Busted....Love this forum, but more than a lurker, I am a sponge for all of the great information here.

Started with 1 whiskey barrell 4 years ago...lost count planting this spring at about 50ish. I'm addicted!

We are now lanscaping our entire acreage (Edmonton area) and it consumes all of our thoughts, dreams and $$$!

Thanks for the valuable info and the good laughs.

Judy

Okay.. count me in as a lurker, too! I come here every day to read and learn and even laugh LOL! I don't ask too many questions for fear of being seen as dumb for a person my age who is a relatively new gardener. Also I'm really quite shy, and don't make friends easily.

I suppose the number one reason I don't join in much is that I don't seem quite so...uummmm...passionate about gardening as many of you. I probably would be more so if DH and I would be at home more, but we have a cabin at a northern lake, and we go there as often as we can, even in the winter! I fear that because I am not quite so passionate I will not fit in.(Picture me hanging my head in embarrassment). However, I'm still interested, and want so very much to learn. I want the few plants I grow to grow well, and I want to learn more!

The one thing I learned through reading/osmosis is some of the Latin names, to the great annoyance of my family and friends who have no idea what I'm talking about! But after reading so much, some names are coming naturally to me!

Sorry this is so long. Thanks everyone for the invitaton to come out of lurkdom. I may come out more often!
Peggy

Please, Peggy, join in with us anytime and don't be shy. We all start out not knowing anyone but soon become very good friends. And don't worry about the "passion". That's not a pre-requisite to joining in, either. :^D

It is terrific to see so many people out there that enjoy joining the Far North forum and reading about all of the trials and tribulations.

Shauna

The far north forum fits my gardens to a tee (plus you all are wonderful people).... I struggle on the others because they all are so technical or totally other zones and not having much in common but gardens. Which is a fair amount don't get me wrong.... Even the Northwestern Gardening site doesn't match, and boy are they technical..

Hey there - haven't even had time to lurk lately, as we've had a long warm fall up here. Since I'm a landscape architect by trade, doing gov't work, that means I'm busy-busy as they all try to get one last job done before snow. First flakes today at noon, guess we'd all better hurry!

I especially like to read about what works and what doesn't in people's far-north home gardens (zone 2 and colder). My key interests are flowering shrubs, fruit trees and zone-pushing in general.

I look forward to having time to spend developing my own garden, since I've finally made the leap from renter to homeowner. I'll be posting a message about an exceptionally tough (but delicious!) apple I found on my property, look forward to opinions about variety.
Cheers,
Debsicle

Lurker here too, like to look at the pictures!

I too check this site just about every day. I've asked a few questions here and there, and posted a few comments, but probably qualify as a lurker. I have only a weekend amateur's experience with gardening in general, and only two winter's worth of far north living, so generally don't have much to offer that's either knowledgeable or helpful, but I soak up everything you post! (and I love your pictures) You all are so great with your enthusiasm and generosity!

Lurking here, just south of the border in the northern Adirondacks on the chilly side of zone 4a. Not the "far north," it just feels like it when the temps hit -40F (co-incidentally -40C for my northern neighbors.)

Not a lurker! If I visit a forum I post. I just wanted to comment that us Northern Gardeners grow things because we are not afraid to experiment and try something new. I think many things are not rated for our zones because no one tried them. It is suppossed to freeze tonight but I still have clematis blooming and would have much more but I cut them back to begin the mulching process before a surprise snowfall. I also have montbretia blooming and I couldn't bear to cut it back. It appearred in my garden four years ago so I presume from seed from a trade that didn't germinate in the pot and came up in the garden. So much fun to zone jump. I have visited this forum last winter but no Alaskans were visiable at that time so I felt out of place. I was wishing we could get a forum of our own. Ah Fairbanks who is much colder than me but has such hot summers they can grow things I can't in the veggie garden. I am so glad to see folks from Alaska to share problems and ideas with.

