100 Easy-to-Grow Native Plants: Book Review & Giveaway

Certainly if ever a group were in need of a good public relations firm, it would be native plants. Even though there has been a surge of interest in native plants in recent years, there's still a lingering bit of snobbery that sees natives as plants not worthy of a prominent place in our gardens.

One person whose never suffered from this lack of appreciation for natives is Lorraine Johnson. She's a Canadian gardening icon whose been writing about the virtues of natives for decades. This spring Douglas & McIntyre has launched no less than a third edition of classic 100 Easy-to-Grow Native Plants for Canadian Gardens with a revised introduction, updated botanical names and new information on how to support native pollinators.

One of the first things Lorraine did, at a recent talk at the Stratford Garden Festival, was to clear away two common misconceptions about native plants. The first was that native plants are little more than weeds. But as Lorraine went on to point out, most nuisance weeds like dandelions, aren't native at all. They were brought to North America by European settlers where they escaped the confines of home gardens and spread into the surrounding landscape.

The second assumption was that all native gardens have one basic look to them– that of a natural meadow. The chiché that springs to mind is the rogue suburban gardener, hated by all their neighbours for having a wild looking front garden filled with native flowers and tall grasses. But is it actually the case that a natural garden must always be hopelessly out-of-step with tightly clipped lawns and manicured flowerbeds that dominate most suburban neighbourhoods?

From 100 Easy-to-Grow Native Plants for Canadian Gardens, Lorraine Johnson. Photograph by Andrew Leyerle. ©2017. Published by Douglas &McIntyre. Excerpted with permission of the publisher.

The reality, Lorraine said continuing her talk, is the look of a native garden depends more on the plants you choose than on the fact that you chose to garden with natives. As you can see by this garden from the book (above) a native garden can be lush and green, while being fairly neat and compact.

The carpet of groundcovers on this woodland slope include False Solomon's Seal, Maianthemum racemosum, syn. Smilacina racemosa, Wild Ginger, Asarum canadense, Cinnamon Fern, Osmunda cinnamonomea, syn. Osmundastrum cinnamomeum. It's easy to imagine a tidy front garden that is a combination of a few dwarf conifers and a mix of these native plants.

Trout Lily, Erythronium americanum

One of the things Lorraine credits for the recent surge of interest in native plants is their ability to make us feel we are making a change for the positive on an environmental level. The global nature of environmental problems can leave us feeling overwhelmed. Governments that dismiss the impact of climate change can leave us frustrated. But in our own home gardens we have the power to create healthy, diverse ecosystems that support endangered bee and butterfly populations along with a whole host of other beneficial insects that depend on native plants.

In the introduction of her book Lorraine writes,"I'm convinced that a simple trowel is a grand place to start the necessary (and, in moments of hope, I think inevitable) transformation of our culture from nature dominance to nature partnership."

Even though I am committed to these same lofty goals, I have to say that they are not the primary reason for my interest in native plants. I honestly happen to think they are amazing. In recent years, I have discovered native Trout Lilies, Erythronium americanum with their spotted,  green leaves spotted growing in the vicinity of my garden. They are one-third the size of fancy hybrid Erythroniums blooms and yet their simple blooms make them utterly charming.

Bloodroot, Sanguinaria canadensis

A year ago I brought home some native Bloodroot, Sanguinaria canadensis from my mother's garden. I just love the way the fresh, daisy-like flowers emerge wrapped up in leafy grey-green arms.

The more I have gotten to know native plants, the more I have come to really appreciate their unique and fascinating qualities.

From 100 Easy-to-Grow Native Plants for Canadian Gardens, Lorraine Johnson. Photograph by Andrew Leyerle. ©2017. Published by Douglas &McIntyre. Excerpted with permission of the publisher.

I am intrigued by any number of the natives in Lorraine's book. Take this Skunk Cabbage, Lysichilton americanus, for example. What a curious and intriguing looking plant! A conversation piece to be sure. If we manage to get our garden pond done this year, it might make a nice addition to the pond's damp edges. This is just one example of course. The book has many unusual and beautiful plants to offer.

From 100 Easy-to-Grow Native Plants for Canadian Gardens, Lorraine Johnson. Photograph by Andrew Leyerle. ©2017. Published by Douglas &McIntyre. Excerpted with permission of the publisher.

If you follow this blog, you'll know I like books that are well-organized with concise information that you can act on right away. Following a brief introduction and a bit of guidance on how to use the the information in 100 Easy-to-Grow Native Plants for Canadian Gardens, the reader moves on to one hundred and one native plant profiles.  There is a picture with each listing, a general description of noteworthy plant characteristics, pointers on maintenance, growing requirements and propagation. The notations on plant combinations are ones Lorraine has seen and enjoyed herself (although she encourages gardeners to experiment with plant combinations of their own). Some native plants have a very broad range, growing across most of the continent. Others have a more restricted range, so Lorraine ends each listing with notes on related species.

