Best Garden Plants for Atlantic Canada.

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.

With strong winds whipping in from the Atlantic and long, cold winters, often with a minimum of snow cover, gardeners in Atlantic Canada have their share of challenges. With this guide, plant selection won’t be one of them, as it illustrates there is ample latitude for great gardens, including colourful floral displays.

Lone Pine Publishing has mastered the utilitarian guide format, facilitating ease of use with durable covers, standardized page layouts, colour-coded section tabs, and alphabetical organization of species within each section. Colour reigns, adding visual appeal and aiding plant identification. The glossary and index are practical tools to encourage garden planning and design.

The work includes 160 plants, divided into eight groupings: annuals, perennials, vines, trees and shrubs, roses, bulbs, herbs, and foliage plants (ornamental grasses and ferns). The full page devoted to each includes two photos—one in situ and one close-up—height and spread, scientific name, description, growing requirements such as light and soil, growing and placement tips, and recommended variations. The plant selection includes some with recently acquired popularity (sweet potato vine, heuchera), old favourites (geraniums, smoke trees, glads), and some often associated with the Maritimes (hops, lupins, ribbon grass).

This is an attractive, practical guide that will be valued by any gardener in an area with a hardiness zone in the three to five range.