“I've lost my gardening mojo,” I confessed to a friend recently. A decade ago, I anticipated transforming a newly developed plot of land into a lush oasis of vegetation. The first summer, I patrolled the yard and carefully identified each plant that was already flourishing using Lois Hole’s Perennial Favorites, Lois Hole’s Favorite Trees & Shrubs and The Calgary Gardener. The next summer, I made a list of hardy plants for Zone 3 and went on a shopping spree in my local garden centre. With naive enthusiasm, I even started a scrapbook with before and after photos to record my gardening triumphs.

In the intervening years, I've come to the sobering realization that I've taken the word “perennial” far too literally as my journal racks up a lengthy obituary of trees, shrubs and perennials. Although the name implies otherwise, perennials do not live in perpetuity as I’d thought, or hoped, they would. Their lives can be cut short by a discouraging number of pests and diseases. And the plants that do manage to eke out a fragile existence from year to year face stiff competition from weeds bent on colonizing the entire yard.

In my current state of disillusionment, I've decided that instead of fighting a perennial battle to prevent my own garden from descending into anarchy, I’d rather enjoy the attractively rehabilitated gardens which surround Memorial Park Library. Here, I’m able to relax on a park bench next to a fountain amidst colourful flowers and blossoming trees without all the work it takes to maintain them. And without worrying about which plague is preparing to annihilate the forlorn remains of my dwindling oasis.

If you’re interested in finding out more about the garden our library lives in, you’re welcome to join Donna Balzer, Calgary-based Horticulture Consultant, and Michelle Reid, Conservation Landscape Architect, for a talk and tour of the beautifully restored, award-winning Central Memorial Park. Restoring the Heritage Landscape of Central Memorial Park takes place on Saturday, May 26 from 1:30 - 3:00p.m.

And if I haven’t discouraged you too greatly with my tales of gardening woe, check out these recent titles for inspiration:

Apartment gardening: plants projects and recipes for growing food in your urban home

Gardening in no time: 50 step-by-step projects and inspirational ideas

The Living garden: a place that works with nature

Small is bountiful: getting more crops from your pots

The Complete guide to Western Plains gardening

We've enjoyed an extraordinarily mild winter this year, although the pessimist in me is certain the weather gods will make us pay later, probably in May. And even though we haven’t had to endure knee-deep snow and weeks of frigid temperatures, it’s still a relief to know the official start of spring is imminent. We’re all searching for the slightest tinge of green in the landscape to reassure us that everything has not been irreversibly desiccated by the incessant winds that have plagued southern Alberta. The hardcore gardeners have been nursing their seedlings along for weeks already. And the procrastinating gardeners, like myself, are surveying with regret the soggy piles of leaves and perennials that we neglected to clean up last fall.

If you’re an urban Calgarian wishing for your own soggy pile of leaves or a place to plant your seedlings, you’ll be interested in an upcoming program on Community Gardening in Calgary at Memorial Park Library. There’s been a surge in urban agriculture over the past few years: more people are growing vegetables, fruits and herbs in their own yards, and community gardens and orchards are proliferating rapidly. There are approximately 52 public community gardens in Calgary now, up from 21 in 2009, and just 9 in 2008.

Apart from the obvious benefit of being able to consume fresh, flavourful produce, there are myriad reasons why you might want to join a community garden including: practicing sustainable living, improving the urban environment, being physically active and creating connections within your community.

To learn more about community gardening in Calgary, register for our program on Saturday, March 24, presented by the Calgary Horticultural Society. And check out these links to more resources and information:

Community Gardening - Calgary Horticultural Society