Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Essays    3. Gardening / Horticulture    4. Landscape    5. Landscape Design And Planting    6. Architecture / Landscape    7. Garden design & planning    8. History of ideas, intellectual history    9. Landscape art & architecture   

Reviews (1)

In the company of women
The full title of this anthology is "The Illustrated Virgo Book of Women Gardeners". Virago is the division of international publisher Little, Brown &Co that pays serious attention to women's writing. They chose an editor who is herself a student of English Literature as well as a gardener and gave her the daunting task of selecting the most evocative writing from the pens of devoted women gardeners of the last few centuries.Read more

Subjects:  1. Essays    2. Flowers - General    3. Gardening    4. Gardening/Plants    5. Nonfiction    6. Collections & anthologies of various literary forms    7. GARDENERS    8. Gardening / General   

Editorial Review

Being a passionate and truly mad gardener herself, Watkins takes a good hard look (through a mulch-encrusted eye) at the essentials, the foibles, and the out-and-out craziness inherent in the love of growing things.This book reveals the truth about many deep, dark gardening secrets such as: The Miracle of Leaf Mold, The Useful Poop Factor, and the real difference between garden equipment and garden gizmos.A wacky look at gardening from one of its own, Read more

Reviews (1)

Funny yet serious
This book is so funny it should carry a warning label: Do not read if you are drinking hot coffee!I laughed out loud so much, my cat came over and stared into my face to see what was going on! Yet the book also has a serious underlying point to make about human impact on the natural world. I especially liked Watkins's take on the milk hormone question.You can feel her impatience with dumb stuff. She also gently punctures garden snobbery and the catalog ordering of goofy objects mania.Maybe someday she'll write a sequel; I hope so. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Essays    2. Form - Essays    3. Gardening    4. Gardening / Horticulture    5. Gardening/Plants    6. Humor    7. Miscellanea    8. Reference   

Reviews (1)

A Book Useful & Delightful in Many Ways
It would be hard to overpraise this exceptional book. Written by two people who are master practitioners of our grandparents' ways of living as well as master gardeners, this book is a gem! Read more

Subjects:  1. Cape Breton Island    2. Cookery    3. Essays    4. Gardening    5. Gardening / Horticulture    6. Gardening/Plants    7. Landscape    8. Nature craft    9. Nova Scotia   

Reviews (1)

San Francisco microclimates explored by masters
Local master gardeners lend their insights on the peculiarities and special needs of California Bay Area gardens in BAY AREA GARDENING: 64 PRACTICAL ESSAYS BY MASTER GARDENERS. The San Francisco Bay Area's unique attributes, from mild climate and microclimates to changing soils, lends to a diverse gardening environment in turn: these essays are critical to understanding the Bay Area's special needs and should be on the reading lists and in the libraries of any local gardener.
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Subjects:  1. California    2. Essays    3. Garden Design    4. Gardening    5. Gardening / Horticulture    6. Gardening/Plants    7. Regional - West (AK, CA, CO, HI, ID, MT, NV, UT, WY)    8. San Francisco Bay Area    9. Gardening / Garden Design   

Editorial Review

Ketzel Levine is known nation-wide as the Doyenne of Dirt, thanks to her regular gardening chats with the horticulturally challenged Scott Simon on NPR's Read more

Reviews (9)

It's an opinion list.
It's hard to rate an opinion based on accuracy, so I'm rating this book on usefulness and general appeal. Plant this-- and watch it die.
This book should come with a cautionary note: the author is a smug zone-8 gardener; unless you are in the Pacific Northwest, this book is useless as a gardening guide.Moreover, the author does not include USDA hardiness zones in the description, perhaps instead of the cutesy "sounds like" guide to pronouncing the latin name ("Epimedium" sounds like "stop the tedium".)Perhaps it did not occur to her that people from other regions of the country would read this book.For those of us outside the Pacific Northwest, this book should have been called "Plant this-- and watch it die."The illustrations are lovely, but the author's affected folksiness (most egregious example so far: "Yup") make this an extremely annoying read.

