Dear gardeners,

Oh, I have so much to tell you about! It is a great year for the newest cultivars of annuals, perennials, shrubs and vegetables, and we have 96 of them described in the first few pages. Have you ever planted gomphrena or ptilotus? Or wowed dinner guests with white ‘Icicle’ eggplants and ‘Double Red’ corn, which is, yes, red? There is the super webby hens and chicks ‘Arctic White’, and a copper-tinged hosta ‘First Blush’. And I can hardly wait until I have a bigger garden so I can plant sweetshrub ‘Simply Scentsational’!

The last few years I have been lazy about putting in tender bulbs like gladiolus and dahlias, but this year I’ve just got to get it done. I always regret my spring sloth when I see other gardens full of these colourful stars in August. This year I might even plant some elephant ears, which I’ve wanted to do for so long.

I have already got some spinach planted outside and am ready to put in lettuce to harvest in June, before the heat goes crazy here in Toronto. This is the year I might try some of the anti-bolt methods for lettuce that I’ll plant later. Honestly, though? I’m not going to sample sweet potato vine leaves or lambsquarters, although I’ve heard they’re perfectly good to eat. I’m sure there are more adventurous readers who will, and I hope you’ll write and tell me about your experience.

All of these topics are covered in the issue you hold in your hands. We also have stories from Michael Rosen on “messy” trees and why they are worth it, Greg

Auton on the nutritional value and easiness of potatoes, and Maggie Connell on no-dig gardening. Plus, you can swoon over the stunning photos and article by Robert Wrigley on the development of his passion for growing greenhouse succulents.

And, of course, we’ll take you on visits to three gardens from across the country. Donna and Dave Bloski, in Spruce Grove, Alberta, have been tending their lot for 50 fabulous years and have a number of rare and tender plants. Pete Mowat has a beautiful piece of land on Lake Erie, where he coaxes beauty from the ground. And Corinne Hersey works in her Fredricton yard and in community plots to grow vegetables and attract pollinators.

Before I close, I must say, in case you haven’t heard: every member of parliament from every party has voted to declare 2022 the Year of the Garden across Canada. This is the year to “live the garden life”. Plant red to show your support, and make sure your friends and neighbours know.

Get ready to garden!