The new revised third edition of Lorraine Johnson’s book, 100 Easy-to-Grow Native Plants for Canadian Gardens, is a testament to Lorraine’s expertise as well as a sign that interest in the subject is strong.
Plant names have been updated and “sections on wildlife have been substantially enlarged to include details about the interactions and interdependencies between native plants and native bees, butterflies and other beneficial insects and pollinators,” she writes in the forward.
Photos by Andrew Leyerle along with detailed descriptions of plants and suggestions for companion plants make this a useful and approachable book for those eager to introduce more natives into their home garden. Quick reference charts also make it easy to choose candidates for specific conditions, such as deep shade, meadows and moist areas.
The book is published by Douglas & McIntyre.
Love my garden . over 200 hostas and perennial shade plants. a Chinese wisteria that blooms with over 300 blooms in spring, and am a professional florist for 22 years . A veges garden on the side where there is a lot of sun. Retired and in my garden daily till the snow flies ,then in Mexico for 5 months with a tropical garden in Puerto Vallarta for 12 years now, love plants.,
I have the best of both worlds in my garden, succulents and tropical from Nov to April and shade and hosta garden from May to Nov. How lucky is that.
I never realized there were so many beautiful native plants and plan on planting a lot of them this season. 100 Easy to Grow Native Plants would be wonderful to have as I want to plant a garden for the bees, butterflies and humming birds.
We moved from Oakville (6B) to our newly built home on the ocean in NS about 5 years ago. What a change! We have lots and lots of beautiful natural granite but little soil! We stick right out into the ocean so we experience first hand lots and lots of wind and salt; oh and then there are the deer. A horticulture friend advised us to plant only those plants for zone 3 and we would be successful; he was absolutely right. We did not want any lawn but kept as much natural vegetation as we could protect and piled the natural soil containing seeds until the build was complete. The natives are doing so well we want to propagate and plant more. The bees and butterflies here have increased with more and more plantings. They really are very beautiful and adapted to our environment. The native plant book would be soo helpful for determining the heights, requirements, etc. for planning our “native gardens’.
I have Lorraine’s first edition of 100 Easy to Grow Native Plants and it is well worn from using as a resource. We removed the grass from our property and having lots of natives has made it easy no matter what Mother Nature provides.
I’d love a chance to have an updated version of her book, I’m sure there are great suggestions for selection and plant pairings.
Desperate to win the book. One year ago we lived in suburban Oakville, Ontario….made the change to a village in Quebec, zone 4B that came with 14 deer and three massive oak trees. Have been trying with milkweed over the last two winters to get a crop going for the butterflies and now something for the bees is needed so one way or another this book should help.
Sharon
I’m from Manitoba and I try to plant as many Native Plants that I can, to keep the cycle going strong!
very useful info…
Just love receiving my Garden Making. I have kept every issue. I love going through the magazines looking for new ideas for my gardens. Finding the pruning methods for my hydrangeas and clematis. It sure gives me a better knowledge of what to look for when buying, knowing the areas they will grow best in. Best Gardening Magazine I have ever subscribed to. Nice to actually get a gardening book with gardening articles in it instead of ads and barely any articles. Thank you for such a good magazine. Happy Gardening!
I love a great giveaway and have shared it on my facebook page. Hope you get lots of entries. Native plants are always interesting to me. I have lots of trilliums, jack in the pulpits and Canadian anemones growing in my Toronto area garden. The kids love seeing all of them too!
Thank you so much for forwarding a complimentary copy of your wonderfully informative magazine to my friend, as I requested. She was so impressed that she immediately subscribed to GardenMaking. Keep up the great work.
Moved last summer from a suburban yard in Oakville (Z 6B) to 50 acres in Mulmur (Z 4B). Daunting to say the least. Big swaths of native plants are the way to go and will make the pollinators (and the NEC) happy!