Speaking of authors, it is with sadness that we note the recent passing of British garden writer extraordinaire, Christopher Lloyd. Lloyd lived and gardened at Great Dixter, and wrote up until a week before his death at age 84, on January 27, 2006. More details and a really nice photo of Christopher Lloyd may be found on the link above.

The season of garden shows is once again here, those fabulous events that inspire us to create, and give us a much-needed respite from winter. Here are a few upcoming shows that may be of interest:

• February 18, Toronto. Get the Jump on Spring Open House at Toronto Botanic Garden.
• Feb 22 to 26, Vancouver. BC Home and Garden Show BC Place Stadium
• March 2 to 5, Stratford, Ontario. Stratford Garden Festival
• March 5 to 12, Philadelphia. Philadelphia Flower Show
• March 8 to 12, Toronto. Canada Blooms
• March 11 to 19, Boston. New England Spring Flower Show

WINNER: Davina — St. Catharines, Ontario
"Just after WWII my mom and dad got married. In Britain things were still pretty much scarce and a wedding was still catered by ration books and the kindness of friends and relatives. Nonetheless they had a wonderful day and my mom's handmade dress with hand embroidered lovers' knots on the train was beautiful. One of the most amazing things I see when I look at the hand-coloured pictures is the full bouquet of red carnations that she carried.

They were her favourite flower and on that day and every other day when he wanted to remind her of how much he cared, my dad gave her red carnations. They are both gone now, and whenever I see red carnations, I think of them both, how much they cared for each other then, and every day after that for 52 years. Carnations last, and so does the love they represent."

WINNER: Sonia — London, Ontario
"A few years ago, after we had not seen each other for 30 years, I was contacted out of the blue by my high school sweetheart. At that time we were both on our own and after talking for hours on the phone that first night we agreed to meet. He lived in a nearby city and was confined to a wheelchair due to multiple sclerosis, but I could easily drive up to visit him the next week.

The next day, my doorbell rang and there was a long florist box containing 30 Sonia roses, so soft-pink and beautiful. My first name is Sonia, and he had sent one rose for every year since we had seen each other. The card read... "I can hardly wait". I was overwhelmed with emotion.

Since then, I regularly receive Sonia roses from my high school sweetheart. Last summer, we planted a Sonia in his sunny garden, and she bloomed with love, as did we! We were recently married this last December, and I carried Sonia roses in my bouquet."

WINNER: Penny — Sangudo, Alberta
"The word 'romantic' inspires many images for different people. One of the most common images is a beautiful bouquet of flowers. Another image is a beautiful place. For me it is a beautiful flower in a beautiful place.

"My favourite romantic plant is Kiss-me-over-the-garden-gate. I was very fortunate to come across this old-fashioned plant at our local fair. I planted it by an old wooden fence and it did not disappoint me. It grew tall and leaned over the fence with its red flowers, just like a young woman leaning over the gate to be kissed by her suitor. Can't get more romantic than that!"
— Shauna: Coldstream, British Columbia

"The most romantic flower? No doubt, it is the lily. I don't think many men think of this but every woman I know would love a few lilies rather than a dozen roses anytime! Every time I smell one I cannot get enough of the scent. They are so pure and warm in their colour, you almost want to wrap yourself in the petals. And it is just so classy to have a few lilies all by themselves in a vase. So, if my husband does ask me what I want for Valentine's Day (he probably will only look at the prices, see what's on sale) I will definitely tell him lilies!"
— Renee: Langley, British Columbia

"I can't smell a gardenia without remembering the Senior prom 44 years ago with my husband."
— Patricia: somewhere in cyberspace

"I think the most romantic flower is any flower that is given from the heart. My husband and I have been dating since we were 16 (almost 13 years ago!). I remember the very first time I got a dozen roses, it was our 6-month anniversary and they were red, and I felt so loved and so grown up. And let me tell you that, being from a small town, roses didn't come cheap! I still have them to this day, my mom made them into a sway with statice and baby's breath. I am not typically a dried flower type girl but these will always have a place in my home.

QUESTION: With all this mild springlike weather recently, I'm a bit panicked about my bulbs coming up (daffodils, crocus) so early. Even some of my perennials are showing signs of green. What can I do?" Suzanne — Columbus, Ohio

ANSWER: An extended midwinter thaw can be very unsettling to a gardener, and to plants too for that matter. Without the luxury of snow available to cover up any early growers, there is not much else that CAN be done. Some gardeners use leaves or straw as a protective mulch, but this is tricky to manage. The mulch will get soggy and heavy, and if not removed carefully in stages when spring actually arrives, emerging plants beneath may get smothered and begin to rot. This is especially true for little bulbs such as Crocus, Scilla or Snowdrops trying to emerge through a thick mat of leaves.

I noticed a few leaves sprouting on my Columbines recently. These may well be damaged by more cold weather, but the plants will quickly replace them with new ones once the "real" spring arrives. Same thing with most perennials, very few will be killed by more cold weather since they have a fair bit of internal "anti-freeze" still in their systems.

Talk about packed with ideas! All kinds of projects are included, from simple to complicated. They've added new twists to age-old ideas, like the simple sandbox. They've created spider webs to climb, made from rope (they show you how to tie the knots). They've done such clever things with common ingredients, like a maze of daffodils planted in the lawn, or cutting party games into the turf with the lawn mower.

This month we will DRAW from the entries and pick three winners. Each will receive a signed copy of the Perennial Gardening Guide. Winners will be announced in the March newsletter, along with a sampling of your suggestions.

Our best-selling book, the Perennial Gardening Guide (4th edition, March 2003) is a handy reference used by gardeners across North America — written by John Valleau, horticulturist for Heritage Perennials®. Available at your local Heritage Perennials® Dealer.