Best Groundcovers and Vines for the Prairies

"This is a long-needed reference book and it couldn't have come from a more knowledgeable and reliable source. Everyone involved in creating gardens in this climate should have this book in their collection." -Wendy Mackie,

former Director of Assiniboine Park Conservatory in Winnipeg

Groundcovers and vines are among the most useful hardy plants for the challenging prairie region, but until now gardeners have lacked a prairie-specific source of information about these versatile plants. Sara Williams and Hugh Skinner draw on their years of prairie gardening experience to provide landscaping and cultivation advice, along with comprehensive descriptions and photographs of the very best groundcovers and vines for the area.

In this book, gardeners will find plants for every situation, from sheltered bogs to windswept gravelly berms, from moist shaded woodland to hot west-facing gardens. Most exciting to the keen prairie gardener are the extensive descriptions of over two-hundred species of prairie-hardy groundcovers and vines, from tried-and-true favourites to exciting new cultivars. Each featured plant entry includes a handy "Plant at a Glance" section, a quick and easy starting point for plant selection that summarizes the plant's size, characteristics, suggested uses, and cultural requirements. In addition, each plant is described in detail with fascinating information provided about its origins, traditional uses, and folklore. Further detailed information explains how to grow each plant, followed by a list of the best cultivars available.

"This is a long-needed reference book and it couldn't have come from a more knowledgeable and reliable source. Everyone involved in creating gardens in this climate should have this book in their collection." -Wendy Mackie,

former Director of Assiniboine Park Conservatory in Winnipeg

Groundcovers and vines are among the most useful hardy plants for the challenging prairie region, but until now gardeners have lacked a prairie-specific source of information about these versatile plants. Sara Williams and Hugh Skinner draw on their years of prairie gardening experience to provide landscaping and cultivation advice, along with comprehensive descriptions and photographs of the very best groundcovers and vines for the area.

In this book, gardeners will find plants for every situation, from sheltered bogs to windswept gravelly berms, from moist shaded woodland to hot west-facing gardens. Most exciting to the keen prairie gardener are the extensive descriptions of over two-hundred species of prairie-hardy groundcovers and vines, from tried-and-true favourites to exciting new cultivars. Each featured plant entry includes a handy "Plant at a Glance" section, a quick and easy starting point for plant selection that summarizes the plant's size, characteristics, suggested uses, and cultural requirements. In addition, each plant is described in detail with fascinating information provided about its origins, traditional uses, and folklore. Further detailed information explains how to grow each plant, followed by a list of the best cultivars available.

Hugh Skinner has a B.S.A. in horticulture from the University of Manitoba and has been active in the nursery industry for thirty years. He grows a wide variety of hardy plants and maintains a large collection of trees in the Frank Skinner Arboretum near Roblin, Manitoba, the result of ninety years of plant collecting, testing, and breeding, first started by his father, Frank Skinner. His garden is home to a wide variety of vines and groundcover plants.

Sara Williams has retired as the horticultural specialist at the University of Saskatchewan. She is the co-author of Perennials for the Plains and Prairies and author of the award-winning Creating the Prairie Xeriscape and In a Cold Land: Saskatchewan's Horticultural Pioneers. She holds a B.Sc. and M.Sc. in horticulture from the University of Saskatchewan.