Gardening By the Book

Kiss My Aster

noreply@blogger.com (Kylee Baumle) — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 17:42:00 +0000

Kiss My Aster: A Graphic Guide to Creating a Fantastic Yard Totally Tailored to You
by Amanda Thomsen

160 pages
Storey Publishing, 2012
List price: $16.95

Your life isn’t complete until you’ve met Amanda Thomsen. She’s one of a kind and I triple dog dare you to figure her out or keep up with her. This is actually part of her charm and besides wanting to take her home with you, she’s a gardener’s best friend, to boot.

She’s pretty busy as a landscape designer, blogger, author, as well as being a wife and mother to a darling daughter who shows all signs of being a chip off her mommy’s block (watch out, world!), but she recently made time to write one of the best books I’ve seen on what to do with your yard. And then some.

Thomsen has long been the author of the popular blog, Kiss My Aster, an irreverent (and I mean this in a good way) look at the world of horticulture. Her book goes by the same name: Kiss My Aster: A Graphic Guide to Creating a Fantastic Yard Totally Tailored to You.

This is not your ordinary gardening book, no sirree. You can see this just by thumbing through it. The graphics are beyond amazing and invite you to crawl right in and start mining for magic that you can perform in your own yard, your way. Don't worry if you have no prior experience with gardening; Amanda's got you covered, and She. Knows. Her. Stuff.

It can be a bit overwhelming, but only if you try to take it in all at once. Thomsen wrote it in the manner of the “Choose Your Own Adventure” books she enjoyed as a child. That’s brilliant, really. It makes the book an invaluable and timeless resource for creating the yard of your dreams, and you’ll have a whole lot of fun doing it. I mean, who else calls shrubs “the khaki pants of the landscape,” or when discussing lighting warns you not to jar up lightning bugs?

I don’t know when I’ve had this much fun reading a gardening book. It’s opinionated, but I would expect nothing less from Amanda, and 99% of the time, I think she’s spot on. I’ve always said I’m not a garden designer, but Amanda Thomsen makes me believe I can be one. With her coaching me via this gem of a book, my yard will never be the same. Get it and yours won’t be either.

Amanda Thomsen, a Master Gardener and landscape designer, has been in the field for more than ten years. She is the coauthor of Grocery Gardening and writes the blog Kiss My Aster. She lives in the Chicago area.

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The publication being reviewed was the sole compensation for reviewing it. All opinions expressed here are mine. If I like something, I'll say so. If I don't, I'll say that,too.

Why Grow That When You Can Grow This?

noreply@blogger.com (Kylee Baumle) — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 16:07:00 +0000

Why Grow That When You Can Grow This?
255 Extraordinary Alternatives to Everyday Problem Plants
by Andrew Keys

340 pages
Timber Press, 2012
List price: $24.95

If there’s one thing that nearly all gardeners have in common, it’s that we try to grow things that we know darn well aren’t suited for our gardens. There are various reasons why we do this, but mostly it’s because we see a plant that we love and we want it. It’s sort of like falling in love with someone that we know isn’t good for us, but we can’t help ourselves, even when we know that down the road we’re likely to part ways. We think with our heart and not our heads. Don’t we all have “favorite mistakes?”

Andrew Keys has help for us. Not for the human kind – you’re on your own there – but he’s written a book that suggests other choices when it comes to choosing plants for our gardens. Why Grow That When You Can Grow This? takes a look at those plants that we’ve had, we have, or we want, for which there are alternatives that may work better.

Be prepared to change your way of thinking though, because sometimes he suggests plants that do not give the same appearance as the one it’s supposed to replace. Still, if there’s something you can’t grow, it’s good to have choices that have been deemed suitable alternatives.

There are some plants which he declares to be problems, that for me (and possibly for you), simply aren’t, by virtue of my location and particular growing conditions. But there are still some great possibilities that I never would have considered had he not brought them to my attention. It’s nice to have this as a source book for choosing plants for my garden when I’m tired of pandering to something I already have or I’m simply ready for a change. Andrew’s book can be a help towards gardening smarter, not harder!

Andrew Keys is a writer, designer, consultant, and lifelong gardener. The host and producer of Fine Gardening‘s Garden Confidential podcast, his writing has appeared in Fine Gardening and other magazines, as well as on his blog, Garden Smackdown.

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The publication being reviewed was the sole compensation for reviewing it. All opinions expressed here are mine. If I like something, I'll say so. If I don't, I'll say that,too.

The Unexpected Houseplant

noreply@blogger.com (Kylee Baumle) — Fri, 23 Nov 2012 02:43:00 +0000

The Unexpected Houseplant
220 Extraordinary Choices for Every Spot in Your Home
by Tovah Martin

326 pages
Timber Press, 2012
List price: $22.95

Just as the title suggests, you’ll find Martin’s unlikely houseplant suggestions to be a refreshing departure from the usual. Organized according to season, she presents a different palette for each, depending on the performance of the plant choices. Tropical plants are likely candidates for growing indoors, and we’ve been doing that for years. But how about your outdoor perennials? Many of those can be grown indoors, too.

Martin writes in a conversational style, guiding us through the seasons, explaining care and suggesting displays. She clearly knows her subject well and speaks of it with endearment, encouraging us to be daring and different as we take the garden indoors. You might be tempted at first glance to think that the plant profiles are formulaic, giving standard facts, but you really should read them in detail because in just about every one, you’ll learn something about gardening in general.

This isn’t just another book on houseplants. It’s an invitation to adventure.

Tovah Martin is a freelance writer, lecturer, horticulturist, and TV media personality whose work appears regularly in many national publications. She is the author of over a dozen gardening books, including bestsellers The New Terrarium and Tasha Tudor's Garden.