Beautiful illustrations, overly talky text
I once took a friend to a beautiful wild garden that had been planted (over many years) incredibly well. Since she is a fan of plants and gardens I had hoped that we could walk the grounds - quietly and appreciatively. Instead my friend chattered incessantly for the entire hour and a half we were there. Each plant provoked a monologue: anecdotes, jokes, asides, and factual material in an ultimately maddening cacophonous symphony. This book had the same effect on me. You are awed by the quiet beauty of Rene Eisenbart's paintings, you know that the plants described are great,but the text is so talky as to be distracting - and even annoying. If you enjoy a lot of off-topic opinions and chat about all sorts of things, then this is the book for you. If you want to study and enjoy beautiful plants in a quieter frame of mind, look elsewhere. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Essays    2. Gardening    3. Gardening / Horticulture    4. Gardening/Plants    5. General    6. Landscape plants    7. Northwest, Pacific    8. Pictorial works    9. Techniques   

Subjects:  1. Agricultural Biotechnology    2. Breeding    3. Essays    4. Gardening    5. Gardening / Horticulture    6. Gardening/Plants    7. General    8. Home Gardening    9. Plant introduction    10. Plants - General    11. Plants, Ornamental    12. Varieties    13. Biotechnology    14. Botany & plant sciences    15. Horticulture   

Editorial Review

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Reviews (3)

A dipping book
A Contemplation upon Flowers: Garden Plants in Myth and Literature. Bobby Ward. Timber Press. 1999. Rare book that explains each flower?s role in the history
There are many books that tell gardeners the growing conditions and requirements of different flowers. However, rare is the book that explains each flower's role in the world's history and literature, as well as their medicinal uses and, the roots of each flower's botanical and common names. That is why Bobby Ward's A Contemplation Upon Flowers, which traces the history of eighty plants from the time of the Greek's to today, is such a treasure.

Subjects:  1. Essays    2. Gardening    3. Gardening / Horticulture    4. Gardening/Plants    5. Wildflowers    6. Flowers    7. Gardening / Essays    8. Literary studies: general    9. Myths & mythology   

Reviews (2)

Rare, perhaps soon-to-be lost, botanical esoterica
There are things in this book I have never heard anywhere else.It is an unusual compilation of historical plant literature, which like much ethnobotany could one day simply vanish from the collective conscience.
The History and Folklore of North American Wildflowers
If you find yourself wondering about wildflowers and how they were appreciated by those many generations before us, then this is a wonderful book to add to your library. I found various aspects of this book to be helpful, including the biographical notes on Pliny the Elder, Peter Kalm and many others. The author also lists regional names for plants; for instance Garlic Mustard is also known as Sauce-Alone. The book is easy to read, and gives interesting historical information from various sources on the medicinal and other uses of wildflowers. The line drawings add a nice touch. Keep in mind that the book is geared toward history and is not meant as a guide for identifying plants. Good companion books to this would be any of the Peterson's Field Guides to Wildflowers and/or Medicinal Plants. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Flowers    2. Folklore    3. General    4. Life Sciences - Botany    5. Medical / Nursing    6. Medicinal plants    7. Nature/Ecology    8. North America    9. Utilization    10. Wild flowers    11. Gardening / Essays    12. NATURAL HISTORY, COUNTRY LIFE & PETS   

Reviews (10)

My favorite gardening book
This is truly my favorite gardening book! Very informative on many plants that grow in the South mixed with the author's light humor- a pleasure to read.

Charming
"Gardening in the Coastal South" was a joy to read.It is packed withpractical information for this part of the country and the pages are chock-full of southern charm.I have been devouring gardening books in preparation for a complete garden renovation after one of the most disagreeable Floridasummers in history.This book will be very beneficial with all of the pointers and personal experiences Marie Harrison included. Harrison's obsession is definitely contagious and the pages are bursting down-home wisdom.

