A Forest of Trees

Now that the beds are all tidied up, the garden tools are put away in the garage, and the garden covered with a soft blanket of snow, this means that gardening books are finished for the season, right? Wrong! This is the best time of the year to read gardening books. There's a lot of winter here in Canada, and you definitely can't garden in it - but you can read about gardens, gardening, and plants.

I am in the lucky position of being able to start my garden beds from scratch. (Apparently the previous owners weren't gardeners.) Aside from one spruce tree (which, I'm sad to say, I think we're going to have to take out) I have a free reign as to bed, plant, and tree placement. Aside from the aforementioned lonely spruce tree, there are no other trees on the property. (Although there are lots of nice [lilac, apple, Russian olive] and not so nice [Manitoba maple, giant spruce with big fat roots right through our vegetable garden!] trees around the property.) I like trees, and so I've been looking for a few options for the back and front yards.

Some of you may remember a post from a few months ago about a book on trees that I was super excited about until I read it, and then was disappointed due to its lack of options for my climate zone. I should have followed my own advice - when gardening, read local! Following my good advice I picked up this book at the library the other day:

It's called Tree & Shrub Gardening for Alberta, by Don Williamson and am I ever glad I picked it up! It is an excellent resource for an Alberta gardener interested in adding trees and shrubs to their landscape. It is such a good book that I think I am going to have to purchase a copy so I have it around as an easy reference.

The book offers more than just an abundance of options in the tree and shrub department. There are also handy sections on purchasing, planting, pruning, and propagating trees and shrubs. There is also a section on different problems and pests that may be encountered, and how to deal with these problem insects or diseases in a way that is environmentally responsible. More and more gardeners these days are realizing that the widespread use of chemicals in the garden kills off the good bugs as well as the bad and gardeners are turning to different methods to control pests and diseases.

But these lovely features are just icing on the cake. The book would be worth buying alone for the sheer abundance of trees and shrubs that it offers. Some are old favourites, some I've never heard of, and some I never thought about growing here. I've come up with a few new options for trees that I wouldn't have ever thought of were it not for the book. (I've also decided I'm going to have to open a tree farm or work on getting a bigger piece of land so I can have more trees!) The majority of the plants are zone 3, but there are some zone 2 and some zone 4. There are trees and shrubs for every taste - from small blueberries to giant elms. Each tree or shrub has a detailed entry with multiple photos. The entry gives all the features of the tree and discusses the recommended varieties. As well, each entry lists the basics at the beginning: height, spread, and zone. (Any change in this standard is noted under each variety.) The entry also lists the different pests and problems that are associated with each tree or shrub so that the gardener knows what he or she is getting in to with the purchase of that tree. One has to be a little more careful with the purchase and placement of trees and shrubs - they are a lot more permanent than some perennials or annuals!

This is a terrific gardening book for the the Alberta gardener who is looking to add trees or shrubs to their garden, or who already has trees and shrubs and wants to know how to take care of them. In short, this is a perfect book for every Alberta gardener.