Canadian Gardening's Small-Space Gardens

Patricia Morley is professor emerita of English and Canadian studies at
Concordia University, and the author of Kurlek, Margaret Laurence: The
Long Journey Home, and As Though Life Mattered: Leo Kennedy’s Story.

These handsomely produced books take their place in a series that now
has six titles, including Great Ideas for the Garden, Vegetable
Gardening, and Natural Gardens. They feature practical advice from
Canadian gardening experts, detailed information on tools and
techniques, a map of Canada’s hardiness zones, and a wealth of superb
photographs.

Penny Arthurs is a professional garden designer and columnist. Janet
Davis is a freelance writer, photographer, and garden columnist based in
Toronto. Both have lively, pleasing writing styles and a good eye for
detail.

Ponds and waterfalls, Davis notes in her introduction, used to be
pleasures that only the rich could enjoy. No longer. Water in the Garden
offers step-by-step instructions for creating ponds and small
waterfalls, and for stocking and maintaining fish and plants. Chapter 3,
“A Short Course in Pond Ecology,” provides a good summary of pond
ecosystems, including the functions served by sunlight and water,
oxygenators, and snails.

Equally wide-ranging and thorough is Small- Space Gardens, which
covers, among other topics, paving and paths; fences, walls, and hedges;
garden structures and decks; plants for small gardens; and drawing plans
to scale.

Penny Arthurs, Janet Davis, and the editors of Canadian Gardening
Magazine have produced a pair of guides that will instruct and inspire
gardeners of every persuasion.