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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.
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