Mark Cullen's Ontario Gardening

Beryl Hamilton is a freelance writer in Thunder Bay who specializes in
home gardening.

Mark Cullen, one of Canada’s best-known gardening experts, is familiar
to many Ontario gardeners from his television program on HGTV,
appearances on Canada AM, syndicated newspaper column, and various
gardening books. A fifth-generation Cullen-family gardener, he has an
extraordinary breadth of knowledge.

This book is organized into three parts. Part 1, “The Ornamental
Garden,” discusses the use of sun and shade; the growing of large,
small, and native plants; and the planning of naturalized gardens and
cottage plants. Part 2, “Fruits, Herbs and Vegetables,” covers
edible gardens. Part 3, “Gardening Basics,” gives tips on soil,
planting, watering, xeriscaping, and mulching, and lists 100 favourite
plants for Ontario. The appendix features an Ontario Zone map, a chart
showing likely frost-free days and annual precipitation, and a list of
gardening websites. There are 16 pages of colour photographs and helpful
illustrations.

The book is a solid source of information about Ontario gardening. The
different growing conditions and varied zones created by the Ontario’s
huge geographical area are clearly explained. Equally useful are the
discussions of large and small ornamental gardens; native, cottage, and
urban gardens; and edible gardens. Cullen describes the challenges and
frustrations of northern gardening, but also makes clear its many
pleasures. His list of favourite plants for Ontario is a superb guide
and should help novice and intermediate gardeners in their selection
process. The book’s photographs are genuinely inspiring. All royalties
from the sale of this excellent book are being donated to S.H.A.R.E.
Agricultural Foundation, an Ontario-based volunteer group that aids
marginalized farmers in Central and South America.