A colourful pop-up book featuring 6 full-colour scenes of Halifax and area, suitable for all ages

Emma FitzGerald sketches Halifax and its residents vividly, in colour. She effortlessly catches moments in the life of the city. While she draws, she keeps notes on what she sees -- and what people say to her. She has an ear, as well as an eye. In this sketchbook readers will find spots they didn't even know existed and hear stories they never imagined. Emma overhears conversations in the bookstore, notices prom night in the Public Gardens, learns the recipe for McNabs famous Island lemonade, checks out Ashtray Rock, and finds out where the real fishermen live. The personality and character of the city and its people shine through in the brightly illustrated pages.

Follow your zany muse and get creative with your vegetable garden. Niki Jabbour brings you 73 novel and inspiring food garden designs that include a cocktail garden featuring all the ingredients for your favorite drinks, a spicy retreat comprising 24 varieties of chile peppers, and a garden that’s devoted to supplying year-round salad greens. Created by celebrated gardeners, each unique design is accompanied by both plant lists and charming anecdotes. This fully illustrated collection glitters with off-beat personality and quirkiness.

“Gardentopia is that rare marriage of the art of landscaping and the technical knowledge of how to compose a landscape—boiled down to readily understood and easily executed actions. This book puts you in the driver’s seat and shows you how to chart the course to your own personal garden utopia.” - Margie Grace, Grace Design Associates Any backyard has the potential to refresh and inspire if you know what to do. Jan Johnsen’s new book, Gardentopia: Design Basics for Creating Beautiful Outdoor Spaces, will delight all garden lovers with over 130 lushly illustrated landscape design and planting suggestions. Ms. Johnsen is an admired designer and popular speaker whose hands-on approach to “co-creating with nature” will have you saying, “I can do that!’ This info-packed, sumptuous book offers individual tips for enhancing any size landscape using ‘real world’ solutions. The suggestions are grouped into five categories that include Garden Design and Artful Accents, Walls, Patios, and Steps and Plants and Planting, among others. Whether you are an experienced gardener or a landscaping novice, Gardentopia will inspire you with tips such as ‘Soften a Corner”, “Paint it Black”, and “Hide and Reveal”.

A fully illustrated account of the creation and maintenance of Canada’s finest Victorian public gardens, and the story of how severe hurricane destruction led to a beautiful and sensitive restoration. The Halifax Public Gardens are the oldest and finest Victorian public gardens outside the United Kingdom. This is the authoritative visual account of their history including the story of how a destructive hurricane led to a complex restoration project drawing on heritage experts from across North America. This book shares how the Gardens came to be, how they were designed, and how they have been maintained over the decades. Authors Robert Pace, Robert Salah and Peter L. Twohig elaborate on Gardens’ notable features, including the bandstand, memorial fountains, stone bridges, water features and varied wildlife. The breadth and complexity of the Gardens’ botanical and architectural beauty is exemplified in more than 150 archival images and contemporary full-colour photography. When the future of the Halifax Public Gardens was in doubt after sustaining significant damage during Hurricane Juan in 2003, authors Robert Pace and Robert Salah spearheaded the community-led conservation effort that followed. The account of how this was accomplished is illustrated with images of the hurricane’s damage and a portfolio of the project’s breathtaking results. This beautiful book documents an important cultural treasure, and explains how public engagement and support have ensured the preservation of this valued public park.

Even in winter’s coldest months you can harvest fresh, delicious produce. Drawing on insights gained from years of growing vegetables in Nova Scotia, Niki Jabbour shares her simple techniques for gardening throughout the year. Learn how to select the best varieties for each season, the art of succession planting, and how to build inexpensive structures to protect your crops from the elements. No matter where you live, you’ll soon enjoy a thriving vegetable garden year-round.