Guides for the Prairie Gardener series co-authors Janet Melrose (left) and Sheryl Normandeau will be at Medicine Hat's Windmill Garden Centre this Sunday at 10 a.m. for a public book signing.--PHOTO CREDIT TO HARINGTON TELFORD
kking@medicinehatnews.com
Calgary authors Sheryl Normandeau and Janet Melrose are helping gardeners across the prairies succeed in growing food, flowers and everything in between with their joint guide book series.
Titled ‘Guides for the Prairie Gardener,’ the eight-book series provides gardeners of all experience levels easy-to-follow advice about growing practices most effective in prairie regions, as well as simple solutions to region-specific challenges.
“The books are (primarily about) Alberta but we’re covering Saskatchewan and Manitoba as well,” Normandeau, a gardener of many years, told the News. “Each book focuses on a theme, so we have a book that focuses on vegetable growing, we have a new one out about fruit growing, we’ve got some on perennials, there’s one about trees and shrubs, there’s one about small space gardening … we’ve got one about seeds … and then we have one about soil.”
Similar in style to an almanac, Normandeau says the books will not only provide gardeners a better understanding of the region they live in, but may also inspire new gardening projects Normandeau and Melrose have already tested and found to be feasible.
“(The books) are not huge, but they’ve got a lot of information packed into them,” said Normandeau. “We took almost all of the photographs in them as well, which kind of (lets readers) know that we’ve been there done that.”
With gardening season in full swing, the pair want to make sure Albertans across the province are aware of the resource they’ve created, and so, they are conducting book signings in various communities, including Medicine Hat.
This Sunday, the pair will be holding a book signing at the Windmill Garden Centre, beginning at 10 a.m., during which they will also be answering questions from members of the public.
“We’re looking forward to it because we get to meet people, we get to learn what their questions are and what their interests are,” Melrose, a trained garden consultant, said.
The book signing is free to attend. Books will be available for sale for $15 each.
