Wow! It feels like spring has sprung here today! What little snow we had is melting like crazy and we actually had a bit of rain early this morning. My co-workers and I spent our coffee break talking about starting some tomato seeds and maybe we were a little sugar-buzzed from the pre-Valentine’s Day chocolates and too much coffee, but things got really cheerful…yeah, we’re definitely excited and inspired. 😉
We still have about two (conservative estimate) or three (more like it) months to go before we can get out into the garden proper, but it’s nice to haul out the gardening books and catalogues and get cracking on the planning. I have a few gardening books in my personal collection and regulars I borrow from the library that are definite go-to’s for me. For the most part, these are all “Prairie” books (hardiness zones 2-4; cold, arid climate), but there are a few more generally Canadian and North American ones that I really love as well.
Lyndon Penner – The Chinook Short Season Yard: Quick and Beautiful in the Calgary Region (also available as The Prairie Short Season Yard)
Lydon Penner – Garden Design for the Short Season Yard
Dawn Vaessen – Perfect Perennials for the Prairie Gardener (See my review here)
Donna Balzar – Gardening for Goofs
Donna Balzar and Steven Biggs – No Guff Vegetable Gardening
June Flanagan – Native Plants for Prairie Gardens
June Flanagan – Edible Plants for Prairie Gardens
Sara Williams and Hugh Skinner – Gardening, Naturally: A Chemical Free Handbook for the Prairies
Sara Williams – Creating the Prairie Xeriscape
Calgary Horticultural Society – Calgary Gardener, Volumes 1 and 2
Calgary Rose Society – Growing Roses in Calgary (See my review here)
Millarville Horticultural Society – Gardening Under the Arch
Hugh Skinner – The Best Groundcovers and Vines for the Prairies
Hugh Skinner – The Best Trees and Shrubs for the Prairies
Don Williamson – Tree and Shrub Gardening for Alberta (See my review here)
Barbara Kim and Nora Bryan – The Prairie Winterscape
Nora Bryan and Ruth Staal – The Prairie Gardener’s Book of Bugs (Mentioned here)
Jan Mather – Designing Alberta Gardens
Any of The Prairie Garden annuals
Linda Chalker-Scott – The Informed Gardener
Linda Chalker-Scott – How Plants Work
Niki Jabbour – The Year ‘Round Vegetable Gardener
Niki Jabbour – Groundbreaking Food Gardens
Bill Thorness – Cool Season Gardener
Laura Peters – Small Space Gardening for Canada
Melanie J. Watts – Growing Food in a Short Season
David Bainbridge – Gardening with Less Water
Did I miss any cold climate/Prairie books that should be on this list?
No matter where you live in the world, your favourite gardening books might be relevant/practical/inspirational/eye candy for another gardener! Which books would you recommend for us?
Flowery Prose. 