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Post by Deleted on Apr 30, 2009 15:30:37 GMT
As with travel and food writers here are some favorite garden writers I've enjoyed over the years:
Katharine S. White: (wife of E.B. White),holds her own with a collection of writings on the theory and practice of gardening originally published in the New Yorker from 1958 to 1970,
Onward and Upward in the Garden
Mirabel Oser: A Gentle Plea for Chaos,the title says it all. Also,Why We Garden
Allen Lacy:Home Ground,Advice,good humor and philosophical thoughts
May Sarton: Plant Dreaming Deep, a beautiful autobiographical insightful book on home and garden
More to come
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Post by bixaorellana on Apr 30, 2009 20:31:40 GMT
I suspect you planned to add Elizabeth Lawrence. I adore her "Gardening for Love". Vita Sackville-West's collected newspaper columns on gardening are a continuous source of joy and inspiration. |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 30, 2009 21:19:22 GMT
I can't imagine reading a gardening book, but I would assume that the fact that I have never had a garden and have no plans to ever have one has something to do with that.
Nevertheless, random gardening information is always of interest to me.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 30, 2009 21:46:11 GMT
I want to add Michael Pollan to the list even though I feel he's become a little too trendy for me. I enjoyed his earlier musings for N.Y. Times but then he hit the big time with Omnivore's Dilemma.
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Post by Jazz on Apr 30, 2009 22:52:12 GMT
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Post by bixaorellana on May 1, 2009 2:36:42 GMT
Oh, I've read that, Jazz! It's a little arch, but as you say, the photos are great. Did you read "Portrait of a Marriage"? It's a pretty remarkable book.
I cannot thank you enough for that link! I swear, if I ever get to take the garden tour of England to which I aspire, I will lay down and die of happiness immediately afterwards.
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Post by Deleted on May 1, 2009 2:52:52 GMT
Yes,what a great site. I'm saving so to savor a bit at a time,the statue of the vestal virgin...
I read Portrait of a Marriage and another bio ,Vita by Victoria Glendinning which was very good.She (Vita) was one of those women who really gardened,got right in the dirt. Harold did alot of the design work.
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Post by bixaorellana on May 1, 2009 3:23:14 GMT
What I love is that she concealed from her readers that she owned an actual castle -- didn't want to intimidate or lord (lady) it over them. She'd say things like, "if I owned a tall old brick wall, I would smother it with [type of] roses", never revealing that she in fact owned said wall and it was indeed smothered with those roses.
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Post by Deleted on May 1, 2009 3:37:15 GMT
What do you suppose that all white flowering vine is all over that wall in photo #4 of the white garden by the lilies?
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Post by Jazz on May 1, 2009 11:32:57 GMT
You've both given me some good ideas, I haven't read any of those books. Thank you. Vita was quite a woman! I read and was fascinated by Portrait of a Marriage. The site does need to be savoured.
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Post by bixaorellana on May 1, 2009 13:59:54 GMT
About the vine ....... go to the picture then hold down the Control button and hit the + button five or six times. From the shape and number of petals and their lax necks, it would seem to be a jasmine. But with such big flowers, is that possible?
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Post by Deleted on May 1, 2009 15:49:30 GMT
Got me,I'm stumped.
Some of these shots are exactly what Mirabel Oser refers to as a gentle plea for chaos.
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Post by Deleted on May 6, 2009 13:53:47 GMT
In an old magazine I ran across the following piece: "Beverley Nichols was more than just a "garden writer"...(he was an author of fiction,travel,children,mystery,drama,music,poetry and pets!)
Down the Garden Path marked his debut as a garden writer. A self taught horticulturist he found delight in both digging into and writing about gardens.
He wrote 2 garden trilogies,the first, beginning with aforementioned then,A Thatched Roof and A Village in the Valley. The second trilogy, Merry Hall, Laughter on the Stairs and Sunlight on the Lawn. First published in the 1950's in The UK they are now back in print by Timber Press (a wonderful garden publishing house).
From "Laughter on the Stairs":" If you ever want to think of Merry Hall...think first of this sparkling crystal flower(the Venetian chandelier),floating from the high ceiling of the music room. And you must think of it not merely as a piece of decoration,but as something that lives,something with a thousand moods,which it echoes from the life of the garden outside. On a clear winter morning,after a heavy snowfall,when the music room is flooded with icy sunlight,it seems to deepen in colour so that it hangs like a cluster of miraculous,luminous grapes. On summer nights,when the moonlight is stealing through the branches of the lime tree,so gently,so softly,as though it were afraid of waking the sleeping leaves,the chandelier takes to itself a tinge of green".