There is one other little thing I should mention– especially hot-on-the-heels of my post on aggressive plants. Lorraine doesn't mind natives that have a tendency to wander and spread. If this is a concern for you, double check that the native you choose is one whose growth is polite and controlled.

Most handy are the charts that the end of the book that allow you to shop at a glance for plants appropriate for specific conditions, such as acid soil. I'd even suggest that, after you finish the introduction, you start by selecting interesting plants from the appropriate chart and then go to the full profiles to make sure the plants you've chosen meet all your growing requirements.

I think you will find that 100 Easy-to-Grow Native Plants for Canadian Gardens is an excellent reference that you will turn to again and again.

Publisher Douglas & McIntyre has given me a copy of  the revised edition of 100 Easy-to-Grow Native Plants for Canadian Gardens to give away. Because this book will go to a winner through the mail, I will have to limit entry in the draw to readers in Canada and the USA. 

Please leave a comment below, if you would like to be included in the book draw. The draw will remain open for the next two weeks (until Sunday, April 23rd). If you are not a blogger, you can enter to win by leaving a comment on the Three Dogs in a Garden Facebook page. You are also welcome to enter by sending me an email (jenc_art@hotmail.com).

About the Author: 
Lorraine Johnson is the former president of the North American Native Plant Society and is the author of numerous books on gardening and environmental issues. She is also the editor of The National Treasures of Carolinian Canada; Canadian Gardener's Guide; and What Plant Where Encyclopedia. She lives in Toronto.

For more information about 100 Easy-to-Grow Native Plants for Canadian Gardens, visit the Douglas & McIntyre's website.

The Perennial Matchmaker: Book Review and Giveaway

Magic happens when perennials are beautifully combined. Some gardeners just seem to have the creative knack for mixing plants to create pretty combinations, but the vast majority of us need a little help and that's where Nancy J. Ondra's latest book The Perennial Matchmaker comes in. 

This is a book whose practical tips and methods for creating plant pairings move beyond replicating pretty pictures. Drool-worthy pictures of plant combinations are all well and good, but if the plants pictured don't grow well in your garden, or aren't readily available to you, the inspiration is somewhat useless. 

The matchmaking process begins with a plant that is successful for you and builds out from there. Before you can begin to find the perfect partner for a plant, Nan suggests you need to identify a key feature you want to play up. It could be the color of the flower, the color of the foliage or any other attribute that you want to accentuate.

A combination from the book The Perennial Matchmaker: Allium Globemaster with Geranium macrorrhizum. (c) 2016 Nancy J. Ondra. Used with the permission of the publisher Rodale Books.

The Perennial Matchmaker showcases 80 popular perennials. There is a basic profile of each plant  

focusing on its key characteristics with notes on suggested partnerships based on color, shape and texture, and seasonal features. 

Of course when choosing the perfect partner not all the considerations are purely aesthetic. Some benefits are more practical. For instance, with alliums like the ones pictured above, Nan suggests that low mounded plants can help to disguise the yellowing foliage of alliums whose flowers have faded. 

Each perennial chapter also includes a handy list of potential "Bloom Buddies" that are likely to flower at the same time. 

Nancy's book offers the novice gardener ready-to-go ideas in of photographs of perennial partners and Nan's "Top 10 Perennial Pairings." For the more experienced gardener, there are chapters on how to find inspiration, tips for working with color, ideas for to adding seasonal interest and even ways of extending plant combinations beyond simply mixing perennials.

I must confess that my views on this book are not entirely unbiased. I, along with many other photographers and bloggers, contributed images to the book. It may surprise you to know that the photographs are my one minor disappointment with the book. There is some gorgeous photography in The Perennial Matchmaker, but most of the images are small. 

I have a feeling that the small photographs are intensional. I think Nan does not want readers limited to copying combinations they see in pictures. She wants to arm her readers with the tools and ideas necessary to create their own magical combinations.

I have a copy of The Perennial Matchmaker that I am going to give away in a draw. If you would like to enter, please leave a comment below. For this draw, I will have to limit a winner to North America. The draw will remain open for the next seven days.

More Information and Links:

About the author: Nancy J. Ondra is the author of more than a dozen books on gardening. As well as more than thirty years of gardening experience, she has owned and operated a rare plant nursery. Nan writes about Hayefield, her four acre property County Pennsylvania, on the blog hayefield.com. As well as The Perennial Matchmaker, Nan has a second book, Container Theme Gardens, that is newly released this spring.

A Young Garden Book Author & her Dad

This is Emma standing beside the mammoth-sized sunflowers she grew from seed last summer. Emma is an elementary school student, and most recently, a co-author and illustrator of a book about gardening with kids.

She is 9 years old.

A young Emma in the garden. ©2015 Grow Gardeners 

How you view age is relative to where you are in life. When I was 9, I used to think 30 was "old". But now that I have stepped over the great divide that puts me closer to 60 than 50, I see 30 as impossibly young.

