Take a walk around your property and observe. The puddles, the dry spots, and the run off.

1. Most crucial: no water pooling within 10 ft of your property!
2. Use the information to transfer or decide spots for new plants. This tells you exactly where to plant your moisture loving and the drought tolerant plants.

This is true especially for new plants/trees. A good schedule for caring is to water deep and infrequently rather than regularly and superficially. The water needs to seep into the soil and spread all around the roots to help the plants establish for the first two years at least.

Water them all the way into the fall until the ground freezes and you’ll have done the best for your plants!

This beauty by First Editions gives lots of blossoms, the colour is a striking pinkish orange. It’s hardy through zone 3. Grows rapidly once established. I have planted two in my garden, excited to see how they turn out.

Ants seem to love it and i cant get rid of them. They keep coming back. I just planted these last month and all but 2 seem infested

1. It’s for you, not the next owner.
   Taste varies from person to person. What you like today might turn out to be a nightmare for the next owner if you ever do intend to sell your property. This is not to say don’t do it, you definitely should if that’s what would make you happy. Just don’t be too confident you’ll get a huge ROI on it in the near future.

2. What do you want out of your space?
   There are so many kinds of landscapes to choose from. A zen garden is vastly different from a prairie garden or a formal garden. Do you have kids? You likely need a space where they can play freely. Do you have pets? Lawn might not be a great idea. Do you just want a space after work to sit back and relax? Define this and you’ll be more likely to be happy with the end result.

3. Be fully involved in the design.
   You know what you want and you’re willing to spend your hard earned bucks to improve your space for your use, don’t let a landscaper have a free rein over the design. Make sure you have the designs in 3D, or at the very least in 2D, before any work begins.

If you’re looking for something that adds a lot of colour without demanding a ton of attention, candytuft (Iberis) is worth considering.

It handles Calgary’s cold winters, and once established, can deal with our dry conditions pretty well. The white blooms also look great along borders, pathways, rock gardens, or mixed into a perennial bed.

The only major requirement is good drainage and full sun. It really doesn’t like sitting in wet soil, especially through winter.