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The publication being reviewed was the sole compensation for reviewing it. All opinions expressed here are mine. If I like something, I'll say so. If I don't, I'll say that,too.

American Grown

noreply@blogger.com (Kylee Baumle) — Sat, 10 Nov 2012 04:30:00 +0000

American Grown
The Story of the White House Kitchen Garden and Gardens Across America
by Michelle Obama

272 pages, hardcover
Crown Publishers, 2012
List price: $30.00

Our nation’s First Lady inspired many to give gardening a try when she led the way at the White House in 2009. Along with her kitchen garden, gardens sprang up everywhere and those who’d been doing it for decades cheered.

American Grown is part history book and part motivational manual. Telling how we got to be a nation of overweight people due to both our food choices as well as lifestyle changes, Mrs. Obama urges us all to rethink them. Perhaps we don’t have the resources that she does, but there are ways to improve our diet by either growing some of our own fresh food or sharing in the bounty of those that do by taking advantage of farmer’s markets. A cross-section of community and school gardens from across the nation are featured, with special emphasis on kids and how we can get them involved.

There have been volumes written on why it’s better for us to eat fresh and how we can do it ourselves. American Grown excels, because it not only presents a convincing case for changing our thinking in logical, inspiring ways, it’s visually beautiful with an abundance of color photographs and renderings of the White House Kitchen Garden. Also included are recipes for cooking up the bounty and a brief compilation of resources. I truly love this book.

Michelle Obama is the First Lady of the United States and the mother of two daughters. In February 2010, she launched Let’s Move!, a nationwide initiative to address the epidemic of childhood obesity by bringing healthier food into schools and communities, and encouraging kids to be more active. American Grown is her first book.

Author proceeds will go to the National Park Foundation, the official charity of America's National Parks. Funds will be used for programs that promote gardening and healthy eating and give young people the opportunity to experience the outdoors and lead more active lives, as well as for the continued care of the White House Kitchen Garden.

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The publication being reviewed was the sole compensation for reviewing it. All opinions expressed here are mine. If I like something, I'll say so. If I don't, I'll say that,too.

Waterwise Plants for Sustainable Gardens

noreply@blogger.com (Kylee Baumle) — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 01:46:00 +0000

Waterwise Plants for Sustainable Gardens
200 Drought-Tolerant Choices for All Climates
by Lauren Springer Ogden and Scott Ogden

248 pages
Timber Press, 2011
List price: $24.95

The Ogdens could not have known that the US would suffer one of the worst drought seasons in its history when they wrote Waterwise Plants for Sustainable Gardens in 2011. Focusing on growing drought-tolerant plants isn’t new, but their book couldn’t be more timely or relevant to gardeners than it is right now.

No longer is water usage just a concern of those who live in arid climates. Water shortages are everywhere and in this book you’ll find plenty of suitable plants for varying conditions in zones 4 to 10. Growing details are highlighted for over 200 plants, with 400 more related companion plants listed, giving gardeners a plentiful palette from which to choose. Each of the 11 categories of plants has plant profiles that also suggest design ideas, helping you to incorporate them into your garden in an attractive way.

This is a practical book that is a culmination of over 30 years of horticultural and design experience. The Ogdens give straightforward advice with their multi-seasonal plant choices, making drought-tolerant gardening easier. I, for one, appreciate having this book to reference, after yet another summer of dragging garden hoses around the yard far too much.

Lauren Springer Ogden and Scott Ogden are garden designers and horticulturists who have experience with a wide range of climates, plants, and planting styles in both the United States and Europe. They have spoken at most major botanic gardens, public gardens, and arboreta in the United States.

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The publication being reviewed was the sole compensation for reviewing it. All opinions expressed here are mine. If I like something, I'll say so. If I don't, I'll say that,too.

All the Garden’s a Stage

noreply@blogger.com (Kylee Baumle) — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 20:43:00 +0000

All the Garden’s a Stage: Choosing the Best Performing Plants for a Sustainable Garden
by Jane C. Gates

144 pages
Schiffer, 2012
List price: $29.99

There are so many books available to beginning and veteran gardeners that give basic and intermediate information, it can be confusing to choose one that’s a right fit for you. All the Garden’s a Stage takes a clever approach to guiding your growing with sustainability in mind. If you think of your garden as a production, with you as its director, this book can be the script that helps you turn your yard into a thing of beauty.

Following Gates’ simple instructions, she takes the sometimes confusing mystery out of choosing plants that still leave you with free time for other pursuits. After overviews of the different types of plants and their basic needs, design principles are explained. Using this information, you can make informed choices while creating your landscape. The second half of the book consists of plant profiles, with identifying photos of each plant.

Perhaps this is a personal point, but I suspect others may feel the same: In the plant profiles section, no USDA Zones are listed. Gates explains that she didn’t include them in each plant’s description so as to not disappoint gardeners who think they will be successful at growing say, a Zone 5 plant in Zone 5. I would have preferred that she had provided the recommended USDA Zones for each plant, with a reminder to gardeners that just because a plant is listed as hardy for their zone doesn’t necessarily mean that will be the gardener’s actual experience. Now, if you want to know if a listed plant is generally hardy for your zone, you have to go look it up elsewhere.

Jane Gates is an award-winning landscape designer, a prolific garden columnist, a writer of stories, training programs and song lyrics and has shown her art in galleries all over the world. Her belief is that learning keeps us alive and being alive is a gift to be shared. She can be found at http://gardengates.info.

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The publication being reviewed was the sole compensation for reviewing it. All opinions expressed here are mine. If I like something, I'll say so. If I don't, I'll say that,too.

