climate I can usually find moss in the woods.)