We just came back from Montreal where the fall hasn’t even started. As we landed, I saw that the prairies have turned into a quilt of brown patches. The elm trees that surround our garden are yellow and many have lost their leaves. It’s tempting to be sad at the thought of facing four to five months of winter, but that’s the most glorious part of Edmonton gardening: every blooming flower is cause enough to pop open a bottle of champagne.