An engaging guide for those who love to garden
Gardening In The Coastal South by Master Gardener, educator and journalist Marie Harrison (Director of District I of the Florida Federation of Garden Clubs) offers an impressive and practical collection of advice, tips, musings, and reflections written for the benefit of neophyte and seasoned gardeners alike. Tips and techniques for growing Popular Perennials, bulbs, tubers, herbs, shrubs, small trees, vines, and more, are discussed, as well as climate issues to be aware of along the coastal south, as well as regional environmental issues and personal insights from the author. A relaxing and engaging guide for those who love to garden, or who simply love to read about gardening, Gardening In The Coast South is a superb reference and a highly recommended regional gardening guide. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Atlantic Coast (U.S.)    2. Essays    3. Gardening    4. Gardening / Horticulture    5. Gardening/Plants    6. Gulf Coast (U.S.)    7. Plants, Ornamental    8. Regional - General    9. Regional - South (AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN, VA    10. Southern States   

Editorial Review

Gardeners need to lift their eyes up from their own patch of ground and explore other gardens. We learn most about garden design and all the possibilities of using plants by seeing what we like and dislike about what others have done. Close observation teaches more than any textbook, and Read more

Subjects:  1. Essays    2. Gardening    3. Gardening/Plants    4. Photoessays & Documentaries    5. Photography    6. Regional - General    7. Subjects & Themes - Plants & Animals    8. GARDENS_UNITED STATES    9. Gardening / General   

Editorial Review

In the grand scheme of things, a garden is a rather quotidian pleasure. Yet Allen Lacy finds a unique sensual delight in the very ordinariness of it: "It is sweet and pleasant to dig in the warm, slightly moist soil, to feel its grit and grain beneath the fingernails.... The rhythmic chore of pulling weeds soothes the soul like a mantra." The stimulation of the senses in the garden is a favorite theme that Lacy, the man who has been called "the dean of American gardeners," celebrates fully in Read more

Reviews (3)

Pick me up....
I own and have read all Allen Lacy's books and recommend them to anyone who wants to be better acquainted with the how-to aspect of gardening. I also recommend Lacy's books to those who seek a deeper experience with the natural world. Allen taught philosopy for years, and although his books mainly focus on horticulture, he includes relevant historical antecedents and existential angles in his writing that may help one better understand why humans imagine paradise is a garden. Lacy at his best
I just returned from my first foray at my local garden center. The scents of plants in full fragrant bloom almost overwhelmed me. Indeed there is the moment before becoming captured by the garden and the everlasting momentsthereafter. I love Lacy's Gardener's Eye and this most recent book. Bothcome to me after that first flicker of what a garden can be.-Linda FryKenzle, author of Gathering

Gardening gift book of the year!
The Inviting Gardendid just what it set out to do: invite me to explore all my senses as a gardener. It isn't a picture book of perfect gardens, although the photographs are very nice.Rather, Mr. Lacy uses the sametechniques to construct his book as he might use to design his garden.Hebalances his own personal stories with bits of plant history and botanicalreference and every word begs to be read.This is a delightful book anddeserves to be on the bedside table of every dedicated or aspiringgardener. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Essays    2. Gardening    3. Gardening / Horticulture    4. Gardening/Plants    5. Gardens    6. General    7. Philosophy   

Reviews (6)

Time Tested Plants: Thirty Years in a Four Season Garden
The title of this book led me to think it was just another listing of plants with notes on height, hardiness etc. It is far more than that, as I realized when I read in the acknowledgements "A stroll around my garden is a bit like telling the rosary, with each bead a friend remembered by a plant they gave me." Now that I can relate to. Time-Tested Plants by Pamela J. Harper
There are very few gardening books for Southern Gardeners that are so readable. This book feels like visiting with your best gardening buddy: walking through her gardens and talking about plants frankly and enthusiastically. Ms. Harper introduced me to many plants of which I had limited or no previous knowledge, and gave lots of great information on the care, propagation, and placement of them. She is not just a cheerleader. She also gives any drawbacks or limitations to each plant, with ideas for how to overcome them. The illustrations are fabulous, detailed, and filled with plant combination ideas. This book will have a valued place on my bookshelf for many years to come.