The Care and Handling of Roses with Thorns

noreply@blogger.com (Kylee Baumle) — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 14:49:00 +0000

The Care and Handling of Roses with Thorns
by Margaret Dilloway

368 pages
Putnam, 2012
List price: $26.95

The best time to write a review on a book is usually right after you've read it. But sometimes, taking a little time to think about what you've just read is better. Of course, not all books are worthy of much thought once you've turned the last page, but The Care and Handling of Roses with Thorns is.

On the surface, Gal, who needs a kidney transplant, and her niece, Riley, who needs her mother, are difficult characters. As I read the book, I wanted them both to do the "right" thing, and there were times when it felt like they did just the opposite. This is exactly what makes them so human.

Complex relationships, both familial and friendly, play out in expected and unexpected ways. Sometimes family members can be the most difficult to deal with because we think we know them better than we do. Honesty from friends isn't always easy either, but it can be what helps us the most. In the end, forgiveness, love, and acceptance ring strong and true, and Dilloway is to be commended for the expert and believable way this plays out in each of her characters.

But how is this a gardening book? It's gardening fiction, just as some books are historical fiction. Gal breeds roses and as a gardener, I enjoyed how Dilloway weaves this into the story, making it an important part of the life lessons learned.

Margaret Dilloway lives in Southern California with her husband three young children. She writes a blog, American Housewife, and is at work on her third novel. Her first novel, How to Be an American Housewife, was a finalist for the John Gardner Fiction Book Award.

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I won this book in an online giveaway, but I probably would have purchased it myself anyway. My opinions about the book are my own and are not influenced in any way by the fact that the book was free.

Bloomin' Tales

noreply@blogger.com (Kylee Baumle) — Tue, 28 Aug 2012 01:36:00 +0000

Bloomin' Tales: Seven Favorite Wildflower Legends
by Cherie Foster Colburn
Illustrations by Joy Fisher Hein

65 pages
Bright Sky Press, 2012
List price: $9.95

Legends seem to have a universal appeal to children, even when deep down they may know that the stories might not be true. It's the mere possibility that they are that draws them in. In Bloomin' Tales, Cherie Foster Colburn tells the legends behind seven wildflowers that children throughout the United States might be familiar with: foxglove, water lily, prickly pear cactus, morning glory, Indian blanket, goldenrod, and bluebonnet.

This is a great way to introduce children to flowers and gardening by appealing to their sense of adventure. Being inspired by the stories here, they may want to grow some of their own and eventually pass the legends down to their own children one day. Also included are some facts about each wildflower, making this an excellent teaching tool for parents and educators.

The stories are charming, to be sure, but carrying equal weight are the beautiful and colorful illustrations by Joy Fisher Hein. The book has also been published in a hardcover version with a slightly different title: Bloomin' Tales: Legends of Seven Favorite Texas Wildflowers.

Cherie Foster Colburn is a professional landscape designer, contributor to numerous magazines, and author of Our Shadow Garden, illustrated by and benefitting the children of M. D. Anderson' Children's Art project and Heirloom Bulbs of Today with bulb hunter Chris Wiesinger.

Joy Fisher Hein is an artist, Master Naturalist and illustrator of several books. She lives in Texas Hill Country.

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The publication being reviewed was the sole compensation for reviewing it. All opinions expressed here are mine. If I like something, I'll say so. If I don't, I'll say that,too.

A Guide to Bearded Irises

noreply@blogger.com (Kylee Baumle) — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 21:49:00 +0000

A Guide to Bearded Irises
Cultivating the Rainbow for Beginners and Enthusiasts
by Kelly D. Norris

348 pages, hardcover
Timber Press, 2012
List price: $39.95

If you've ever met Kelly Norris, you know that his enthusiasm for life is infectious. He has the ability to turn an hour into a mere blip on the time continuum when he starts talking about plants, even if you're not a gardener. Let the subject turn specifically to irises and he kicks it up a notch.

Norris is without a doubt the poster child for irises, so it was only a matter of time before he wrote a book about them. A Guide to Bearded Irises appeals to the beginning gardener, who will drool over its pages of photos showing some of the best the iris world has to offer, but they'll also find helpful information on how to grow them. Design advice is here too, as Norris explains how well irises coordinate with other garden plants.

The iris story is complete, including a history as well as how you can contribute to the future of the iris in your own garden through proper care and selection. Norris touches on pretty much all aspects of iris culture, making A Guide to Bearded Irises an essential part of any gardening library. When all is said and done, this is a book that's a joy to just curl up with, whether you want to savor the beauty of the images or learn more about this versatile garden perennial.

Kelly D. Norris is a horticulturist, plant breeder, and plantsman from Bedford, Iowa. He is an award-winning author of several books and in-demand garden speaker. He currently manages Rainbow Iris Farm and edits Irises, the official magazine of The American Iris Society.

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The publication being reviewed was the sole compensation for reviewing it. All opinions expressed here are mine. If I like something, I'll say so. If I don't, I'll say that,too.

Little House in the Suburbs

noreply@blogger.com (Kylee Baumle) — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 00:12:00 +0000

Little House in the Suburbs
Backyard farming and home skills for self-sufficient living
by Deanna Caswell and Daisy Siskin

256 pages
Betterway Home, 2012
List price: $22.99

With self-sufficiency gaining in popularity, the timing is perfect for a book like Little House in the Suburbs by Deanna Caswell and Daisy Siskin. I was recently sent a copy of this for review, on the heels of a different book dealing with the same general subject. The “other” book, which I shall not name, did not capture my heart like this one. In fact, I couldn’t finish it. What a difference reality makes.

Caswell and Siskin succeed with their manual for living more responsibly and sustainably because they acknowledge that there are different levels of commitment and investment in this as a lifestyle. They praise baby steps and encourage us to do what works for us without eliciting feelings of guilt because we aren’t doing more.

