December 2011/January 2012 - Book Review

The recently released  Edible Plants for Prairie Gardens by June Flanagan is a “must read” for both gardeners and chefs.  Ms. Flanagan, who lives and gardens in Lethbridge, also wrote Native Plants for Prairie Gardens: she integrates her strong botanical background with her local experience … and draws on over fifty cited references to provide us with a wealth of information. Her 240 page book is packed with valuable information on what to do, why, and when to do it. Sub-titled “The Best Fruits, Vegetables and Herbs”, the book has three parts. Planning, planting, growing and harvesting form the first section. The later chapters deal with plants for the seasonal garden, and plants for the permanent garden.

The division into, firstly, the seasonal garden – annual vegetables and herbs, and, secondly, the permanent garden – perennial vegetables and herbs, fruiting shrubs and fruit trees, brings a new perspective to our world. We read sometimes about growing conditions for cool season and warm season grasses - approximately 25^o C differentiates the two - but I don’t think I have come across this emphasis in relation to most edible plants: it ensures we examine gardening with this refreshing viewpoint, using, in part, other plant indicators to aid our timing decisions.

The photographs are captivating … often mouth-watering … those raspberries and strawberries ! There’s much in this book for both novice and experienced prairie gardeners. Many of us know how to grow things, but can learn a lot about optimizing our harvest with June’s advice on pollination, seed collection, division, etc. The individual plant descriptions, arranged by common names, contain warnings about which plants need special care here.

June Flanagan writes knowledgably on pests and diseases, on good and bad “bugs”, soil conditions and on pruning. As a Prairie gardener she has written with a deep understanding of our arid and extreme climate rarely demonstrated in Canadian gardening books: the result is an informative, balanced and enjoyable book.

Glynn Wright. 

Glynn Wright  403-680-8289

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