Perennials (Question & Answer Series, 3)

Find answers to the most common questions asked of gardening experts. Lois and her son Jim bring together more than 60 years of professional gardening experience.

LOIS HOLE's renown as a gardener, author and businesswoman, as well as her remarkable years of community service, has brought her international acclaim. Lois was named Lieutenant-Governor of Alberta in February 2000. A member of the Order of Canada, she also has served as Chancellor of the University of Alberta. Lois' fame has done little to change her down-to-earth,folksy manner- a quality that has endeared her to people across the country. Lois and her husband built up a vegetable and market garden business in St. Albert, Alberta, through the 1950s and 1960s. In 1979, the operation was incorporated as Hole's Greenhouses and Gardens Ltd. The business went on to become one of the biggest retail greenhouse operations in western Canada. Despite the challenges of running a business, raising a family and serving on the boards of local school districts and a host of other community organizations, Lois has found the time and energy to write more than a dozen gardening books. All have gone on to become Canadian best-sellers. She also has been a regular contributor to the Globe and Mail, the Edmonton Journal and the Old Farmer's Almanac Gardening Companion. JIM HOLE grew up in a renowned gardening family. He is the coauthor of five books with his mother, Lois, and is also a frequent contributor to national gardening publications. Since earning a bachelor of science in agriculture, Jim has continued to work for the family operation and also has gone on to become a popular garden columnist and radio and TV gardening personality. Jim is a frequent speaker before garden clubs and at trade shows across North America. He loves to share what he's learned from over 30 years of hands-on experience in the greenhouse. His guiding principle when sharing gardening knowledge is to stick to "practical advice and the science behind it."