While life will never return to the days of yesteryear, we have much to learn from the generations before us. We can adapt some of the practices and principles from that time in a way that is practical and realistic in today’s world. Little House in the Suburbs shows us the way to keep bees, raise chickens, make soap, preserve food (that we’ve raised ourselves) and numerous other skills, sharing the real-life experience of its authors. There are several fun projects that make use of self-grown ingredients.

What I love most about this book is the way Deanna and Daisy speak to us in their charming, neighborly, and witty way. Reading Little House in the Suburbs was so downright enjoyable, that I looked up their blog by the same name and immediately subscribed to its updates. You might want to do the same.

Deanna Caswell and Daisy Siskin write the popular blog littlehouseinthesuburbs.com. Deanna is the Practically Green columnist for the Commercial Appeal (Memphis, Tennessee).

Daisy has been gardening and implementing simple lifestyle behaviors for most of her life. Her columns appear in Birds & Blooms magazine.

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The publication being reviewed was the sole compensation for reviewing it. All opinions expressed here are mine. If I like something, I'll say so. If I don't, I'll say that,too.

The 50 Mile Bouquet

noreply@blogger.com (Kylee Baumle) — Sat, 23 Jun 2012 03:30:00 +0000

The 50 Mile Bouquet
by Debra Prinzing and David Perry

144 pages
St. Lynn’s Press, 2012
List price: $17.95

I first became aware of the origins of many (most) of the cut flowers we enjoy here in the United States when reading Amy Stewart’s Flower Confidential. It was a fascinating exposé, and made me aware of some things that I’d not previously given much thought to. I simply enjoyed when the florist showed up at my door with a bouquet of nearly perfect blooms.

Prinzing and Perry have taken it one step further and challenge us to “think local” when it comes to purchasing fresh flowers. They traveled across the country and spoke with small business owners that are making a go of providing seasonal and sustainable organic flowers via their own storefronts as well as traditional venues, including grocery store floral departments. Through these stories, we are encouraged to look at floral design choices in a different and more responsible way.

I’ve long been a fan of David Perry’s photography and his images in The 50 Mile Bouquet enrich the experience of Prinzing’s expert and engaging narration. The book took four years to come to fruition and for those of us who knew it was in the works, it was worth the wait. They have put the challenge before us, and in such practical ways that now all it takes is for us to put our eco-principles to work. The choice really is ours.

Debra Prinzing is a Seattle- and Los Angeles-based outdoor living expert who writes and lectures on gardens and home design. She has a background in textiles, journalism, landscape design and horticulture. A frequent speaker for botanical garden, horticultural society and flower show audiences, Debra is also a regular radio and television guest.

Debra is a contributing garden editor for Better Homes & Gardens and her feature stories on architecture and design appear regularly in the Los Angeles Times' Home section. She is also a contributing editor to Garden Design magazine and writes for top consumer publications.

David Perry is an inspirational photographer, a willing teacher and a captivating storyteller who brings the unique insights and skills garnered in his thirty plus years of worldwide, on-location photo assignments for major corporations, ad agencies, magazines and book publishers to each new project he encounters.

As the inquisitive son of a zoologist, David began documenting his impressions of the living world around him with cameras at a very early age. His very popular A Photographer's Garden Blog, which he began publishing in January, 2007, brings thousands of readers together each week through garden tours, thoughtful essays, and seasonal imagery.

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The publication being reviewed was the sole compensation for reviewing it. All opinions expressed here are mine. If I like something, I'll say so. If I don't, I'll say that,too.

Container Gardening for All Seasons

noreply@blogger.com (Kylee Baumle) — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 03:30:00 +0000

Container Gardening for All Seasons
Enjoy Year-Round Color with 101 Designs
by Barbara Wise

256 pages
Cool Springs Press, 2012
List price: $21.99

As one who once declared herself to be container-challenged, I welcomed Barbara Wise’s recent release, Container Gardening for All Seasons. Those for whom this talent of assembling attractive planted pots comes easily, seem to have an innate sense of what looks good with what, but if you’re like me, you need help.

Wise demystifies the process of container planting, giving us the basics and some tricks of the trade. From good plant choices to proper planting practices, it’s all laid out here in easy steps. Over 100 container recipes assure that there is no shortage of ideas for sprucing up your landscape.

I found her “Ten Commandments of Container Gardening” to be especially helpful and a nice general summary of how to be successful with your container plants, whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned veteran. And lest you think this is merely a list of what to put with what and “first do this, then that” kind of book, Wise’s charming southern personality sings throughout. She makes container planting easy and fun.

Barbara Wise is the Floriculture Director for the Southern Land Company. Dubbed by her community as “The Flower Lady,” she has a job that involves planting with her staff around 700 containers each year for the homeowners and communities where she works. Visit her blog at www.bwisegardening.blogspot.com.

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The publication being reviewed in this blog post was the sole compensation for reviewing it. All opinions expressed here are mine. If I like something, I'll say so. If I don't, I'll say that,too.

Eat Your Yard!

noreply@blogger.com (Kylee Baumle) — Fri, 18 May 2012 20:50:00 +0000

Eat Your Yard!
Edible trees, shrubs, vines, herbs, and flowers for your landscape
by Nan K. Chase

160 pages
Gibbs Smith, 2010
List price: $19.99

There have been many volumes of books published in the last couple of years on edible gardening. In spite of heightened interest in growing your own food, I wasn't sure the gardening world could use yet another one when I was handed Eat Your Yard! nearly a year ago. I put off reading it.

A few weeks ago, I picked it up and it wasn't long before I found it to be different from the others I had read. I really like this book. It doesn't focus on the garden proper, nor the usual fare consisting of tomatoes, beans, and lettuce. Nan Chase looks at the bigger picture and suggests using fruit trees and shrubs in addition to herbs and edible flowers in landscaping.

