Reviews (4)

Wonderful Read
Having read Trilogy1 and 2 of this series, I just had to get the third. It did not disappoint at all. A continuance of Beverley Nichols life with his beloved garden, and lifes ups and downs.Recommended reading.

Witty and Wonderful
Beverley Nichols had a rare talent. His writing is witty and humane and perfect for relieving the stress of life lived in the modern world. When you read this book you will be saddened that only two others of his sixty odd minor masterpieces are still in print. Buy this book if you love gardens, or old houses or simply reading well written stories, some of which are laugh out loud funny. Beverley Nichols writes like Oscar Wilde, except his subject is gardening and old houses and the curious people who dwell in them.

Bittersweet ending...
Some readers of Beverly Nichol's books have found his writing hilarious, but I do not. I find him amusing, and have read the trilogy plus his GREEN GROWS THE CITY because they sustained my interest, but he is not P.G. Wodehouse or John Mortimer for that matter. Read more

Subjects:  1. 1899-    2. 20th Century English Novel And Short Story    3. 20th century    4. Authors, English    5. Biography    6. Biography & Autobiography    7. Biography/Autobiography    8. England    9. Essays    10. Gardeners    11. Gardening    12. Gardening / Horticulture    13. General    14. Homes and haunts    15. Literary    16. Nichols, Beverley,    17. Surrey    18. Women    19. Biography: general    20. English    21. Gardening / Reference    22. Nichols, Beverley   

Editorial Review

Unless you're a vampire, you know that garlic is a critical element in good eating. For most people, this knowledge comes from happy experience with garlic-laced cuisines (and what notable culinary tradition is without it?), not book learning, and not working the fields to produce the aromatic bulb. For Stanley Crawford, the love of garlic comes from both scientific study and three decades of labor in the field to produce the exquisite bulbs, knowing full well that "if you grow good garlic people will love you for it." Crawford deserves similar affection for Read more

Reviews (5)

The farmer's life.....
Anyone who enjoys whole foods cookery, herbal healing, and organic gardening will appreciate Crawford's observations. Those with a philosophical bent will appreciate them even more.His reflections on a life lived close to nature are a bit like those of Thoreau or Jefferson, but Crawford appears to also be very much the guy who brings fresh produce to your local farmer's market. Amazingly well written
This is one of the best-written books that I have ever read. Each word is well-chosen, effective, and yet easy to read. At one point in the book, he alludes that he has written poetry previously. Each of the 39 chapters is a few pages long, presenting a brief essay on something related to garlic farming in New Mexico. There's an obvious love and care that he gives to his work (both garlic farming and writing), and he's able to show respect for others who have not chosen this path.The book also presents some information about how garlic is grown, but it's by no means a gardening book. It's a descriptive story of the cycles of the growing season. Like in his other excellent book, Mayordomo, the author also shares his community with us - talking about how farming, farmers markets, irrigation, and such intertwine a community, even one that contains members who originally went there to "get away from it all."

The Courage to Follow Your Dreams - to Nowhere?
When Henry David Thoreau left the comforts of civilization to build his own house with his own hands and deliberately live close to nature, his experience at Walden Pond became a classic in American literature.Even today, many of us trapped in the mundane horrors of urban life long to escape, as he did, to a small plot of land somewhere outside the realms of commerce, overcommercialization, and petty-minded consumerism.Read more

Subjects:  1. Essays    2. Farm life    3. Farmers & Ranchers    4. Gardening    5. Gardening/Plants    6. Garlic    7. Nature    8. New Mexico    9. Reference    10. Truck farming    11. Vegetable Crops    12. Biography: general    13. Fruit & vegetables   

Reviews (8)

