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It may not feel like it, but spring has sprung. Soon it'll be time to dust off your gardening tools and get digging.

To help kick off your return to gardening, Globe columnist Marjorie Harris was online earlier to take your questions. Your questions and her answers appear below.

Marjorie Harris is considered one of Canada's leading garden writers. She writes a weekly gardening column for The Globe and Mail and is editor-at-large of Gardening Life magazine. Born in Shaunovon, Saskatchewan back in the mists of time, she was educated from Goose Bay Labrador to Vancouver B. C. and graduated from McMaster University.

She is the author of 13 gardening books, her most recent being How to Make a Garden, The 7 Essential Steps for the Canadian Gardener, published by Random House.

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Tired Horses, Canada: Is there anything edible (if not, then decorative) that can be grown on a windy, shady, cool north balcony. I do get a couple hours sunrise sun in June and July. I have tried begonia, but it will not tolerate the wind.

Marjorie Harris: Most edible plants (including herbs) need about 6 hours of sunlight. You don't mention what floor you are on. For cool and shady, try hostas. They come in all sorts of magnificent colours from green and yellow stripes, to gold to almost white. A collection will look really good. Get the smaller ones so the leaves aren't too exposed to the wind. They respond to living in containers and will last from year to year.

Eugene Corrigan, Canada: I have a large garden space (15,000 sq ft hardiness 5b) with a number of pine, spruce, cedar and other type of deciduous(?) trees around, much like many other Canadian homeowners but limited information available on how to care for them individually or for the grassy spaces around and under them. eg - the cedars foliage seems thin with a good portion of browning. The pine tree (80 ft) has a few dead branches midway up - can I just saw them off? The lower braches on one side of some of my spruces seem to be dying - what can I do to bring them back? How do I keep the grass healthy under the trees mentioned above?

Marjorie Harris: Grass under trees is never going to do well. You might want to consider replacing it with ground covers. Native ground covers such as Cornus canadensis, bunchberry, is a tough beauty which has green leaves and bright red berries. I've found it hard to establish but it's so worthwhile. Try other faster growing species in between. Wild ginger (Asarum canadensis); woodland phlox; foamflower and Jack-in-the-pulpit are just a few of the plants you should consider. They also attract native bumble bees which is very important.

Re pruning: be careful. Get a certified arbourist to evaluate your property before you start whacking away. Some of the browning may be from wind damage in the winter. An good arbourist will shape the trees so they will be healthy.

If the trees are struggling consider giving them a nice big feed of manure and compost. And once it warms up take out the grass carefully and replace with ground covers.

Claire McFarlen, Etobicoke: Hi Marjorie, I have your book 'Favorite Garden Tips' and it's great. I really like the way it's organized alphabetically, so I can quickly look things up. My question is about bamboo. Last summer my son built a small screened 'teahouse' at the back of our garden and I want to plant bamboo for a decorative and screening effect. There is a slope on the west side of the property that is slightly eroded and I've heard some types of bamboo can also help with that. Can you recommend fast-growing bamboos 12-15 feet in height? The area is zone 5, very sandy soil, facing south with moderate shade from a neighbouring oak to the east and large birch to the west. Also, would you know where I could buy them in the Toronto/Etobicoke/Mississauga area? Many thanks.

Marjorie Harris: Thanks for the kind words and it's still in print or can be ordered from me.

Bamboo would find the situation you describe perfect, almost too perfect. You might get something that will spread everywhere. Be careful of the species you buy.

Have a look at Vineland nurseries (in Vineland) because Jim Lounsbury is trying many different types of bamboos. Most nurseries these days are carrying a few and they are good plants. Also have a look at Bulow's Garden Centre on Lakeshore Rd; Plant World on Eglinton Ave West. They are all trying some really interesting bamboos.

Look for something like Fargesia nitida which will grow to 12 feet pretty quickly. Or a cultivar of that species. If you are worried about any bamboo spreading all over the place, plant in a big rubber tub with holes in the bottom for drainage.