Edible foundation plantings serve three purposes: they provide a framework for other supporting plants, they're attractive, and they feed you! They feed wildlife too, which brings life to your garden beyond its inherent beauty, although it might be a race to see who gets the harvest first. It's the perfect marriage of form and function.

Added bonus: Recipes!

Nan K. Chase writes about architecture and landscape design from her home in western North Carolina. She is the co-author of Bark House Style and author of Asheville: A History. Her work has also appeared in the New York Times, Smithsonian, Fine Gardening, Architectural Record, and Southern Living. She lives in Asheville, North Carolina, where she is a contributing editor of WNC Magazine.

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The publication being reviewed in this blog post was the sole compensation for reviewing it. All opinions expressed here are mine. If I like something, I'll say so. If I don't, I'll say that,too.

The Earth Moved

noreply@blogger.com (Kylee Baumle) — Fri, 04 May 2012 03:00:00 +0000

The Earth Moved: On the Remarkable Achievements of Earthworms
by Amy Stewart

221 pages, softcover
Algonquin Books, 2004
List price: $12.95

You may know Amy Stewart from her disturbing and entertaining books, Wicked Plants and Wicked Bugs, where she presents information that might not be so well-known about our fellow inhabitants of Planet Earth. Fans of Stewart’s work have come to love her style of sharing obscure and potentially dry information in a way that makes it interesting and frankly, addicting.

The Earth Moved is no different, and the subject is earthworms. Yeah, I know. What could possibly be interesting enough about an earthworm that would make the everyday reader want to buy such a book? Apparently, enough that the publisher has reissued the 2004 book this year (with new resources), at a time when vermiculture is on the rise. Raising your own earthworms for castings (worm poop) as a soil amendment is gaining in popularity nearly as quickly as having your own backyard chickens.

Admittedly, I’m a trivia buff when it comes to little known facts about anything remotely to do with gardening. But I didn’t have high expectations that this book had enough to hold my interest all the way through to the end. Au contraire.

Earthworms are utterly fascinating. There are humorous moments, such as this passage, which speaks of the regenerative abilities of the earthworm, that left me giggling with mental visual images:

"Eisenia fetida … can regenerate after multiple amputations. We know this because researchers have cut the same segments off five or six times and watched them regenerate each time. Some worms have even suffered thirty or forty amputations and regrown segments.

This phenomenon has led some researchers to experiment with transplanting heads or tails from one worm onto another. Like circus animals, the worms oblige and continue to perform. You can cut a tail off and suture it to the head of another worm, and within a couple of weeks, the intestines and nerves will join together and work properly, even if the two ends are rotated at a forty-five-degree angle to one another and then joined. You can take a head from one, a tail from another, and a middle section from a third, suture them all together in the correct sequence, and get one complete worm. Two worms can be stitched together side-by-side, like conjoined twins, and soon they’ll grow together and function normally. I’ve even heard that the first and last segments of a worm can be nicked off and head and tail joined together, so that the worm forms an O. (Admittedly, the worm would not live long in the shape of infinity, with no ability to eat or excrete castings.) The tails from two different worms can be sutured together and the resulting creature can live quite a while, but a worm made from two heads will never be quite right and won’t live long."

Remarkable, no? But this is not the most amazing thing, of course, that the earthworm is capable of. The facts presented, regarding the importance of the earthworm to life here on earth, are nothing short of astounding. Consider the ability of the earthworm to filter toxins from their (and our) environment. The far-reaching effects of this are demonstrated by robins.

Back when DDT was used, it was sprayed to control mosquitoes. The DDT remained on the leaves of some trees. In the fall, the leaves fell to the ground, decomposed and were consumed by the earthworms. Though the worms survived the high concentration of DDT in their bodies, many of the robins that consumed the worms did not. Of those birds that did survive, many did not lay eggs the following spring. Who could have guessed the string of events that would lead to these unfortunate consequences?

This is an eye-opening book for many reasons and if the length of this review (my longest, to date) is any indication of my impression of it, you know it's a book that I highly recommend to those who are fascinated by how our natural world works as an ecosystem. Something so seemingly insignificant as the earthworm, isn't at all.

Amy Stewart is the author of five books on the perils and pleasures of the natural world. She lives in Eureka, California, where she and her husband own an antiquarian bookstore called Eureka Books.

When she's not writing books or traveling to do research, she's on the road speaking to audiences at garden clubs, bookstores, botanical gardens, libraries, and universities. She's even started doing "virtual" author visits by webcam or videoconference. Visit her website at www.amystewart.com.

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The publication being reviewed in this blog post was the sole compensation for reviewing it. All opinions expressed here are mine. If I like something, I'll say so. If I don't, I'll say that,too.

Small-Space Container Gardens

noreply@blogger.com (Kylee Baumle) — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 03:08:00 +0000

Small-Space Container Gardens
Transform Your Balcony, Porch, or Patio with Fruits, Flowers, Foliage & Herbs
by Fern Richardson

188 pages
Timber Press, 2012
List price: $19.95

Fern Richardson is the mastermind behind the wildly popular blog Life on the Balcony. Though I've got an acre on which to garden, I enjoy Fern's ideas, because my acre has plenty of small spaces that can make use of them. And she seems to have a never-ending supply.

In her new book, Small-Space Container Gardens, Fern has assembled a collection of her best designs and shows how to make them happen. Perhaps the most well-known idea of all from her blog is her use of a pallet to create a vertical garden, and the how-to is detailed here. From selection of plants to illustrations of how to lay it all out, beginning and experienced gardeners alike will find plenty of inspiration.

While I thoroughly enjoyed "hearing" Fern's voice, I found the format of the book to be a bit distracting, mainly because of the large-type print on some of the pages, although fans of large-print books may welcome this. Also, for a book on small-space gardening to be as large as this one, seemed incongruent with the idea. (The book measures 8½ x 11 inches.)

