Hi Maddie, welcome to Canada and the Canadian forum!

Where abouts in BC are you moving to?

Sharon

Hi and welcome indeed :-)

There are several people from BC here (not me - I'm in Quebec), so you should find some good advice for how things work there. If you're moving to the Vancouver or Victoria areas, you'll be in for a real treat, gardening wise! Those areas run from zones 7-8 and most of the rest of the coast is still 6-7. Some of the best gardening in Canada out there!

If you're already an experienced gardener, and are familiar with hardiness zones, then you'll need to know that here in Canada we use a slightly different system. A USDA zone 4 is not the same as an AC zone 4. Here is Agriculture Canada's plant hardiness zone map - you can get a rough idea of what your new garden can do with it :-)

Thanks guys!

I'll be moving to Kamloops and I've been told that my zone will be 4b - 5a (canadian). That's at least 2 zones lower than my current garden!!!

Now, my three alltime favorites are roses, phlox and lilies - well - there's many more of them...who would have thought.:-).
Roses & phlox will be fine as long there is enough snow, but does that go for the lilies too (esp. oriental)???

I don't have the slightest idea about what's already in my new garden (apart from the shrubs and trees), so I have to wait for spring coming up. One never knows - I might have a Sleeping Beauty underneath all that snow!!!

Maddie

Ohhh, Kamloops is a nice place. I'm sure the Orientals will do fine in your new zone. Here in zone 2b they survive with a good covering of straw and snow cover.

Sharon

Thanks Sharon.

I just sorted the lily-seeds I harvested - Lilium regale. Will sow them next year. I want hundreds of them - just love that scent.

Maddie

There's loads and loads of things you can grow in that zone. I'm 5a and most Oriental Lilies do just fine for me. Some of the fussier ones will need that extra mulch, but overall, you'll find them to be no problem. Asiatics grow like weeds here.

Many of us Canadians are zone pushers - we have discovered a great many plants can grow much further north than is widely believed, especially with the use of a few inches of straw or leaves for mulch during the winter.

The biggest problem I find when it comes to gardening in Canada, is that we have a much smaller population. So there isn't the demand for off the beaten track plants you have in the US, and some specific plants are either impossible to find or are very expensive. If you find yourself looking for something specific, just ask here and if it's available, it's likely someone will have seen it and can point it out to you.

BP

Thanks BP.

As for specific plants demand...there might be a niche for some Canadian Garden Nut(s) to start a business...???

Maddie