Calgary gardening can be tricky due to the short growing season, the Chinooks and the cold winter weather. As with any type of gardening, there are some special considerations to take into account.

The first thing to consider is how much time and effort you want to put into Calgary gardening. This will help you determine if you should set up a simple garden or a more elaborate, complicated garden.

Make sure to take your lifestyle into account when you are deciding on this. All this at some point just becomes a matter of preference.

Even when considering the climate associated with Calgary gardening, you are still able to plant a wide variety of plants. Anything from perennials, annuals, trees, fruits and roses can be planted.

If you want something that retains its leaves in the winter, therefore, giving your garden some interest, you may want to consider a Calgary Carpet Juniper.

Another consideration is the hardiness of the plants you are purchasing. You can determine this by knowing the hardiness region that you live in, which is 3B in Calgary, meaning that the temperatures can get as low as -37C in the winter.

Unfortunately, different books and catalogues use different zones, so you must pay attention to their scale when making decisions on your plants.

With the cold weather, you can experience in your Calgary garden, you will want to ask your plant supplier about the best way to care for your plants so that they survive the winter.

You don't want to spend the time and money on a plant, and then have it die due to improper winter care.

Winter preparations may include covering the plants with fabric or mulch. It is definitely worth taking the time to find out the proper way to winter your plants.

When you are planting your various purchases, you will want to make sure you space them properly.

In 10-year time, you don't want to have to be transplanting, or pulling out a tree, because it spread further than expected and can no longer grow.

Your plant should come with instructions to assist you with this.

Make sure that anything you plant is going to do what you want. If you have a small garden that you want full of flowers, you won't want to plant the Calgary Carpet Juniper as it is a low crawling plant that is great for some green ground cover.

Another consideration is when all the items in your garden are going to come into bloom and show their colors. It would be a pity if everything bloomed at the same time, and then all you had was green bases for the rest of the summer.

While Calgary gardening design may take a bit of planning, it can be very worthwhile when it is done. You can't replace the tranquil feeling of sitting in your yard while you sit back and enjoy all your hard work.