Why bring up the issue of age?

Have you ever looked around you at a garden club meeting? There is a lot of "older" folks and not nearly as many people under the age of 35. Part of me wonders if a love of gardening comes with maturity along with an appreciation of mushrooms, spinach and Brussels sprouts. But the other part of me worries that gardening has failed to capture the imagination of younger generations.

How can we pass on a love of gardening to our children and grandchildren?

Working in partnership with her Dad, author and horticulturist Steve Biggs, Emma has helped to write a short book, Grow Gardeners, that suggests that there are four ingredients to making gardening fun for kids: Playing, Exploring, Collecting and Growing.

As well as being the author of two previous books on gardening, Steve Biggs is the proud father of three young children. Steve believes that it our responsibility as adults and gardeners to help kids realize how much fun the garden can be. Steve writes, "It's easy to make the garden a fun place for children because they have imagination, energy and curiosity. All we as adults have to do is channel that spirit towards the garden."

Steve, Emma and her brothers Quinn and Keaton

Steve advises we adopt a child-like approach: Peak their curiosity. Laugh. Be playful. "If you need to work, dovetail your work into play. My kids like train rides after I empty the wheelbarrow. "Hit the bumps, Dad," they howl. We are playing together while I work."

Foster play in the garden:"I think the best way to cultivate play is to be playful. Stimulate play by providing ideas, if needed." 

Steve's "tool kit for play" involves simple, everyday items like leaves, soil, garden tools and water. We adults forget the joy a puddle can bring or how much fun it is to play in the mud.

Emma's illustration from the book.  ©2015 Grow Gardeners

Emma: "Playing with the hose is I think one of my favourite things outside because you can get soaking wet. You can make many cool things when you're allowed to use the hose: we dig in the dirt, make mud pie, we make rivers, we make dams."

Cultivate collecting: Long buried memories of childhood came flooding back as I read through the chapter on exploring. It's been a while, but I warmly recall lifting up stones to see what's scurrying and crawling underneath. Here is a small sampling of the book's super simple, absolutely fun ideas for exploring:
• Crawl through the lawn looking for a four-leaf clover.
• Walk toward a chirping cricket and see how close you can get before it stops chirping.
• Touch, taste and smell leaves in a herb garden.
• Blow, flick and kick dandelion seed heads. Run through a field of them!

Cultivate exploring:  On Steve and Emma's list of things to encourage kids to explore nature are everyday items like a basket for gathering things or a jar for collecting insects. Here's just a few of the book's suggestions to get kids exploring:
• Start a collection of feathers. Frame them or put the collection in an album.
• Press leaves between the pages of a book for later use, to be traced or identified.
• Collect pine cones for crafts

Cultivate Growing: Steve advises that once children enjoy playing and exploring outdoors, gardening is the next step. Just don't expect kids to garden exactly the same way adults do! Instead Steve recommends that when gardening with kids, make adjustments like using larger seeds such as peas and sunflowers that can be "poked" right into a loose soil.

Steve:"Strawberries are a good choice for small children, as plants are low to the ground and strawberries are sweet. Digging potatoes- which are like buried treasure- is fun too."

The chapter on growing includes terrific a list of kid friendly garden themes such as an alphabet garden, butterfly garden and a salsa garden where your kids grow all the ingredients.

Steve and Emma's book, Grow Gardeners, is not long- I read it in about an hour. And that's perfect! If you're a busy parent, the last thing you want to do is read a lengthy book. The suggested ideas are laid out in simple point form that allows you to quickly find activity to make the garden a fun place for your kids or grandkids.

Emma's illustration from the book.  ©2015 Grow Gardeners

If you pop over to see Emma's blog, you'll find a list of veggies she hopes to grow this spring: red iceburg lettuce, banana legs tomato and dragon carrots to name but a few. She notes,"I grew dragon carrots last year and they were great. They are a bright red carrot and something you will not see in the store. I've grown giant sunflowers before and they were HUGE."

Emma's proud parents are delighted with her enthusiasm for gardening. Steve writes, "We're simply sowing the foundation of a life-long love of the outdoors."

I honestly can't think of a better ambition when it comes to gardening with kids.

I have a copy of Grow Gardeners to give away to one lucky reader. Just add "Count me in" to your comment if you would like to be included in the book draw.

More Information and Links:

About the Authors:

Emma Biggs is an elementary school student with a passion for gardening and drawing. She often helps her father, Steven, at gardening events. A tireless scribbler and doodler, this is Emma's first book.

Visit Emma's blog.

Steve Biggs is an award winning journalist and author specializing in gardening, farming and food production. A life-long gardener, he favours a practical and fun approach to things. His book No Guff Vegetable Gardening, co-authored with Donna Balzer is a Canadian best seller. Grow Your Own Figs Where You Think You Can't is the winner if the 2012 Silver Award of Achievement, Garden Writers Association.
Visit the Grow Gardeners website to purchase a copy of Steve and Emma's book.