But these are just personal preferences and they're certainly inconsequential to the book's purpose, which is to inspire and guide gardeners in their quest to make the best use of their small spaces. In that, Fern's endeavor has hit the mark and gardeners will be pleased to find more than enough ideas to satisfy their quest for a beautiful garden, no matter what their space.

Fern Richardson is the creator of the popular and critically-acclaimed garden blog, Life on the Balcony. A master gardener, amateur photographer, and garden designer, she lives in Long Beach, California, on a balcony with her many plants.

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The publication being reviewed in this blog post was the sole compensation for reviewing it. All opinions expressed here are mine. If I like something, I'll say so. If I don't, I'll say that,too.

Rain Gardens

noreply@blogger.com (Kylee Baumle) — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 01:18:00 +0000

Rain Gardens:
Sustainable Landscaping for a Beautiful Yard and a Healthy World
by Lynn M. Steiner and Robert W. Domm

192 pages
Voyageur Press, 2012
List price: $24.99

In recent years, awareness has risen not only about the problem of water collecting in places where it shouldn't, but also the problem with run-off, and what to do with it. All sorts of toxins run unfiltered into our waterways. Not good. What's a homeowner to do?

One of the answers comes in the form of a pretty simple solution: rain gardens. Lynn Steiner and Robert Domm have compiled a comprehensive guide for constructing them in their new book, Rain Gardens. With explanations that are easy to understand, and illustrations and photographs that show and tell, the home gardener can plan and build a rain garden for their own property with confidence.

I attended a rain garden workshop two years ago, and though having someone there who could answer questions and guide the planning of your own rain garden was helpful, this book is every bit as valuable as that hands-on planning session. The book itself is beautifully laid out and the information is as thorough as can be, without being stuffy. I'm much more motivated to create a rain garden of my own after reading it.

Rain Gardens should be in every county extension office library, every bookstore, every home improvement store, and on your bookshelf if you have a property that can benefit from having a rain garden. Buy it and build it.

Lynn Steiner has a master's degree in horticulture and is one of the Upper Midwest's best-known gardening writers. The author of three Landscaping with Native Plants books and the former editor of Northern Gardener magazine, she is a frequent speaker at gardening and environmental events. Steiner lives in Stillwater, Minnesota.

Robert Domm is a scientist with the Water Resources Group of Tetra Tech, Inc., where he specializes in stormwater best management practices. As a photographer, his work has appeared in numerous publications including magazines, textbooks, and calendars. Author of several books, including Michigan Yesterday & Today and Lake Michigan Backroads, Domm lives in Rives Junction, Michigan.

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The publication being reviewed in this blog post was the sole compensation for reviewing it. All opinions expressed here are mine. If I like something, I'll say so. If I don't, I'll say that, too.

The Year-Round Vegetable Gardener

noreply@blogger.com (Kylee Baumle) — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 02:57:00 +0000

The Year-Round Vegetable Gardener
How to Grow Your Own Food 365 Days a Year No Matter Where You Live
by Niki Jabbour

248 pages
Storey Publishing, 2011
List price: $19.95

Growing your own food has become a priority in more people's lives in recent years for a number of reasons. Probably number one is having control over your own food, knowing that it's fresh and safe and better-tasting. It's also possible to save money by growing your own, especially if you grow it from seed and save those from year to year.

You might think that summer is really the only realistic season in which to grow edibles in your garden, especially if you live in the northern climates. There are also spring and fall crops that like cooler weather, but Niki Jabbour shows how easy it is to grow your own food even in winter. Even if you live in Canada. Which she does. Now if that isn't inspiring, I don't know what is.

Niki explains that it's about the timing, no matter which season's offerings you want to grow. She lays it all out for you, including what to grow, how to grow it, and when to plant and harvest it. I was introduced to vegetables I'd never even heard of before, but then I'd never tried to grow anything besides spinach and carrots through the winter. Ever eaten mâche?

Included are simple plans for a cold frame and a polytunnel, either of which can be a gardener's best friend for growing vegetables when the weather turns cold. Niki shares various other ways in which to extend the growing season for appropriate vegetables.

I found this manual for successful year-round growing to be one of the best I've seen on the subject. Following Niki's lead, there really is no excuse for not having fresh food on your table, whether it's January or June.

Niki Jabbour is a food gardener and garden writer who lives near Halifax, Nova Scotia. She is the host of The Weekend Gardener, a call-in radio show, and her articles have appeared in numerous gardening magazines. Follow her vegetable-growing adventures at www.yearroundveggiegardener.blogspot.com.

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The publication being reviewed in this blog post was the sole compensation for reviewing it. All opinions expressed here are mine. If I like something, I'll say so. If I don't, I'll say that, too.

Free-Range Chicken Gardens

noreply@blogger.com (Kylee Baumle) — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 04:24:00 +0000

Free-Range Chicken Gardens: How to Create a Beautiful, Chicken-Friendly Yard
by Jessi Bloom

222 pages
Timber Press, 2012
List price: $19.95

Let me preface this review by saying that I have chickens. We got eight layers last May, and I love them, which could not have surprised me more. Jessi loves chickens too, but what we both don't love is how they can really wreak havoc in the garden. Never fear! As a garden designer with her own landscape design firm, Jessi's the perfect authoritative voice for how to have both beautiful gardens and chickens.

I'll admit, knowing just how quickly my chickens can scratch out a small plant from the garden in their unending search for bugs, I was skeptical about this book, but at the same time hopeful that it could give me some practical ideas about how to allow my hens more free-range time outside their covered run. And that's what I like most about it - Jessi keeps it real.

