Gardening Month by Month in the Maritimes

Susan Cleyle is associate university librarian, QE II Library, Memorial
University of Newfoundland.

Serving as both a guidebook and a calendar for East Coast gardeners,
this terrific resource provides gardening tips and strategies for each
month of the year.

The guide is organized by month. Each month opens with two pages of
stunning photographs. The calendar of the month that follows is designed
with two-inch-square spaces for each day that provides ample space for
gardening notes. Next is a “Things to Do” list, which offers helpful
hints on how to care for your garden. Even the winter months have many
things a gardener can do, such as growing, pruning, and transplanting
seedlings.

In the book’s introduction the authors discuss Maritime gardening,
covering such things as garden design, pest control, container
gardening, composting, and creating a wildlife habitat. They also
provide handy climate guide, outlining temperature norms, extremes, and
frost dates for a range of communities throughout the Maritimes.

The text is printed on thick glossy paper, which will stand up to use
in the backyard; spiral instead of perfect binding would have allowed
the book to lie flat and made it easier to use. The guide concludes with
a bibliography and a list of resources that includes soil testing
facilities, horticultural societies, and gardens to visit.