I'm a new lurker, thanks to Rick (a regular on the Minnestoa forum) and the squash story. I had not seen that there was a far north web, but have had many laughs reading this and the squash thread, so I'm hooked! I live in zone 4, but enjoy the natives and do some gardening at my lake home in zone 3. That zone can be 2 or 4 at the whim of the weather in any given season, so I really like knowing what plants do even better up there than they do west of Minneapolis.

You are a lot of fun and I'll be adding an icon for "far north" to my collection. Thanks!!

Lily

I just found this forum tonight thanks to reading some personal pages while seed searching. I think I will check back often and I will surely chime in if I have anything to contribute. Really enjoyed the thread about pushing the zone limits...it helped me add to my wish list. Cathy

Welcome to all the new people! Post often!

I started lurking round the Australian forums, ventured into some of the plant specific forums, and occasionally when time permits I take a look at other forums. Ian, the comment on the New Zealand forum that you mentioned prompted me to come visit here.

Seems like Canberra is out in the cold as far as the rest of Australia is concerned. Gardening tv programs and magazine articles either show us on a map as the region where the plant being discussed won't grow or they don't take us into consideration at all. We have to grow different types of lawn, one variety is actually called Canberra Blend. People from elsewhere ask sympathetically if we are used to the winters yet and people who are recent arrivals ask hopefully if we are used to the winters yet. Everything's relative I suppose.

So what do Canberra gardeners have to deal with? Some plants have to be covered up in winter for the first few years. It's tricky to know when it's safe to plant out tomatoes so the frost doesn't kill them. Agapanthus look terrible in winter. Ironically some plants would do fine except we have quite hot summers. We have had water restrictions for a couple of years due to drought. I've heard people elsewhere have to put their bulbs in the freezer for a few weeks before planting but that isn't an issue here. The climate is also ideal for deciduous trees with wonderful autumn colours. We get snow on the mountains which is lovely to look at, and every few years we get some in the city as a special treat, but we don't have to shovel it off driveways or anything like that. In fact when it snows up in the mountains people drive up to Corin Forest to shovel it onto their cars and bring it back down. So that's a bit about us. And in case you're wondering, yes we do get kangaroos hopping down the street, at least we do out here in the suburbs of Canberra.

I enjoyed having a look at the gallery and I'll drop by again from time to time.

I live in Norther North Dakota and found this site when I was searching for perennials that would grow in my area without a lot of upkeep. I thoroughly enjoy "listening" to what everyone has to say and am learing lots. If my neighbors to the north in z2 can have success with perennials then there is hope for me. We had a heavy wet snow (18inches) that devastated many of our trees. I'm try hard not to go into mourning over the loss of a young Silver Maple I have been babying, feeding it lots of acid so it would make it. I lost the top half of the tree. Only side branches left. Now am debating whether to cut it down, or let it come from the very bottom since there is no leader or dig it out and start over.The tree is about 8 years old and "was" about 15 feet high. Any suggestions?

Hi, Vonnie. Welcome to the site! I'm sorry to hear about your Silver Maple. I don't have one, so I don't profess to be an expert, but I have seen young, damaged trees grow on to become very nice, mature trees.

Was this a recent snowfall? If so, wait until spring to see if a dormant bud near the top starts to grow--it could be staked so that it grows as the leader. If the snowfall happened last winter, and there was no dormant bud growth, the branch nearest the top could be gradually bent and staked to form the leader.

Just a thought. Hope you can save the tree!

Before tonight, I didn't even know this forum existed. SO...How extremely cold does it get??? I spoke with someone from Winnipeg Manitoba years ago, but we never talked about the weather.

During March of 2004, I spent three weeks in Cheyenne Wyoming doing some work and boy did it get cold. Sure enough it snowed our last week there. The morning we departed back home (14hr drive) it began to sleet a bit. By midnight I was back in my car to finish out the last five miles home with the windows down. There's no place like home right?

The snow was great. So far, that's the northern-most latitude I've traveled to. Also, I'm really impressed with the plants yall grow there. This is a great forum, even though I feel a bit out of territory. Thanks for letting me ramble, gotta scoot!

Glenn in Texas

Here ya go, Glenn. Someone asked us that question over the summer, so here's the link to the thread.

