The eighth book in the Guides for the Prairie Gardener series is all about those reliable, grounded plants you can count on: perennials. Perennials are those species whose stems and leaves die back to their crowns each fall, but whose roots remain alive throughout the non-growing months. They include showy flowers like peonies, poppies, lilies, clematis, and lupine, but also edibles like asparagus, fiddlehead ferns, sunchokes, and rhubarb. In this guide prairie gardening experts Janet Melrose and Sheryl Normandeau answer questions like What are the best perennials for building biodiversity in my garden? What’s the difference between species, variety, cultivar, and nativar? What kinds of perennials can I grow in containers? When and how do I divide plants once they’re well established? How do I keep enthusiastic re-seeders from taking over? Which of my perennial babies need to be brought inside for the winter? The pair dedicate a chapter to perennial vegetables and another to mitigating common pests and diseases. The final chapter is a perennial hall of fame, an extended list of recommended plantings for colour, native species, rock gardens, ground cover, fragrance, spring champions, and all-season displays. Janet and Sheryl give you the information you need to make your perennial garden as successful as you can while promoting biodiversity and creating a healthy habitat for pollinators and wildlife.

All the most common questions about growing vegetables in the prairies are answered in this first installation of the new gardening series, Guides for the Prairie Gardener. Too often people think of vegetable gardening in the prairies as challenging, but certified master gardeners Sheryl and Janet are here to show you how rewarding it can really be. From planning to planting, they encourage you to take a hands-on approach with your prairie garden. They let you know when—and how!—to transplant your carefully nurtured seedlings in the spring, ways to shelter your plants from that inevitable July hailstorm, and how to determine how much irrigation is necessary in the arid prairie climate. They help you figure out if you should prune your tomatoes, how to hold up your pumpkins off the ground, and maximizing your harvest by planting in succession. And they show you how you can directly influence the quality of your produce, minimizing problems such as woody radishes, buttoning cauliflower, and split cabbage heads. This Q&A-style resource covers all your most common questions about cultivation practices, preventing damage from frost, flood, and drought, harvest and storage, and they cover your questions about the veggies you love to grow: Garlic, Onions, and Leeks Lettuce Brassicas Carrots, Celery, and Beets Legumes, Corn and Other Warm Season Edibles Tomatoes and Peppers Potatoes Squash, Pumpkins, and Cucumbers Whether you’ve just acquired your first garden space, or you’ve been growing vegetables for decades, gardeners are always learning and experimenting, building on the wisdom gained on their own or from others. With Sheryl and Janet on your team you’re that much closer to achieving success in your prairie garden!

In a time of climate change and mass extinction, how we garden matters more than ever: “An outstanding and deeply passionate book.” —Marc Bekoff, author of The Emotional Lives of Animals Plenty of books tell home gardeners and professional landscape designers how to garden sustainably, what plants to use, and what resources to explore. Yet few examine why our urban wildlife gardens matter so much—not just for ourselves, but for the larger human and animal communities. Our landscapes push aside wildlife and in turn diminish our genetically programmed love for wildness. How can we get ourselves back into balance through gardens, to speak life's language and learn from other species? Benjamin Vogt addresses why we need a new garden ethic, and why we urgently need wildness in our daily lives—lives sequestered in buildings surrounded by monocultures of lawn and concrete that significantly harm our physical and mental health. He examines the psychological issues around climate change and mass extinction as a way to understand how we are short-circuiting our response to global crises, especially by not growing native plants in our gardens. Simply put, environmentalism is not political; it's social justice for all species marginalized today and for those facing extinction tomorrow. By thinking deeply and honestly about our built landscapes, we can create a compassionate activism that connects us more profoundly to nature and to one another.

An alphabetical listing of more than 2,700 individual perennial plants representing 250 genera furnishes authoritative information on each plant's scientific and common names, origins, growing conditions, light requirements, cultivation, propagation, foliage and flower characteristics, companion plants, pest control, and other essentials.

A personal selection of reliable hardy perennials for every gardener - the expert as well as the beginner. Descriptions of over 800 reliable perennials with close-up photographs and full cultivation information.

Provides information on identification and uses of edible prairie plants.

Turn a shady yard into a sumptuous garden Shade is one of the most common garden situations homeowner’s have, but with the right plant knowledge, you can triumph over challenging areas and learn to embrace shade as an opportunity instead of an obstacle. Glorious Shade celebrates the benefits of shade and shows you how to make the most of it. This information-rich, hardworking guide is packed with everything you need to successfully garden in the shadiest corners of a yard. You'll learn how to determine what type of shade you have and how to choose the right plants for the space. The book also shares the techniques, design and maintenance tips that are key to growing a successful shade garden. Stunning color photographs offer design inspiration and reveal the beauty of shade-loving plants.

Covering a broad array of landscape plants, including edibles, flowering and fruiting trees and shrubs, evergreens, and perennials, horticulturist Jessica Walliser takes a deep dive into the emerging category of compact plants. Whether short, narrow, columnar, or dwarf, this new and exciting group of plants provides the same decorative function as full-sized ornamental plants, but in a fraction of the space. Plus, edible compact plants offer comparable productivity, without having to add more square footage to the garden. In this comprehensive guide, Jessica uses her numerous contacts in the seed and plant production world to give space-challenged gardeners a heads up on what's new, as well as re-introducing a few traditional small-footprint favorites. In both urban and suburban neighborhoods, yards are shrinking, and big plants and gardens require too much maintenance for today's time-starved homeowners. If you're searching for plants that require less space and reduced day-to-day maintenance, dwarf shrubs and other compact plants to the rescue! With little to no pruning required, columnar trees, dwarf shrubs, mini veggies, short-statured perennials, and other compact plants fill a much-needed niche. In the Gardener's Guide to Compact Plants, you'll discover fantastic, brand new dwarf and compact plant varieties you didn't even know existed. And, you'll learn how to grow more flowers, fruits, and veggies than ever before, no matter how much—or how little—space you have. It's the perfect book for homeowners with small yards, urban gardeners, container growers, or anyone looking to grow a beautiful and productive small-scale garden.

Written especially for gardeners in the Canadian Prairie Provinces and the Northern Great Plains of the United States, this book shows you how to grow fabulous fruits, vegetables and herbs. Discover how to design a growing space of any size, from planning your first vegetable patch or collection of potted herbs, to creating an urban landscape for all seasons entirely with edibles. More than one hundred edible plants are featured, including heirloom vegetables and new fruits bred especially for the prairies, illustrated with full-colour photographs. You will find detailed instructions on when, where and how to plant and care for each crop, as well as tips for harvesting, serving and preserving your homegrown produce. New and experienced gardeners will find plenty of solid information about the best plant varieties and environmentally sound gardening practices to be successful in a challenging climate and short growing season. Edible Plants for Prairie Gardens is packed with practical information about: Germinating vegetable and herb seeds indoors Choosing, planning and preparing a garden site When, where and how to plant outdoors Transplanting Garden care from planting to picking Proven strategies for avoiding and solving potential problems. Growing perennial edibles such as: Herbs, Asparagus, Rhubarb, and Prairie-hardy fruit trees and shrubs, Pruning and pollination When and how to harvest each crop Saving seeds from heirloom plants. Also included is an extensive source list of mail-order seed and plant suppliers in Canada and the United States.

Naturalistic, native plant gardening for the Northwest, Plains, and Northeast.