A bit "flowery" but I am going to check out. The imagery is quite beautiful.
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Post by bixaorellana on May 6, 2009 23:14:54 GMT
Casimira ~~ what's the name of the guy who used to write for Horticulture magazine? He was from Denver. His stuff was informative and always fun to read.
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Post by Deleted on May 6, 2009 23:52:35 GMT
Are you thinking of Rob Procter? He did a couple of picture books,one on Perennials and another on Foliage. Also,he's on the salvia beat.Haven't heard of him of late but then I stopped taking HORTICULTURE magazine some time ago.
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Post by bixaorellana on May 7, 2009 0:21:13 GMT
Yes! Thank you. After I posted, I remembered the Rob part and knew you'd know who I meant.
And Horticulture ran its course for me, too.
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Post by bixaorellana on Jan 10, 2010 21:29:02 GMT
It was so painful to leave behind most of my collection of gardening books when I left the States, and I still catch myself occasionally heading to the bookshelf to look up something in a book I no longer own. Life changes, though, and I now have several books on succulents, as opposed to none in the old collection.
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Post by bixaorellana on Jan 14, 2010 15:43:20 GMT
Gosh, I am embarrassed. Here I am nattering on about my gardening library, and it would seem I am the only person here who has one! Isn't this the time of year when people pile up on the sofa with a stack of plant catalogs and bunches of gardening books in order to take notes? One of my books is a perfect companion for paging through the wishbooks. It's "Subtropical Plants -- a Practical Gardening Guide" by Jacqueline Sparrow & Gil Hanly. I include the link to Amazon UK here, as it addresses the desire people in colder regions have for this lush kind of planting. The book has 200 color photographs which are used very practically. The book is divided into sections by type of plant -- shrub, climber, etc. -- and the plants listed by family in each section. Because of the photos, the reader has a greatly enhanced chance of identifying a particular plant without knowing its name. Place of origin and clear, succinct instructions for care accompany each plant listing. This is a very practical book that is also a pleasure to browse and read. |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 14, 2010 17:11:31 GMT
Go ahead Bixa  ,shame me into dusting to take a picture of what is not even ALL my garden books.   I was very fortunate to have inherited a good number of volumes of reference books from my garden mentor and client,friend, of many years. These are almost all reference books.I culled through last year and got rid of about fifty picture/coffee table books that were pretty,but,taking up too much space and dust. Anyway, I will make a list of what I think are the most valuable and comprehensive books I know on horticulture.   |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 15, 2010 12:02:46 GMT
Topping my list of must have reference books is the Random House Garden Series (originally published in Great Britain by Pan Books) by Roger Phillips and Martyn Rix. There is a two volume series on Perennials(Early and Late),Roses,Shrubs,Herbs,Trees and Bulbs. I don't know why they haven't done one on Annuals. Perhaps they have by now.
Anyway,these books have proven invaluable to me in every respect.Not too technical,comprehensive and illustrated with great color plates.
Several plant experts I know including Betsy Clebsch,the Grande Dame of salvias ,pay great homage to Phillips and Rix,two of Great Britain's finest plantsmen.
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Post by bixaorellana on Jan 15, 2010 17:09:15 GMT
Uh-oh ~~ this is going to smack of gloating, but ............... This set was given to me by a wonderful couple I know after seeing my reaction to the copy she got as a Christmas gift. Here is the Amazon page. Be sure to scroll down to the customer review by Dennis Littrell for a balanced overview that gives a good idea of all the Phillips & Rix books. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ As much as I love and value the set, it is something that must be consulted indoors with clean hands and a place to set the books, as they are so heavy. As you can see by the picture in the OP, I also treasure homely books that will work by my side, so to speak. Casimira, I see on your copy of "the Odenwald" there in your bookcase. Mine is 30 years old and something I could not part with. (see it here) Does anyone know if there is a similar reference covering plants for regions colder than the American south? |
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Post by spindrift on Jan 15, 2010 21:40:40 GMT
I have several shelves of gardening books.... when I left my 4acre garden I gave away many books. I will go through the titles and tell you the ones that I find most helpful.
