The only way one could tell spring is here is by the calendar.
The long-awaited, much-anticipated first day of spring officially arrived at 12:15 p.m. March 20 --the coldest in the history of Calgary.
If it seems it will take forever for the first crocus to bloom or robin sighting, take heart.
Before you know it, the grass will be green, allergy sufferers will be incoherent and spring will be here in all her glory. And yet, we garden nuts love this time of the year.
Why? Because now is the time we pore through the latest gardening books and seed catalogues, all the while dreaming of how this year's
garden will look.
With gardening being the No. 1 hobby in North America (one recent survey rated it more popular than sex!), it should come as no surprise there are literally thousands of books on the subject. Which books to buy can be a daunting experience.
I've just recently read a number of new releases, including Basic Gardening (Whitecap) by Sybille Engels. Much of Basic Gardening does not pertain to our Zone 3a climate. But there is still plenty of relevant information.
The chapter entitled the Tough Guys is excellent as it lists plants that will withstand neglect, pollution and difficult growing conditions. The top five "indestructible" plants listed are plectranthus, sunflower, nasturtium, sweet pea and catmint.
Excellent as well is the section called Debugging.
Various plant diseases are grouped by what the disease looks like, what causes it and what you can do about it -- in an environmentally friendly way.
Forget the sections entitled Mediterranean and Asia. Would that it not be so, however, fig trees won't grow in Calgary. Nor Japanese sedge.
And the photos of handsome, smiling young couples (reminiscent of a beer commercial) featured throughout, although visually appealing, are superfluous in a gardening book.
