Northern Shade Gardening - Northern Shade Gardening Blogs

My garden is located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, which is in gardening zone 3, where winter temperatures can drop to -40Â°C (-40Â°F). It is usually covered in snow for about 5 months of the year, so the growing season is short. Northern Shade Gardening contains information about the types of hardy perennials, shrubs, bulbs and trees that perform well in these cold climate conditions.

With such a short gardening season I try to extend it by planting many early and late flowers. To get a quick start in spring, I plant a number of early spring bulbs. Then the woodland plants start flowering. I also have many foliage perennials that look good all season, and the ones with evergreen leaves make a colourful early spring and late fall garden.

Most of my garden is in shade or part shade because of the mature trees. Iâ€™ve included information about how different plants have performed in low light conditions, as well as how much direct sun or dappled light they receive. Some plants do well under deciduous trees, where they get extra light in the spring, before the trees leaf out.

You can view a partial list of my garden plants with pictures and notes on the My Garden Plants page. You can also browse by the categories that are listed on the right, the buttons above, or search for a particular plant in the box on the the upper right. The monthly archives on the right will show what is in flower at different times of the year.

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