My favorite gardening book
This is easily my favorite gardening book.Already it is dog-eared and well-worn.A lovely combination of useful information, beautiful photos, and very good writing.The author tells you what she has learned over 30 years of gardening in the hot and humid southeast and does so in a way that is a pleasure to read.I highly recommend it. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Pictorial works    2. Gardening / Horticulture    3. Plants, Ornamental    4. Essays    5. Ornamental Plants    6. Gardening    7. Gardening/Plants   

Subjects:  1. American - General    2. Essays    3. Gardening    4. Gardening/Plants    5. Gardens    6. Literary collections    7. Literature - Classics / Criticism   

Reviews (4)

A Spanish Garden Idyll
A delightful coffee-table book which attacks the senses, giving a glimpse into the gardens of large Spanish estates which we mere mortals will never see.
Good, but not excellent
I had expected more court-yard gardens (being in Spain) and more historical gardens. What we are presented are more modern gardens (mostly) at villas and mansions in the country. And they didn't always live upp to my expectations. If you compare to France, gardens in Spain doesn't seem to have that high standard in design. I thought there would have been enough for a book this size to rival the French but no. Although some photos are stunning, this will not be a favourit in my humble collection.

The Finest Gardens in Spain
Spain.What are your first thoughts, food, flamenco, bullfighting, sun, sand, and Hemingway? Be honest, images of beautiful homes surrounded by cool, luxurious, patios, pools and gardens didn't immediately pop into your head. Gazing at a copy of Hidden Gardens of Spain will utterly change your conception of Spain, the Spanish lifestyle and the people who create these intimate spaces. Read more

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

Subjects:  1. Essays    2. Garden Design    3. Gardening    4. Gardening / Horticulture    5. Gardening/Plants    6. Horticulture (General)   

Subjects:  1. 1913-    2. Biography/Autobiography    3. Correspondence    4. England    5. Essays    6. Gardening    7. Gardening / Horticulture    8. Hastings, Clare    9. Horticultural writers    10. Horticulture (General)    11. Scott-James, Anne,    12. Women horticultural writers    13. Gardening / General    14. Scott-James, Anne   

Editorial Review

Right from its jacket image, which cribs shamelessly from the famous album-sleeve cover shot for Bruce Springsteen's virile classic Read more

Reviews (1)

A Man's Garden
My male friends (plutonic or not) have always been a bit amused of my tireless quest for the "perfect" garden. They have always lent their support when my creations needed a bit of brawn in the form of starting a tiller or moving a stone.I am always tickled when they tried to hide their delight in watching the garden "become" something, or watching the kaleidoscope of color.My unscientific research reveals that finding peace & beauty in a garden conjurs up fears of being emasculted. This book confirms that men flourish in a garden. Gardens like art reflect the male personality, they can be strong or soothing.If it's true that best chef's are men... then'll I'm ready to meet my gardening match - OUTSIDE, after he sees this book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Essays    2. Gardeners    3. Gardening    4. Gardening / Horticulture    5. Gardening/Plants    6. General    7. United States    8. Gardening / General   

Reviews (1)

SOMETHING DIFFERENT
I have MANY other garden writing anthologies, but this is one with wonderful excerpts I have not seen before.Some familiar material, but not much.No pretty pictures, but the text more than makes up for it.Thechoices for this book are very enjoyable and inspiring for hands-on orarmchair gardeners alike. Highly Recommended. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Essays    2. Gardening    3. Gardening / Horticulture    4. Gardening/Plants    5. General    6. Home Gardening    7. Landscape Horticulture    8. Collections & anthologies of various literary forms    9. English    10. Garden design & planning    11. Gardens (descriptions, history etc)   

Subjects:  1. Essays    2. Gardening    3. Gardening / Horticulture    4. Gardening/Plants    5. Strong, Roy C    6. Other prose: from c 1900 -    7. c 1980 to c 1990    8. c 1990 to c 2000