Feel free to lurk all you want! :)

Here is a link that might be useful: Your coldest temps thread

Thanks for the link Marcia.

+25(F) is mighty bone-chillin to me. That seems to be the extreme for this area. I suppose there are the exceptional +20(F) nights combined with a bit of a windchill, but it always seems to warm back up to +50/+60.

Honest, I can't comprehend (literally) -60(F) temperature. It just seems unreal. I would most definately have to adapt to even 0(F), but I suppose moisture in the air is a large factor.

I watched a program on PBS(?) a year ago about a man that lived off the land somewhere in Alaska some 40 years ago. He directed all the filming himself of course. This fella documented the build of his cabin with a hand-saw and a hatchet with hammer and nails where he supposedly lived out many many years by himself. If I remember right, -80(F) was mentioned; Is that likely?

It would be great to experience a REAL winter, but I don't think my cactus would like it. =(

Believe it or else, there are cactus hardy here. :) No idea about the -80°F, and i don't want to find out either!

Hi there
I live just outside Mount Forest Ontario and have been lurking here for a few years. I like the friendly cameraderie (sp?) and the urge to try everything and share gardening experience exhibited on this site. It is refreshingly free of the snobbery some of the other forums show.
I also lurk because my partner and I grow plants for a living and I learn more about plant hardiness outside our zone.
I have been in love with the north forever. When we started our nursery (this year will be its tenth birthday!) we had considered moving to the near north, but didn't think we could make a living there selling plants.
Still, we manage to visit for a few weeks every year to canoe and botanize. I envy you so many of the exqusitely beautiful native plants which grow naturally.
Nina

Hello--yes I am a lurker,too. I just registered because I really enjoy this forum, the people, the info, the humour!!!Can you imagine my shock one of the first times I tuned into your forum and you guys were talking about the "f" word! I nearly flipped my lid. Well, now here in Sask. we are almost at the "s" word and my gardening season is pretty well over except that I have a few perennials that refuse to die despite -8 C. temps.for a few nights in a row. I am passionate about lilies and can't wait to master my camera so that I can post my pics.(Darn, I should have been born 15 years earlier!)

Hi Everyone!
After lurking for over a year now, I have decided to finally post. I have read all your posts and learned a lot from all of you.What a wonderful, informative forum you have here!
I live in NW Ontario with my husband and I love to garden. This year I am going to try Winter Sowing as a way to cut costs and keep the winter blues away.
If any of you have any advice or success stories to share - I'm all ears (eyes?).
I think that Marcia was the only one from this forum that saw my post on the WSing forum (thanks Marcia)but I would love to hear more about WSing in our zone.
Looking forward to chatting with all of you!

Thanks, Cindy

Well, in the past few years I have turned to being a lurker. I was a bit more active on Northern Gardening about 3-4 years ago when I first took over gardening from my mother. I have been attempting to garden the last few years but I'm currently in my second degree at university and with work it took up a lot of time.

Kristen (Thunder Bay)

I would love to hear more about WSing in our zone.

Hi Cindy, I'm sure a cold zoner will start a new thread sooner or later about WS'ing in the Far North, or better yet, why not start one yourself and ask away ;)

Welcome to all the Lurkers and please please join in at the conversation and gallery forum too ;)

Good idea Sharon, I think I'll do just that. Thanks
Just wanted to mention that I'm from Thunder Bay too, I see that I have a few "neighbours" in this thread. That's so cool!
OK, off to start a new thread...

I guess I qualify as a lurker. I found the Hardy Grass Thread through Google. It makes it easier to tolerate my mild winters, by reading about y'all's gardening up there.

Got to get out of the exchanges once in a while. Lurk in the Far North for several reasons. Plant hardiness info & because family roots are in Sask/Alberta!
Here is another discussion (between my brothers & I): comparison of the damp cold in Ontario to dry cold in Prairies. Which is more tolerable? What a laugh! The answer is?????

Definately DRY COLD!! I'll take that any day over the alternative!