I'd Give it 10 Stars if I could
Sometimes a book comes along that changes our outlook--perhaps even pulls us from despair. Ms. Browning's book seemed to take my hand and yank me from the quagmire. She seemed to be saying, You are not the first woman to let a garden run to seed or to watch small trees sprout from your gutters! You are not the only woman who has made a mistake--whether it's choosing the wrong a sofa . . . or man.Giving ourselves permission to fix our lifes can often be as difficult as repairing a gas leak --the job is far too difficult and dangerous to contemplate. Setting ourselves free isn't painless--in fact, "setting" is the wrong word. It is more like ripping and tearing; although sometimes it can be more like a surgical separation--no matter, all methods are painful and require a period of rest and healing. That is the most important concept of the book--in her inimitable style, she gently reminds us that it is "okay" to let things go to seed, and that our houses and gardens are barometers of our emotional lives.These barometers will let us know when it is time to rebuild the nest.

Great read!
Reminiscent of Jackson McCrae's "THE BARK OF THE DOGWOOD--A Tour of Southern Homes and Gardens" (though that book goes very deep into the lives of houses), Browning's book is full of heart-warming stories and insight into what really makes up a home.The details she notices are amazing and she brings them to life for us with a sense of poetry and style.What a brave and caring book she's given us.

Truly beautiful collection of essays
As a longtime fan of personal essays -- and one who teaches writing workshops on the topic -- I found this to be an exceptionally enjoyable and beautifully written collection. Best of all, as a homemaker who loves the domestic arts, I think Browning strikes just the right tone of love and yearning for home. Read more

Subjects:  1. Applied Psychology    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Essays    6. General    7. Home Management    8. Literary    9. Biography & Autobiography / Literary    10. Coping with death & bereavement    11. Home & House Maintenance    12. Psychology   

Reviews (2)

a book about what gardening can teach us about livingwell
This little book--its 200 pages, in an attractive format, take at most two hours to read--is about surviving and growing as a healthy adult, in spite of--or perhaps because of--the obstacles, even tragedies, that occur inordinary lives. Expect to be forever changed by an hour in this book.
Spending time in Arlene Bernstein's garden is an act of love. Her journey through love,pain,planting,marriage,immense grief and joy conspire to make the reader at once more in touch with both the earth and themselves. Herbook nourishes and heals.. Her visual imagery of the gorgeous Napa Valleyhills is matched by a nurturing insight into our most basic selves. I wasmoved and awed by her journey. This is time well spent. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Death, Grief, Bereavement    2. Essays    3. Inspirational    4. Motivational & Inspirational    5. Self-Help    6. Spiritual    7. Coping with death & bereavement   

Reviews (15)

Insufferable
I found this book insufferable, and didn't get to finish it.The contrived title should have tipped me off.Why isn't Amazon listing it correctly? It should be My Garden (Book):
the thickness of things
"Oh, how I like the rush of things, the thickness of things . . ." Tedious - Good Word
I couldn't finish this book, and usually I finish books too quickly.The reviewer who described her book/writing style as tedious wins the prize from me.I think I would have liked her piece if she wrote differently.But... ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Essays    2. Gardening    3. Gardening / Horticulture    4. Gardening/Plants    5. Literary Criticism & Collections / Women Authors   

Reviews (1)

a splash in the past/future of garden managing
I have buyed this book because I like how CZ Guest introduce you to managing gardens. I found a lot of ideas to schedule all the things to do and what kind of flowers and bushes and trees you could choose for your first garden. Easy to learn!! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Essays    2. Gardening    3. Gardening / Horticulture    4. Gardening/Plants    5. General    6. Gardening / General   

Reviews (7)

A lovely chat
Mrs. Whaley grew up in the same small village where I grew up. It was a thrill to read this book. If you aren't from the south it might be a southern thing, but talking about your roots and your people is a mainstay of southern lifestyle and conversation. I enjoyed the heck out of this little book and give it as gifts in baskets filled with other Charleston charms.