There are practical ideas for garden design, noting plants which chickens like, those they don't, and which ones are particularly bad for them (although she shares that they usually will leave the toxic ones alone). Sometimes it isn't an issue of what tastes good to them, but of texture. Also included are ways to construct barriers, both temporary and permanent, to keep chickens out of spaces where you don't want them.

On the other side of that coin, Jessi suggests that chickens can help you out with garden work! We've got several places where we want some grass taken out and I'd dreaded skimming the sod off. That's hard work; I've done it many times. But this spring, I'm going to use temporary fencing to corral the chickens, place it where I want the grass gone, and let the chickens have at it.

Free-Ranging Chicken Gardens is a fun read too, because besides chickens being just plain fun themselves (I'm biased, I know...), we get to peek at some other chicken owners' gardens, including Jessi's. I'm convinced if she can maintain such beauty at her place while having a small flock of chickens, then so can we. Make no mistake, there's some planning and effort involved, but this book helps us do it.

If you're thinking of getting chickens, but have some concerns about it, I can't recommend Free-Ranging Chicken Gardens highly enough. Even if you don't, this is a great basic guide for first-time chicken owners and chicken owner wannabes.

Jessi Bloom is an award-winning landscape designer whose work emphasizes ecological systems, sustainability, and self-sufficiency. She is a certified professional horticulturalist and certified arborist, as well as a long-time chicken owner with a free-ranging flock in her home garden.

Owner of Pacific Northwest–based landscape design-build firm N.W. Bloom — EcoLogical Landscapes, Jessi has been praised as an innovator in sustainable landscape design. Recognition for her work includes awards from the Washington State Department of Ecology, American Horticultural Society, Pacific Horticulture magazine, Sunset, 425 magazine, Washington State Nursery and Landscape Association, Washington Association of Landscape Professionals, and the Northwest Flower and Garden Show, including gold medals and the People’s Choice award.

You may also be interested in the author's own Web site, www.gardenfowl.com.

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The publication being reviewed in this blog post was the sole compensation for reviewing it. All opinions expressed here are mine. If I like something, I'll say so. If I don't, I'll say that, too.

Beginner's Illustrated Guide to Gardening

noreply@blogger.com (Kylee Baumle) — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 04:28:00 +0000

Beginner's Illustrated Guide to Gardening
by Katie Elzer-Peters

192 pages
Cool Springs Press, 2012
List price: $21.99

If you've never gardened before and you're thinking about doing it, the whole process can be pretty darned intimidating. Sometimes the hardest part of doing something is the starting. Where exactly do you start? Do you need a lot of stuff? What if this happens? So many questions about so many things - it can be enough to make you want to let someone else do it and take up knitting or something.

Gardeners will always tell you, "Oh, it's easy!" But Katie shows you just how easy it is in the Beginner's Illustrated Guide to Gardening. Covering everything from preparing the soil, choosing plants, how to plant, dealing with bugs, growing houseplants, fertilizing, and more, each topic is explained in simple steps with lots of photographs to illustrate each one.

The book's size isn't overwhelming and neither is what's in it. Though a veteran gardener herself, Katie has done a fine job of addressing just about everything a beginning gardener would want to know or would encounter as they begin to grow their own vegetables, flowers, trees, shrubs, or houseplants. There's even a section on lawn care.

Is it a comprehensive guide to all of the above topics? No. It isn't meant to be. But the next time someone asks me if there's a good book to give to a beginning gardener to help them get started, I can think of no better guide to recommend than the Beginner's Illustrated Guide to Gardening.

Katie Elzer-Peters has been gardening since she could walk. She turned that hobby into a career by first pursuing her Bachelor of Science in Horticulture at Purdue University and then her Master of Science in Horticulture through the Longwood Graduate Program at the University of Delaware. After school, Katie managed botanical gardens around the United States. Now she runs a garden marketing and pr business, The Garden of Words, LLC and an online Speaker's Bureau, GreatGardenSpeakers.com.

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The publication being reviewed in this blog post was the sole compensation for reviewing it. All opinions expressed here are mine. If I like something, I'll say so. If I don't, I'll say that, too.

Bulb Forcing For Beginners and the Seriously Smitten

noreply@blogger.com (Kylee Baumle) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 05:14:00 +0000

Bulb Forcing For Beginners and the Seriously Smitten

by Art Wolk

255 pages, hardcover

AAB Book Publishing Company LLC, 2012

List price: $32.95

Gardeners are known to force bulbs into bloom during the dark days of winter, especially gardeners who live in the northern climates. The splash of color that rewards us as we somehow feel in control of nature and have tricked spring into coming early bolsters our dreary mood. Art Wolk, in his new book, Bulb Forcing For Beginners and the Seriously Smitten, does the same thing.

Being called “the Dave Barry of garden writing” (by Elvin McDonald) isn’t far from the truth. His sharp wit and playful look at the world of bulbs can make even the most serious of gardeners grin, and frankly, the gardening world can use more like him. But Wolk knows his stuff, too.

With a list of credentials as high as a paper white’s eye (higher, if you use his alcohol trick to shorten the growth of their stems), you might think him to be a staid bore, what with all that education and all those awards. Far from it; Art Wolk is the quintessential educator. He’s the professor that endears himself to you and makes you want to do well for all the right reasons.

As if his ability to teach us the ins and outs of forcing bulbs isn’t enough, he is also an accomplished photographer and Bulb Forcing is full of more than 350 of his beautiful images. Many are so beautiful, they just might be enough to get you through the winter without actually “forcing/coaxing/persuading/enticing/charming” a bulb yourself. But by the time Art gets done with you, you’ll already be out the door and on your way to the garden center to find some. Yeah, you’re gonna want some of that for your very own.

P.S. Why can't all gardening books be this fun?

Art Wolk is an award-winning writer, lecturer, photographer, and Grand Sweepstakes winner at the famed Philadelphia Flower Show.