OK, OK...I'm coming out of Lurking-land, since you've all promised to be gentle with us Newbies.I've visited this Forum occasionally, but felt until I knew all the botanical names, I'd better just lurk. But, that's never going to happen, my butt is sore from sitting and reading for the last two days and I'm feeling guilty hiding, so here I am!

I'd like to thank ALL of you for being so sharing with your infinite wealth of information, sources (you are a shameless group of enablers...LOL)and spirited inspiration. Another reason for not posting was that if I searched long enough, I'd find my answer and say "Nope, don't have to ask them that!" I spent more hours yesterday reading this and the Winter Sowing forum than I care to admit. Someday (maybe next October), I'll get through all the posts in both Forums. That is a goal.

I'm not actually sure WHEN I'll be able to post,since you all have created so many fun things for me to do!...LOL
FIRST, I have MUCH WSing to do as we still have quite a bit of winter left here. I can't wait! I got all my stuff ready today and found my potting soil was frozen, so Tuesday, Winter Sowing it is! Not sure my methods will work, but it's like Zones, I'm not supposed to be able to grow much of anything up here. Ignorance is bliss. As someone said in a past post, until I've killed it three times, I don't give up. I just tweak it and try again. I'm taking a variety of ideas from the WSing site and we'll see what happens ...Questions/Opinions to follow.

Also on my To Do List, I have to find all the seeds I still want that I don't have yet. You have all allowed me to realize my addiction is nothing to be controlled. It is a good thing which should be enjoyed, shared and fed-with more seeds. Hey, a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. It was shoes when I lived back East. Now, it's flowers, flowers and more flowers! I'll find a place for some and soon, I'll be able to trade.

My indoor forced winter tulips and narcissus have finally bit the dust, so now it's WSing, then indoor starts, then our incredible Alaskan summer...ahhh, yes, life is good.....

I look forward to being part of such a fun group!

Barbara in North Pole, AK

Nice to meet you, Barbara! Sounds like you'll fit right in here!

Hi! I have been cruising other fourms. Some aren't very active and it takes forever to get a question answered. This fourm is great!! Great people with a great sence of humor!! marciaz3 I will have some ws questions for you. As for lurking, it really is time to start a "new lurkers thread" If you read this tread top to bottem I think you would have to consided yourself a "lurker" or someone with alot of time on your hands!! Since I saw the Canada fourms all ready had a "crazy gardener" I didn't want to appear to be a copy cat. Do you know how hard it is to come up with a creative original gardening name???? It made me Crazy!!! Anyways, no lurking for me. Have a great new gardening season everyone. Crazy

Maybe i will start a new thread, seeing as there are quite a few lurkers coming out of the woodwork, so to speak!

Crazy, the other crazy_gardener (Sharon) is pretty much a fixture here. In fact, i think she was instrumental in actually getting Garden Web to create this Far North Forum. It certainly is one of the most active gardening forums on the Garden Web!

Welcome to you - we'll do our best to make you crazier! :)

OK, ya twisted my arm. I posted here a few times a couple years ago but Alaskans are a definate minority here. It was a treat to see a North Poler and another Fairbanksian posted. My name says Kodiak but I've been in Fairbanks the past three winters. I love the snow and to whoever asked about wet cold/dry cold.... Dry cold is much much more tolerable. Kodiak, while beautiful and a fun place for fishing is not much fun when those wet icy winds are howling.
So, now I can go back to lurking and see who else signs in. BB

Hi, I'm a fairly new lurker looking for advice, Any one out there from zone 4a or similar? I'm thinking I'll take a shot (first time) at winter sowing this year. What vege's can I winter sow and when? I have two 4x8 raised beds ready to go. I also have a small cold frame (2x4) to place up against the south side of my house as the snow begins to melt. I'm wondering what vege's to start where/when?
Also if anyone has flower ideas for forest/lawn border areas that do not get much sun (shaded by the forest to the east and the house to the west) but are well visited by rabbits/deer that would be great!

This is what I found out about veggies I want to winter-sow:
-Tomatoes April 1st (if done inside start March 1st)
-Swiss chard, lettuce and spinach late March
-Cucumbers beginning of May
Plant all seedlings in the ground after June 1st

LOL I didn't know this thread was still around! I was even thinking about it the other day after reading posts from Debbie and Mariana.

