The bloodroot will enjoy your shade, if you find them room, and should certainly appreciate the custom soil renovation, “We’ll take some extra humus, please.”

Yes, I think I’m failing the hardiness test too. I just took a walk around the yard and, although I appreciate the couple of millimetres of rain that have fallen, the red Frost Warning banner on Environment Canada is depressing. Let’s hope they are being too pessimistic (they certainly are volatile – the forecast seems to change every few hours).

Hit Hole’s this morning just as they opened and managed to keep a bloodroot in the cart all the way to the checkout. It’s sitting in the ‘sunroom’ at the moment with the rest of the haul waiting for warmer weather. The wait is probably good, since I can’t decide where to place it. The backyard has the best shade/moisture, but is too full already. The front (southern exposure) has dappled shade, tends to be too dry, and, as with both sides, sits on a foot of black clay soil over a white clay pan. I think I may be doing a lot of digging before I put it in the ground.

The lingering freezing weather is a good test of plant hardiness, but I think that I have failed the test, as I am not nearly as cheery about it as the early bulbs and perennials. My Helleborus, Galanthus, Puschkinia, Pulmonaria and Brunnera are carrying through with their flowering regardless of the temperatures. We’ll see how everything handles the white stuff that’s predicted for tomorrow.

Like you, I really like Larry Hodgson’s Shade book. The Plant Profile is easy to scan and has all the critical information one might need when weighing several choices. The rest of the two page spread for each genus is usually excellent, with the binomial of the relevant species, varieties, and their varying needs, qualities, and flaws. I also like the fact that he gives the USDA Zones. Books that don’t really annoy me, although the Zones are only a rough guide for herbaceous perennials, they are worth considering (and probably critical for any woody plant that would protrude above the snowpack). It’s also nice that he has gardened in a cold zone.

In contrast, “The Complete Shade Gardener” by George Schenk, which I’m reading now in spare moments, has no zones, but replaces them with his own regional codes. I find Part II of the book (“The Plants”) useless – we would be in his GN (“interior regions of coldest winter, including Alaska”), and many of the plants he claims would do well here I’ve never seen growing here or know they are unlikely to survive (he must mean coastal Alaska). The plant listings are not easy to use and pulling out the critical information is a chore. On the other hand, Part I of the book (“The Art, Science, and Delight of It”) is full of useful information, written with wit and style, and quite a fun read.

Larry Hodgson has two other books produced in the same style as “Making the Most of Shade”: “Perennials for Every Purpose” and “Annuals for Every Purpose”. The latter is out of print, but available through Amazon links to used book stores. I have both sitting on the bookshelf (winter doldrum splurges) waiting for the time and energy to give them a read, but quick scanning indicates they are as useful as the Shade book.

Now, if only those negative numbers would leave the Environment Canada website, I could actually start planting out. Edmonton is about as different a gardening experience from Brisbane as one could imagine, and this Spring the slowest and coldest yet (in my 6 years). But then, I remember Lois Hole mentioning a ‘frost in the first week of June’ in one of her books, so I guess it could get worse.

Ich liebe Schatten – Gärten !!

Liebe Grüße Heidi