practical gardening tips
A small town girl makes it big in downtown Charleston, SC without becoming part of the sophisticated establishment.She is refreshing and free in her opinions and plantings.From simple potted plants to ancient camellias and restful blue hues, Emily gives anyone a sense of peace in her garden.She relates the destruction of three feet of saltwater from Hugo in her garden and how nature bounced back with tender care.Enjoyment in her 80's is contagious for all ages.As I walk the sidewalks in April and see the lavender blossoms from wysteria, I think of young at heart Mrs. Whaley.

southern delight
While reading this book, I felt as if I was sitting in a backyard garden on a lovely iron park bench with a glass of lemonade in hand, visiting with Emily Whaley herself.Opinionated, honest and full of Southern charm, Emily is a woman of character who has been blessed with the gift of gardening and a heritage of living right.When I first began reading, I expected gardening tips and descriptions of prolific gardens, which I was given.Yet delightfully surprising was having the lessons she had learned in her life unpretentiously and often humorously passed down to me by way of uncluttered recollections.She taught me to "find my own charms" in life and to "compete only with myself" to name so very few.This is one book I will certainly re-read the pages of often throughout my life. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Charleston    3. Essays    4. Gardeners    5. Gardening    6. Gardening / Horticulture    7. Gardening/Plants    8. General    9. Regional - General    10. South Carolina    11. Whaley, Emily    12. Women    13. Gardening / General    14. Homes and haunts   

Reviews (1)

Excellent summary of Jekyll's work on gardens
This book has become my bedtime reading material. It offers an excellent summary of Jekyll's views on color, plant selection, the layout of beds and the philosophy of the garden.While I would have liked detailed drawings or layouts of the various gardens discussed, her written descriptions feed the imagination.I've already laid out a new garden border as a result of the insights gained, and I am inspired to read other works by Jekyll and others ... Read more

Subjects:  1. England    2. Essays    3. Flower gardening    4. Gardening / Horticulture    5. Gardening/Plants    6. Landscape    7. Landscape gardening   

Subjects:  1. Essays    2. Gardening / Horticulture    3. Herbs    4. Nature    5. Nature/Ecology    6. Reference   

Editorial Review

This first collection of Henry Mitchell's garden columns wasone of those instant classics, a book which quickly earned a permanentplace on thousands of bedside tables. Though written for theRead more

Reviews (6)

Worth a second try
I bought this book a few years ago based on the reviews.When I got it I tore into it and was sorely disappointed.That's the reason for 4 instead of 5 stars. Read and read again
The two books I have read cover to cover as gardening advice and as literature are this book and Christopher Lloyd's Adventurous Gardener. I have shelves of gardening and horticultural books. please reprint this book!
I first read Henry Mitchell in the Washington Post when my husband was receiving cancer treatment at NIH in 1982, and when I realized that his columns were collected in The Essential Earthman I immediately bought acopy. I have subsequently owned (and loaned out and thus lost) two or threemore copies. As each planting season arrives I remember how much I'vemissed reading Henry's wisdom, and I berate myself for having loaned out(and lost) those books. So for the sake of upcoming generations ofgardeners (and the old hands among us), would someone please reprint thisvaluable book? It's a book to read in the depth of winter and the heat ofsummer, in a spacious country garden or a tiny city yard, for beginninggardeners and old timers with permanently-stained hands. There never hasbeen anyone quite like Henry Mitchell on gardening, or on life, for thatmatter. Grouchy, opinionated, funny, informative, brutally honest--hiswords will never go out of style. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Essays    2. Gardening    3. Gardening / Horticulture    4. Gardening/Plants    5. Washington Region   

Reviews (5)

A great Gift Book
This is a wonderful gift book.I have already given it to several friends who share my pleasure.Alice Miller, who is a psychotherapist, combines spirituality and love of the earth with humor and wisdom.

