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Lone Pine Publishing -- A Canadian Publisher

© Diana Pederson

Lone Pine Publishing is based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. In an effort to begin reviewing books from foreign publishers, I located this company on the internet. The wide range of books they publish has very pleasantly surprised me. They identify an address in the United States too. Of course, most of their books are also available through the mega on-line bookstores.

ANIMAL Tracks of the Great Lakes

This is a book, published in 1997, which should be readily available to everyone spending time in the wild or even those who attract wildlife to their yards. The book shows the tracks of 58 different mammals, birds, amphibians and reptiles. Ian Sheldon, the author, provides some brief information telling you where you are most likely to find the animal discussed, and provides some measurements in addition to illustrations of the tracks. For some animals, both walking and running tracks are shown. Each animal is illustrated with a black and white drawing. The text is easy to read. The book is very compact and will easily fit in your pocket or backpack. I now consider this an essential book that I will be keeping by my backyard-viewing window.

Northern Balcony Gardening

Apartment or condominium dwellers are often faced with the challenge of having to garden on a balcony. This book, written by Brian Andrews and published in 1992, provides the essential information, applicable to all gardeners. In addition, it carefully addresses the construction of an upstairs growing environment (balcony). He discusses the type of sunlight experienced by balconies facing the different directions. This is more important for those growing in this type of environment than it may be for those fortunate enough to have a traditional garden. Another issue that must be considered by balcony gardeners is whether the balcony is strong enough to hold heavy containers of soil. Watering is another problem since the grower must be sure that watering their garden won’t negatively affect those living under their apartment. I really like this book because it presents the basics of designing a “contained” garden and will encourage someone who has no land to try their hand at this enjoyable hobby.

Creating the Prairie Xeriscape

Xeriscaping is a method of growing gardens usually in dry geographical areas that will not demand substantial artificial watering to maintain the plants. Creating the Prairie Xeriscape, written by Sara Williams, was published by the University of Saskatchewan Extension Division in 1997. It contains all the necessary information for you to establish a low maintenance prairie garden.