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from Flanker Press

My Island Garden: Ornamental Gardening in Atlantic Canada by Dawn Baker is a beautiful yet practical book that spotlights a wide selection of hardy plants for Maritime gardeners. It’s a good choice for home gardeners who are looking for reliable suggestions that will thrive in our region.

The book is organized by plant type and includes selections of annuals, biennials, bulbs, perennials, shrubs, trees and vines. This is where Baker’s decades of gardening expertise is on full display as she includes not just the basic details of each plant, but also her personal experiences growing them in her garden.

I like that Baker doesn’t just recommend general plant types, such as ‘hydrangeas’, but has specific variety and cultivar suggestions. For example, she writes about how hydrangeas are ideal shrubs for Atlantic Canada and then shares how ‘Unique’ panicle hydrangea has been a standout in her garden. “In midsummer, immense flower clusters will form in creamy-white, conical shapes,” she says. “The effect is very lacy, romantic, and beloved by pollinators!”

Plants featured in the book include Atlantic Canadian garden staples like ‘Karl Rosenfield’ peony, ‘King of Hearts’ bleeding heart and common lilac, as well as lesser-known options like ‘Alaska Apricot’ nasturtiums, ‘Brookside’ geranium and ‘Valentine’ sunflower.

The last chapter is charmingly titled ‘Game Changers’ and features tips and techniques on subjects like container gardening, making no-dig beds, gathering seeds and winter sowing. Winter sowing, in particular, is an easy way to start seeds outside and uses the moisture and cold temperatures of winter to jump start the germination of various perennial, annual and edible plants. Baker provides step-by-step instructions for winter sowing as well as a list of plants she’s successfully winter sowed.

Finally, My Island Garden contains dozens of lovely photos of Baker’s garden, helpfully dated to show actual bloom times of the recommended plants. Readers will also delight in the many botanical illustrations created by Baker, a well-known visual artist. ■

NIKI JABBOUR is a year-round vegetable gardener and theaward-winning author of four gardening books.