My thought is against the East foundation or the south side of the deck. I found my perennials tended to do best on the East side in Calgary if they couldn't have the south location against the foundation. Although I grew many perennials on the West side, they were low to the foundation and protected by a shelter belt of trees. The chinooks are often from the west there so there is always the issue of freeze-thaw cycles in the winter which is sometimes tough on borderline plants and shrubs. My 2 cents worth. :)

Ginny

Hi Ginny,

Thanks! That does make sense.... I am wondering if the others have found the same thing? Maybe I will plant my Sambucus Black Lace along the east fence then, so that the wintry winds from the west will not be too much of a problem for it then. Thanks again!

Yes, east side. If you can also protect against the south sun in winter that's even better.

Thanks, shazam!

How do I protect the south sun in winter please? OR should I be planting shrubs and perennials in the south bed (which is right against the deck) that can take the winter south sun? What would be good for this location please?

Do you have a fence on the south side? That makes a huge difference, since the winter sun is very low, and the fence keeps the plants shaded.

If not, snow cover. Since Calgary's snow cover is inconsistent at best, if you can muster up the strength you should shovel some snow onto the plants from other areas (grass, deck).

Hi Shazam,

I do have a fence on the south side, which is just over 40 feet away from the house. Yes, I'd better keep an eye on that area - if it does not get sufficient shade from that winter sun, I'd better go and cover it up with snow!!! Or maybe I need to get lots of mulch, right?! Sigh....

I am thinking of planting some hardy and one or two tender roses there (with lots of protection), plus other things such as coreopsis (zagrab), artemisia, irises etc. Hopefully, these things will be hardy enough there!

Thanks so much for your help.

BTW, Shazam, I did ask you this question before - regarding mulch, you gave me some great tips about that Ornamental place. If I wanted something that is very dark and black, what would you use?