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Spring is in the Air! Ready to get planting? Check out these tips to help you get started: 

Native Plant Gardening

Plants native to Parkland County make a beautiful addition to any garden. Native plants are perennial, naturally adapted to local conditions and, if planted in the right place, require little maintenance once established. Using native plants in your garden enhances biodiversity, helps native pollinators and improves climate resilience.

Pollinator Gardens

Planting a diversity of flowers of different shapes, colors, sizes and bloom times will attract native pollinators to your garden. Clumps of 3 to 8 native plugs or seeds of varied species together mimic natural settings and provide foraging opportunities for pollinators. Untidy gardens with decaying wood, hollow stems and patches of undisturbed bare soil will also provide habitat for bees. Pollinator-friendly wildflowers include: giant hyssop, blanket flower, beebalm, bearberry and nodding onion.

Drought-Tolerant Gardens

Drought-tolerant plants include: Little bluestem grass, woodland strawberry, northern bedstraw, smooth fleabane, blue-eyed grass, heart-leaved Alexanders and smooth aster. Shrubs and trees include: jack pine, junipers and saskatoon.

Flood-Tolerant Gardens

Flood-tolerant plants include: fireweed, bunchberry, smooth fleabane, northern bedstraw, early blue violet and blue-eyed grass. Shrubs and trees include: paper birch, alder, tamarack, red-osier dogwood, willows and balsam poplar.

Use rainwater on your garden to conserve water, reduce energy use and save money!
Don’t have a rain barrel?
Tri-Municipal Rain Barrel Sale on April 26
Growing Your Own Food

Growing fruits, vegetables or herbs in your garden can positively impact your mental and physical health, improve your diet and save you money at the grocery store! Food gardens also increase biodiversity and provide habitat for pollinators, especially when combined with native gardening.

Garden Tips:

• Double-check wildflower mixes to ensure they do not contain invasive weeds. A full list of invasive plants can be found at www.abinvasives.ca
• Place plants with similar lighting and water requirements close together.
• Check your soil. Good garden soil is deep, loose, well-drained and contains decayed organic matter.
• Conserve water by adding compost, using a rain barrel and directing water to the base of the plants with a hose or a drip irrigation system.
• Use FireSmart™ landscaping to keep your property safe.

For more information, visit www.parklandcounty.com/Grow