Water Garden Plants for Canada    by Alison Beck Order:  USA  Can Lone Pine, 2005 (2005) Paperback      Reviewed by Martina Bexte If you enjoy flipping through gardening books and magazines or love strolling through gardening centers, you've probably already discovered that water gardens have become very popular over the last few years. As our lives become more hectic, it's nice to have this sort of backyard haven to relax beside. In Water Garden Plants for Canada, Alison Beck introduces us to the 'art of water gardening and the wide selection of plants suited to Canadian conditions'. She gives instructions for establishing your own 'water feature' and 'understanding the pond ecosystem'. The introduction shows how to select the type of water garden right for you and the area where you live. Beck highlights pond basics like location, size, and whether you should design and install it yourself, hire an expert or purchase one of the many do-it-yourself pond kits available at garden centers and hardware stores. She discusses the kinds of materials needed, like liners, submersible pumps, tubing, and even underwater lights to enhance the beauty of your pool. Just like other types of garden, water gardens attract pests and encounter biological problems like algae build up; Beck discusses how to spot and eliminate these as well. The balance of the book displays a colorful array of over 100 varieties of water plants, and discusses how to select the ones right for your water garden. Each species is alphabetically listed for easy access. Full colour photos show plants in close-up, and in a water garden setting. Information includes height, spread, and hardiness, as well as the problems and pests each plant might attract. Water Garden Plants for Canada is must have guide for Canadians who've always wanted their own backyard water garden, or think of expanding or enhancing an already existing one. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more NonFiction books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews