Favourite Plants

Janet Arnett is the former campus manager of adult education at Ontario’s Georgian College. She is the author of Antiques and Collectibles: Starting Small, The Grange at Knock, and 673 Ways to Save Money.

There’s something comforting about the familiar, meeting again
something that brought pleasure in the past. Favourites bring with them
good memories and pleasant association. This is especially true of
garden plants, with their ability to trigger responses by their colour,
appearance, and fragrance.

Most of the plants featured in this book would win a spot on any
gardener’s list of favourites: lilies, irises, clematis, poppies,
maples, lilacs, roses, hydrangeas. Or perhaps it’s an old-fashioned
bleeding heart, a silvery artemisia, or an elegant columbine that
triggers at the memory bank. There are essays, with colour photos, on
all of these and more from the perennials, roses, and trees/shrubs
groups.

Slightly more than half the book is given to perennials, with more
sparing coverage for roses, trees, and shrubs. There’s an essay on
ground covers and another on weeping shrubs. For each featured plant the
essay covers history, growing conditions, size, colour range, when it
blooms, and hardiness zone. Less consistently, there may be notes on the
author’s personal experiences with the plant, variations, pest and
disease control, and tips on special uses or quirks.

Overall, the text is informative and the personal touches make it a
light read. The photos vary in quality from good to excellent. The main
weakness is that the selection of plants included is subjective and many
people will find their favourites didn’t make the cut.