I do spend time reading the David Austen Handbook of Roses even now.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 15, 2010 22:49:14 GMT
God, I am green with envy over that set Bixa... I am in agreement though, about being able to'" paw "at one's garden references without having to be so worried about a smudge. I'm curious though, as to why they chose a Passiflora for the cover of the Trees and Shrubs volume. A bit odd don't you think? |
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Post by bixaorellana on Jan 15, 2010 23:57:00 GMT
No, I admire the wishy-washiness of the choice -- stick a vine on the cover to keep from choosing between Tree or Shrub. I suspect that was some editorial decision made purely on the basis of aesthetics, and with no regard for botanical logic at all. |
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Post by bixaorellana on Jan 16, 2010 6:01:41 GMT
Sorry -- I am rude, Spindrift! It would be wonderful to hear your recommendations, especially since you have done both large- and small-scale gardening.
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Post by bixaorellana on Mar 31, 2011 20:10:55 GMT
I bought this book used, a 1977 edition. Through the miracle of Google, I find that others esteem it as highly as I do, since it's still in print. Yay! Don't Throw It, Grow It!: 68 windowsill plants from kitchen scrapsThat's the new name. Mine is more tastefully called "The Don't Throw It, Grow It Book of Houseplants". My edition is big on "soilless mix" and those little mesh planter starters. I suspect the later editions are more flexible. Each plant chapter has a lovely line drawing that gives a realistic idea of how the plant will look growing in a pot in your home. Just to give an idea of its delights and usefulness, here is a chapter: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pea
Pisum sativum
LEGUMINOSAE
Origin. Europe. Peas have been found in five-thousand-year-old dwellings in the lake rgion of Switzerland. From there they spread southward to Sumer (today the part of Iraq near the Persian Gulf) and then to Egypt.
The ancients probably used them dried. Meat was heavily salted to preserve it, and cooking with dried peas helped to draw out the salt or at least to distribute the taste.
Fresh peas were the rage in Europe about the time that Catherine de Medici became queen of France. In 1669 Madame de Maintenon described the passion for peas as a kind of madness: "The anxiety to eat them, the pleasure of having eaten them, and the desire to eat them again, are the three great matters which have been discussed by our princes for four days past."
Their popularity rapidly spread to the English court and to the American colonies. Today they are cultivated in all countries with a temperate climate.
How to Grow. Open a fresh peapod and remove the seeds, or use dried peas that have been soaked overnight. Fill a four-inch pot two thirds full with moist soilless mix. Place three peas on the surface and cover with an inch of the mix. Place the pot in a sunny window, and water when the soil dries out. Use liquid fertilizer every two weeks.
Habit of Growth. The peas sprout in a week and develop into vines which climb by means of tendrils and need to be supported. The plants will flower and bear fruit if grown in a cool, sunny place. Pea flowers are self-pollinating, so you can actually grow peas indoors.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Now, how about that?! Not only are you on your way to an interesting new potted plant, you'll be able to wow your dining companions the next time peas are served. Some reviews & ordering info: treesandshrubs.about.com/od/bookproductreviews/gr/DontThrowItGrow.htmwww.amazon.com/Dont-Throw-Grow-windowsill-kitchen/dp/1603420649 |
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Post by cheerypeabrain on Apr 1, 2011 18:50:19 GMT
I have quite a few gardening books. My favourite ones are those by Christopher Lloyd...I have two books 'Colour for Adventurous Gardeners' and 'Successive Planting for Year Round Colour' (not mastered that yet  ) I have lots of books but tend to only refer to them when I'm looking up a particular plant, growing conditions...or how to take cuttings etc... |
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Post by bixaorellana on May 7, 2011 22:44:40 GMT
Just thought I'd cover some oldies. These may not be favorites per se, but the kinds of books many of us owned & may still have out of nostalgia or inertia. I recently bought a copy of Park's Success With Herbs from the library. I had this book "back when", back when herb gardening wasn't all that common. It was published in 1980, and I remember poring over many of the entries, thinking that I didn't have a chance of ever acquiring them. Flash forward less than ten years, and garden centers were carrying many of the previously exotic items. From the look of the link, Park's hasn't updated the book since 1980. And looking up a plant reference online today, I discovered that Mrs. Grieve's A Modern Herbal can be read online ~~ botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/mgmh.html |
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Post by bixaorellana on May 11, 2011 20:43:06 GMT
How about garden blogs -- any favorites? I just found this one, and am in respectful awe of the focus and intelligence of this balcony gardener: plantsstories.wordpress.com/ |
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Post by casimira on Jan 18, 2021 18:11:00 GMT
Are any of you Brits familiar with an organic gardener Bob Flowerdew? I see several offerings of his writings in a book catalogue I do business with.
I would love to hear some feedback from anyone who has read his works.
Thanks!!
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,shame me into dusting to take a picture of what is not even ALL my garden books. 
I was very fortunate to have inherited a good number of volumes of reference books from my garden mentor and client,friend, of many years. 
)