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Kathy Purdy cleans up the fall garden I don’t care to reinvent the wheel. I’d rather learn from other people’s mistakes. I don’t want to waste any more of my time and money than I have to. And I’d much, much rather do it right the first time. That’s why, when we moved to our current rural home, I read everything I could on gardening in a cold climate, which I knew I was gardening in, having lived through my first winter where it hit, or should I say, dropped to, 30 degrees below zero Fahrenheit.

Only problem was, more than fourteen years ago, there wasn’t much to read on the subject. I only found tidbits of information here and there, and I collected them assiduously. Things have improved since then; there are some good books on cold climate gardening now, and thanks to the internet, information in general is a lot more accessible.

That’s why I started this website: to share everything I know about cold climate gardening. Now, I’m no expert, and I will freely admit that much of the information presented here is stuff I’ve merely read somewhere else. I haven’t necessarily tried it, or grown it, myself. And the truth of the matter is, what works in one cold climate isn’t guaranteed to work in another cold climate, so even if I have tried it, and it has worked for me, it still might not work for you. And vice versa.

But at least you won’t have to reinvent the wheel.

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10 responses so far ↓

1 Gardora.net » ‘Cropped meadow’ after a dry summer? // Sep 13, 2006 at 1:46 am

[...] Kathleen Purdy, author of Cold Climate Gardening - a weblog about Gardening in a cold climate where the temperature drops to 30 degrees below zero Fahrenheit - has advice for everyone whose garden had to suffer during the last summer. [...]
2 Laura Taylor de Palomino // Sep 24, 2007 at 8:20 pm

Dear Kathy - I tried sending an e-mailt to you at “thepurdys@purdyville.com” but I got an error message. I’d love to get in touch with you again - with the right e-mail address!

Laura Taylor de Palomino
An “old” friend and housemate from SUNY Binghamton
3 Dan // Feb 6, 2008 at 6:37 pm

Hi I am originally from central NY and I am currently a gardener at the Washington National Cathedral in DC and I’m looking to come back home but I’m having a tough time finding jobs. Can you help me?
4 Leslie Wright // May 20, 2008 at 9:59 am

Cold climate gardening really hits home this week…snow in mid May.
I just wanted to send out a heads up that this cool weather is good news for the lilacs at Shelburne Museum. We have 400 lilacs in 90 varieties. Last weekend we celebrated Lilac and Gardening Sunday to record crowds. This cool weather is holding our peak blooms and saving them for another spectacular weekend. Come see us!
5 Roger // Aug 6, 2008 at 12:42 am

I did not find an email address on the site, which is why I am using this contact form. I would be interested in knowing if you are open to selling advertising on this blog. Please get in touch with me if yes. Please feel free to delete this message.
6 Shirley // Aug 7, 2008 at 6:15 pm

Where could I find hardiness info on planting wisteria or clematis in pots on a second floor deck in southwest VT? It would be great climbing on the pergola but is it an effort in futility?
7 Kathy Purdy // Aug 7, 2008 at 6:40 pm

Hi, Shirley–
I think they say you should consider a plant in a container being one or two zones colder than the plants growing in the ground. With that kind of rule of thumb, I think you would not be able to grow wisteria, even native wisteria. But you might be able to grow some species clematis. Try the forums aimed at northern gardening at GardenWeb, and also the forum at northscaping.com. The forum at awaytogarden.com is not specifically for northern climates, but have the type of passionate gardener who would try to grow clematis in pots in Vermont.
8 Thom Roach // Aug 15, 2008 at 4:50 pm

Hello,

I wanted to let your readers know about our herloom bulb sale now through Sept 1. The information is all online at http://www.goreplace.org/bulb-sale.htm. All proceeds benefit our museum’s farm program.

Thank you!
Thom Roach
9 Roger Peter // Sep 4, 2008 at 10:59 am

Just wanted to find out if you are open to selling ads on your blog. If yes, please get in touch with me to discuss this further. I don’t want to use that wp plugin and would like to deal directly. I could not find an email on your site which is why I am using this form. Please feel free to delete this comment.
10 jasmine // Sep 13, 2008 at 9:47 pm

I have brought Japanes maples in pots with me from Vancouver, I thought I would overwinter them in the garage, does anyone here grow them or know much about them in this climate, they are zone 5-6