Mieka West: We have an inner city house in Calgary (zone 3-4) and want to add vegetation to the north front of the house. I am considering cold hardy bamboo varieties from Vancouver as no one is selling these in Calgary. What other vegetation would you suggest for this area and would you recommend any bamboo varieties? We don't want anything to grow higher than 4 feet.

Marjorie Harris: I can see that bamboos are going to be very popular plants this year. If you aren't seeing anyone carry a bamboo it's probably because they aren't sure it will survive.

If you buy a "Hardy" bamboo from Vancouver, it's hardy to that area and might now be guaranteed in yours. Hardy is strictly a local term.

Since these plants grow quickly, why not consider ordering a few and treating them as annuals. Or as container plants that you'll have lift and store for the winter. I suggested the Fargesia nitida because it's a clumper and won't go all over the place. This would not be a problem for you.

BUT: Why not try something that will be hardy to your area such as some of the great prairie grasses: Big blue stem gets up to 6 feet; little blue stem 3 ft; side oats grammsa is smaller, as is switch grass. They are all stunning, will be perennial, will look right in the situation you've provided and give some action in winter as well.

Karen Denovellis, Toronto: I would like to plant all white hydrangeas in the front of my house. Is there anything I should be aware of in doing so. Also, there seems to be a lot of variety. Are some more hardy than others?

Marjorie Harris: Don't plant all the same variety. Hydrangeas can look boring in one great mass. Have one for autumn colour and winter interest such as Hydrangea quercifolia (oakleaf hydrangea); have a small one Hydrangea 'Little Lamb' which has sort of golden leaves; and avoid the great big huge mopheads, go for the lace cap varieties. 'Everylasting Summer' has been highly recommended. This is very personal on my part but I've had to remove to many hydrangeas not to believe in mixing them up.

TJ, Canada: Hello Marjorie: I have a couple of huge, overgrown sedum (stonecrop) at the front of my garden. I am fed up with them-yet reluctant to dig them up. Suggestions? Last year you suggested I hold on before taking any action with my non blooming, south facing pink hydrangea. Any suggestions to get this launched again?

Marjorie Harris: If you don't like them, take out half and replace them with Sedum seiboldii which is absolutely gorgeous. Or take them up a little at a time and replace them with other sedums. There are so many glorious ones and obviously they like this situation. Have a look for variety with the tendencies you like.

You don't mention whether your non bloomer continued to be a nonbloomer. Cut it back because it will probably bloom on new wood. Do this in spring should it ever come, but only take out one third of the branches.

Ellen Pickett, Toronto: The previous owners of our house planted 2 apricot trees and 2 plum trees. The first 2 summers we lived in this house, the trees flowered, but no fruits appeared. In the summer of 2006, the apricot and plum trees were overflowing with fruit. Last summer, the trees only sprouted a few flowers, and no fruits grew. What can we do to get these trees to flower and fruit again? Do they need to be pollinated by bees? Is there a manual way to pollinate the flowers? Or do apricots and plums only produce fruit every 3 years? This summer we also hope to start some organic vegetable gardening in our back yard. I would like to start some seeds early indoors, in organic potting soil, but I don't know where organic potting soil is sold. Advice? Would Fiesta Farms have this?

Marjorie Harris: Because apricots bloom so early, they may have been knocked off by late frosts last year. You also need to prune them so that the centre of the tree is fairly open. This year thin out the buds so you have large fruit. But more important have a proper arbourist who knows his fruit trees do a good pruning.

Potting soil is made up of many different elements. Try Fiesta and any of the other large nurseries to see if they have any.

Yvonne Becker, Camrose : I live in central Alberta which is Zone 3. I have three clematis plants and I am confused about cutting down last summer's growth in the spring. One plant is a Polish Spirit clematis and the other two are clematis viticella venosa violacea (Group C). Over the winter, I have just left the growth on the trellis. Do I cut them all down completely or just 2/3 of the growth or is it different depending on the type of clematis? Thanks for your help!

Marjorie Harris:'Polish Spirit' should be pruned back hard in spring (look for a few new buds at the bottom and take off anything above them); do the same with the others. And one good trick with the viticellas is to nip back all but three of the sprongs. It will grow furiously.