Welcome to Jason's very own garden site. Hey, check here for the newest changes to the site. If you've found this site, you probably know that when I refer to Zone 8, I'm talking about the local USDA plant hardiness zone. I'm located in Abbotsford, British Columbia - in the central Fraser Valley. If you're still lost, here's a Map of Abbotsford on Mapquest. My humble garden is just a regular sized suburban lot, and I've been digging it since we moved here in 2001. It'll be a long time before we pay off the mortgage, so this is likely to be my garden for a good while yet. It's my first garden, so I guess you'd call me a gardening novice. The garden has it's share of challenges. When we first got here, the majority of the yard was covered by two plants: Juniper, and Mahonia (Oregon Grape). Now, I've got nothing against Juniper or Mahonia. I'm sure they both have their place. It's just not in my place. And that's where we had a difference of opinion, because both of these plants were freakin' rampant in my yard. This was my front yard when we moved in, viewed from above. It was a solid mat of Juniper and Oregon Grape. Even now, over five years later, I'm getting Oregon Grape shooting up from old roots. The Juniper didn't put up as persistent a fight, but did leave battle scars on our arms for several days afterwards. The yard is also on a fairly steep slope, with rocky soil. On a warm summer day, in my east-facing front yard, you can almost hear the plants sizzling in the afternoon sun. And to round out my gardening problems, I have a dog who loves gardening too. I dig the plants in, she digs the plants out. She does the odd bit of pruning too. It's fun to share your hobbies. Anyhow, feel free to dig through the links on the left. Many of the links I've collected here are pretty specific to my country, my province, my region, and even my neighborhood, so if you've landed here from other parts of the world (but with the same hardiness zone, I'll guess) please take them for what they're worth. In the News and Rants section, you'll find out about updates to the site, what's happening in my garden and my community currently, and sometimes just my own opinions on various topics. The section on Local Nurseries is my round-up of garden centers in the local area, with some emphasis on the central Fraser Valley. Push the Gardens to Visit button for a quick overview of some of the more notable public gardens I can recommend from the local area. The whole site is quite new, and I'm sure I'll be adding quite a lot over the spring season (including pictures in every section... I didn't realize how few pictures I really take). So, if some parts seem a bit sparse to you, please check back again over the season. Or, better yet, drop me some feedback in the Ask an Amateur section, and I'll give those areas priority. Thanks for visiting.