Highly Recommend it!
I have beeb a professional landscape and garden designer for over 30 years.And this author really gets it.It's difficult to mesh inspiration with good garden design.To be able to mix whimsy, classic beauty, and good garden design is not something many people can do.Her humour and wisdom come through on every page.She really understands the dynamic process of creation when it comes to establishing a sustainable garden.Her wit kept me intertained and felt like I grew through the read.I highly recommend this book

A great read
This book really tugs at the heartstrings. Dr. Miller has a unique writing style, combining poignant observations with a quirky but delightful sense of humor.I will be gifting several friends with their own copies - this is a book to enjoy more than once. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography / Autobiography    2. Essays    3. Garden Design    4. Gardening    5. Gardening/Plants    6. Naturalists, Gardeners, Environmentalists    7. Social Scientists & Psychologists    8. Biography & Autobiography-Social Scientists & Psychologists    9. Garden design & planning    10. Gardening-Essays    11. Spirituality   

Reviews (5)

Sorry but a little too cutesy for me....
This is a true story about the author's life and landscaping a lovely homestead in Weschester Co., NY.Ms. Browning can turn a pretty phrase and she certainly did a lot with her property.I don't know...parts were just too precious: her boyfriend throughout is the True Love; yes, 230 pages of that.The contractors who did the actual work were the Helpful Men.A little on the condescending side, for my taste.On and on through many other cutesy titles and Capitalized Names...Oh Dear!Line drawings are very well done and highlight the text.

Inspiration for Suburban Transplants
As a recent transplant to suburbia and a novice gardener, I found comfort and inspiration in Browning's memoir. Her depictions of her garden-in-progress are fascinating. At times her garden seems enchanted, barely controllable, taking on a life of its own. (Especially that wisteria! I'm now warily eyeing my own twig of wisteria, which is sending out a few ominous shoots). Browning finds the extraordinary just steps away from her door. Passages about a simple pathway or a stand of trees are mesmerizing to read about. I was reminded of growing up in suburbia and finding wonder and mystery in yards that today -- or at least before reading "Paths of Desire" -- I might view as unremarkable. Browning has helped me rediscover some of that sense of wonder in the suburban landscape, and I no longer lament my retreat from the city. Her book has shown me how my own yard is a canvas filled with possibility, and yet to some degree it will always elude my control -- an idea that fascinates me even more.
I don't even garden
I had read a review of her book in the NYTimes and am a fan of the magazine she edits, so I bought the book. I fell in love with the storyof collapse, confusion and renewal. Frankly the metaphor of the garden served as many a problem in one's own life. Wrap it all up in gorgeous prose and a compelling (yes! she makes a garden wall collapse and the ensuing drama exciting!) story and I had a book , I couldn't put down. Romantic and sometimes funny it's a good read for the gardener and non-gardener alike. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography / Autobiography    2. Essays    3. Gardening    4. Gardening/Plants    5. General    6. Home Gardening    7. Literary    8. Gardening / General   

Reviews (16)

I've Found the Bill James of Gardening!
When I'm diving into a new field I know nothing about - Buddhism, photography, wine, wrestling, or gardening, to take a few recent examples - I'm always looking for a certain kind of writer: an opinionated, first-person guide to this confusing new world. My model for this kind of writing is Bill James, the great baseball analyst. I'm always on the lookout for "the Bill James of wine" or "the Bill James of wrestling."
An interesting, beautiful, fascinating book!
I read Amy Stewart's fine book, From the Ground Up, last week on a very long plane ride home to California from Indianapolis, Indiana. I'd been to Indianapolis to speak to the Indiana Arborists' Association convention, as I am a garden writer myself (Allergy-free Gardening, Safe Sex in the Garden, etc.). My flight was delayed due to a snowstorm in Detroit but the extra long trip was made more than okay because I had this delightful book to read. Inspiration for a garden
This lovely book is a definate "must-read" for anyone starting out on the daunting task of a first garden or if you find yourself needing a reminder as to why you dug up all that ground in the first place! Tips and helpful info at the end of each chapter will give even the most experienced gardener a bit of a hand, and the writing style is at once elegant and funny. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Essays    2. Garden Design    3. Gardening    4. Gardening / Horticulture    5. Gardening/Plants    6. Regional - West (AK, CA, CO, HI, ID, MT, NV, UT, WY)   

