Gardeners faced with 'snow-ranching' this chilly Calgary spring

Gardeners are behind in spring planting by as much as 12 days, a horticulturalist says.

Snow still blankets much of the ground and flower beds in Calgary after one of the snowiest and coldest winters on record.

The winter, and now spring, has been remarkable for the consistently cold days and lack of warm breaks, which typically melt snow in the city. Instead, it's stuck around.

"My sweet peas should be in the ground," KathSmyth of the Calgary Horticulturalist Society told the Calgary Eyeopener. "I can't find my ground but they should be in the ground."

This weekend is the society's 110thannual garden show.

As shedrove to the fair on Fridaymorning, her car was full of flowers nine boxes, garden props and a bucket of cut flowers on the front seat but the roads wereslick with freshly fallen snow.

'Snow-ranching'

Smythhas had a few disappointments of late, when spring planting season should have started.

Last week, one day was warmer than most and a bit of parsley popped up in a gap in the snow.

"It was bright and lovely and green and we got frost and it's now dead," she said.

Other vegetables are planted in her raised vegetable garden, so to protect them until temperatures are consistently warm, she piled snow on top. "Snow is a good insulator," she said.

She calls it "snow-ranching," as a joke.

Pruning

If you are getting antsy to get out in the garden, Smyth recommends checking to see which shrubs and trees can be pruned. Leave evergreens alone but shrubs that haven't yet flowered may be OK to shape.

"The trees are going to be fine. They're going to enjoy this moisture," she said. "Last year was really dry and all this wet snow, fabulous."

Smyth also suggested taking advantage of garden centres that have already opened. Staff will have more time now to help answer any planting questions you may have.

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With files from the Calgary Eyeopener.