'Earthly Pleasures' with DK Canada

Well, I've bought my seeds, mapped out this year's plan for the vegetable garden and have some perennials in mind for the front of the house. The only thing  holding me back is Mother Nature. Yes, we have had snow this week! So, nothing to do but read some great 'outdoor' books! DK Canada is having a great promotion right now - they're offering 30% off on a great selection of titles in their "Earthly Pleasures Boutique"

"Each of these titles offers you a chance to stop and appreciate the wonderful planet that we call home. Make the world a better and more sustainable place for every living creature with organic primers or exercise your love of the outdoors with our gardening books filled with terrific tips and ideas for those with a green thumb. There's also a selection of children's books that showcase the natural world and ways to make a difference."

Well, the first one I settled in with was The Canadian Gardener's Guide - Everything You Need to Know to Create and Care for Your Garden. Edited by Lorraine Johnson.

And did it live up to that subtitle? You bet!  Right from the basics - what hardiness zone I live in, treating the soil, planning your veggie garden, starting seeds inside or choosing healthy plants already started. There's a page devoted to every vegetable (herbs and fruit too) filled with growing tips, varieties, disease information and lots and lots of pictures! This is why I love DK books so much. The information is always laid out in a clean, easy to read format and always accompanied by clear, colour photographs. There's an excellent chapter on plant diseases, complete with photos that is going to make it much easier to figure out what's gone wrong this year. (And the solutions are detailed too!)

I've been very focused on vegetable gardening for many, many years. But I'm finally starting to think about doing more with flowers and shrubs. I'll be honest - I really don't know what I want, but have been daydreaming over all the pretty pics! There are excellent chapters detailing fencing, patios, pathways and .....a pond. I think I would really like to put in a pond - I love the sound of water.

This is just a fantastic resource book - and I love that it's specifically for Canada! Recommended. Sneak peak here.

Ready, Set, Grow! is an absolutely fantastic book for anyone with children or working with children. I found lots of fantastic ideas for children's programs at the library!

Again, the basics are all here - in clear layouts easy for children to read and follow. And as always, accompanied by detailed, colour photos. But what I loved were all the different (over 30!) gardening projects you can try.

Start your seeds in fun, green containers - pots made out of newspaper. Plant a windowsill garden using empty juice boxes, old pop bottles. Make beautiful 'punched tin' butterflies out of tinfoil pie plates. Make a tee pee out of tall growing runner beans. And, there are kid friendly recipes to make using the veggies you've grown. The sunflower face on the cover is a fun craft - they've paired it with a painted container.

Another excellent resource book! Have a sneak peek inside!

Enter to win an Earth Lover's Prize Pack from DK.  Ends May 15/13.