Reviews (2)

Beatiful and fascinating
This lovely book, full beatiful photographs is a must for any one interested in American history and garden history in general. In fact it gives us Americans a garden history (slavery excluded) to be as proud of as the British are of theirs. Beatiful and fascinating
This lovely book, full beatiful photographs is a must for any one interested in American history and garden history in general. In fact it gives us Americans a garden history (slavery excluded) to be as proud of as the British are of theirs.Read more

Subjects:  1. 1732-1799    2. 18th century    3. Contributions in gardening    4. Essays    5. Fairfax County    6. Garden Design    7. Gardening    8. Gardening / Horticulture    9. Gardening/Plants    10. History    11. Horticulture (General)    12. Mount Vernon (Va. : Estate)    13. Mount Vernon Gardens (Va.)    14. Regional - General    15. U.S. President    16. United States - State & Local - General    17. Virginia    18. Washington, George,    19. Central government    20. Gardening / Essays    21. Gardens (descriptions, history etc)    22. Homes and haunts    23. Horticulture    24. Pictorial works    25. USA    26. Washington, George   

Reviews (1)

Tears of laughter from a wonderful writer and his garden.
I read this book some time ago, the text was so well written, so informative and joyful.It is a garden story, so hard to come by these days, full of laughter... "plants in bondage"we've all been there with delphiniums.A treasure of a story and a window into a Canadian West Coast Garden. Thanks Des. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1945-    2. Anecdotes    3. British Columbia    4. Denman Island    5. Essays    6. Form - Essays    7. Gardening    8. Gardening / Horticulture    9. Gardening/Plants    10. Humor    11. Kennedy, Des,    12. Reference    13. Kennedy, Des   

Subjects:  1. Essays    2. Gardening    3. Gardening / Horticulture    4. Gardening/Plants    5. Techniques    6. Cultural studies    7. Garden design & planning    8. Gardens (descriptions, history etc)   

Reviews (2)

All good things take time
A good book takes time to read and progresses in a slow and orderly fashion, much like the garden itself. Such is the case with The Curious Garden by Jürgen Dahl
A Great Entertainer
The Curious Gardener is most definitely a read from the beginning to the end. Reading this book is like reading a letter from a gardening friend or sitting down for tea with him. Dahl connects the garden with the mind by telling stories that will make you look deeper into the art of gardening.
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Subjects:  1. Essays    2. Gardeners    3. Gardening    4. Gardening / Horticulture    5. Gardening/Plants    6. Gardens    7. General   

Subjects:  1. 1899    2. 20th century    3. Authors, English    4. Biography    5. England    6. Essays    7. Gardeners    8. Gardening    9. Gardening / Horticulture    10. Gardening/Plants    11. Homes and haunts    12. Nichols, Beverley,    13. Richmond    14. Gardening / Essays    15. Gardening: plants    16. NATURAL HISTORY, COUNTRY LIFE & PETS   

Reviews (1)

Timeless Treasure
This audio book is pure pleasure to listen to if you're at all interestedin gardening.Vita wrote a month by month column in a London paper aboutgardening, and this contains excerpts from these.It goes through theyear, season by season, in her famous garden at Sissinghurst Castle inEngland, during the years immediately following WWII.She shares plantingtips, planting mistakes, and offers her views on the style of gardening shemade famous.For example, she recommends planting masses of one plant andone color in a defined area of a garden.Read more

Subjects:  1. Essays    2. Gardening    3. Gardening / Horticulture    4. Gardening/Plants    5. General   

Subjects:  1. Essays    2. Gardening / Horticulture    3. Gardening/Plants    4. Home Gardening