Okay - welcome to any lurkers and feel free to post! :)

I live near Logan, Utah in the bottom of they valley where the coldest air ends up flowing to during winter or summer. Even though they list our area as zone 4, I've experienced -39 F. and -45 F. while living here, and so we can have a zone 2, 3 or 4 winter. That's why my main hobby is growing palms, bananas, hibiscus and other tropicals to shock the neighbors. It's great hearing others cheating mother nature and defying the cold climate we live in by coming up with ways to grow plants normally restricted to zone 7 or 8. Never give up!

Hi everyone,,,I was going to post that Im in NWO as well but then noticed the date on some of the posts..haha.... oh well. I lurk here as well, great info and love looking at other peoples gardens. I have a greenhouse, two ponds and a flower garden that I play with in the summer..Im hoping to post more often.

I hope you do post more often. :) Where in NWO are you?

O.K., my turn. I check into gardenweb almost daily and this is my favorite forum. Once in a while I may comment or ask a question but I must admit I don't do it often enough. A while ago I did post some pictures and I can't remember who gave me advice on how to do that but I do know I am very grateful for that and since that was a couple of years ago, I will be asking again this spring. I live in Camrose Alberta and work in a social services office so it gets pretty stressful from time to time so in the summer for me it is a great stress relief. The first two lines from my favorite poem says it all for me, "My garden is a peacefull place, where I can go to slow my pace". The beauty of reading these forums is how exited we all get when someone sends something so simple as a picture of a flower. It just makes me smile. And so, that is why I'm here today, to thank all those that make us smile, and to those that offer advice even when they have to. LOL! Stan

Marciaz3 Im near the Sault..what part are you from?

I'm way west of you - between Dryden and Kenora. I grew up east of Thunder Bay and when i met people from this area at university, they told me that anything east of Thunder Bay wasn't really NWOntario. I begged to differ! :)

Ahhh Stanly, I love that poem!

I didn't realize you were from Camrose.

I'm a lurker from Norway - no idea what my equivalent zone would be; at a latitude of 60*N and the gulf-stream bringing warm water from the atlantic, temperatures vary between -10 C and +30 C. But winter is long; seedlings can be safely set out the last weekend of may, and first frost may come early october. Here on the west coast, rain is abundant to say the least. (Last summer was awful; may and june were sunny, and then we had rain for three months solid.) Snow yesterday, rain today.

I've 'lurked' on this site for a long time. It's very entertaining.
I'm a Z4 with lows most winters to -28F. You folks in the far north always give great advice about plants and general gardening methods.
I always love your photos and have planted some of your 'combos',LOL
One winter when I was home sick for a long time, I went through all of the 'alphabet' plant photos, rose photos and daylily photos.
You made me aware of William Baffin roses,thanks!

I still check this forum once in awhile. Also check out the Canadian and Canadian Trading.

echoes

Hi Crazy Gardener, yes I'v been in Camrose for 18 years now. They say that Camrose is "Where old people come to visit their parents". I come to Wainright about 2-3 times per year so will have to visit during the summer.

For sure for sure Stanley.

Welcome to all the new and old lurkers, glad to hear you're enjoying the Gallery franeli, please join in with us!

Sharon

I am a lurker on your forum. When I get tired of the cold I come here to see what real cold is. Then I stop complaining about 0 F and -18 F wind chill. I live in northern Ohio. I get a lot of your cold and snow when you are done with it LOL I like to talk to people from other places. I like Hosta so that is my pashion now. It used to be roses before I moved here where I don't have anything but shade.
So glad to meet you all. Take care.
phil

Here's another lurker - from Winnipeg. I mainly hang around the iris & lily forums though. I have iris and calla lilies blooming in the house and iris and lily seedlings under lights, in the fridge and yet more iris seeds in the loo tank.

Inanda
Northern Lights Regional Iris Society
Canadian Iris Society
Manitoba Regional Lily Society