Art has appeared on the Discovery Channel, CBS, FOX, and the Home and Garden TV Network, and has been interviewed on radio stations throughout the United States, including National Public Radio. In addition, he has lectured at such prominent institutions and events as Longwood Gardens, the Boston Flower and Garden Show, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, and the Philadelphia International Flower Show.

His magazine articles have appeared in Better Homes and Gardens, Fine Gardening, Green Scene, Green Prints, and other publications. In 1991 Art founded, and for nine years managed, a children’s garden in New Jersey. In 1999, he received the prestigious Quill and Trowel Award from the Garden Writers Association for a magazine article he wrote about the garden.

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The publication being reviewed in this blog post was the sole compensation for reviewing it. All opinions expressed here are mine. If I like something, I'll say so. If I don't, I'll say that,too.

Barnheart

noreply@blogger.com (Kylee Baumle) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 13:33:00 +0000

Barnheart: The Incurable Longing for a Farm of One’s Own
by Jenna Woginrich

184 pages
Storey Publishing, 2011
List price: $14.95

Memoirs are my favorite kind of gardening books to read. They’re chock full of experiences I can relate to, because the authors let us in on the trials and tribulations they endure in their quest to live the life of a gardener. (Or farmer. Or shepherd.) I enjoy reading them even if I don’t share the particular focus of the author. Many aspects of farming and gardening and animal husbandry overlap enough to allow me to learn something from any one of them.

In her third book, Barnheart: The Incurable Longing for a Farm of One’s Own, Jenna Woginrich takes us along on her move from one side of the country to another. We’re right there with her as she struggles to carve her place in the countryside of Vermont and fulfill her dream of owning her own flock of sheep, and a farm to raise them on. None of this comes easily for a single young (20-something) woman, and money is always an issue. (Who can’t relate to that?)

While things may not always turn out the way she’d like, Woginrich perseveres and has us cheering her on as she attempts to find the cure for “barnheart.”

“I’m not brave at all. I’m just terrified of regret.”

~ Jenna Woginrich

Jenna Woginrich is a 20-something homesteader and the author of BarnHeart, Chick Days, and Made from Scratch. She blogs at Cold Antler Farm, as well as Mother Earth News and The Huffington Post. A Pennsylvania native, she has made her home in the mountains of Tennessee, in northern Idaho, in rural Vermont, and most recently in upstate New York, where she lives with a flock of Scottish Blackface sheep, a border collie in training, chickens and geese, a hive of bees, and several amiable rabbits.

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The publication being reviewed in this blog post was the sole compensation for reviewing it. All opinions expressed here are mine. If I like something, I'll say so. If I don't, I'll say that,too.

The Heirloom Life Gardener

noreply@blogger.com (Kylee Baumle) — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 03:56:00 +0000

The Heirloom Life Gardener
by Jere and Emilee Gettle

228 pages
Hyperion, 2011
List price: $29.99

Because Jere Gettle is such an iconic figure in the world of heirloom vegetables, I couldn’t wait to read the book he wrote with his wife, Emilee. There are few in the horticulture world who don’t know about his business, Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, but what you may not know is how Baker Creek came to be.

In The Heirloom Life Gardener, Jere tells his story, recounting his early life in eastern Oregon and Montana, the son of homesteaders. Being self-sufficient was the only way he knew and by age three, he was growing seeds of his own. By the time he became a teenager, his family had moved to the Ozarks of southern Missouri and in 1998, at age seventeen, he started his own company there – Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds.

Gettle tells us what heirlooms are and more importantly, their significance and why they should matter to you and me. We get to hear about his worldwide seed-collecting adventures and then he lets us join in the growing fun with his simple and thorough methods for raising our own heirlooms.

An “A to Z Growing Guide” tells how to plant, how to care for, and how to harvest some of the most interesting and delicious varieties of seeds out there. Ground cherries, cowpeas, rutabagas and amaranth are just a few of the less-common ones detailed, but heirloom varieties of corn, beans, and tomatoes are highlighted too, along with many others.

This is just a delightful book. Jere was born to do what he does and the world is a better place because of it. The Heirloom Life Gardener is a book that makes sense and with the rise in GMOs, there’s never been a better time to read it and heed its message. Well done, thou good and faithful gardener.

EDIT: Want to win a copy of The Heirloom Life Gardener? Enter the giveaway here!

Jere and Emilee Gettle live with their daughter, Sasha, in the Ozark Mountains of Missouri, where they own and operate Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds in Mansfield. They have devoted their lives to the preservation and distribution of heirloom varieties of seeds. This is their first book.

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The publication being reviewed in this blog post was the sole compensation for reviewing it. All opinions expressed here are mine. If I like something, I'll say so. If I don't, I'll say that,too.

Tomorrow's Garden

noreply@blogger.com (Kylee Baumle) — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 08:25:00 +0000

Tomorrow's Garden
Design and Inspiration for a New Age of Sustainable Gardening
by Stephen Orr

234 pages
Rodale, 2011
List price: $24.99

Stephen Orr has surely seen a million gardens by now. Though that’s an exaggeration, his past and present jobs have afforded him the luxury of getting a peek at more than most of us. In his recent book, Tomorrow’s Garden, Orr takes us on a tour of 14 stunning gardens, located mostly on the east and west coasts, with the majority of them being on urban plots.

I've found that most garden design books focus on the smaller city lots and they’re like shoes – they’re often more charming in a smaller size. If you have a rural property, as I do, you notice this. But Tomorrow’s Garden has more than enough to inspire me, even if I have to give consideration to how I might adapt some of the gorgeous designs in this book.

Each of the gardens is featured as if it were appearing in a magazine, which is understandable, given Orr’s profession as the gardening editorial director for Martha Stewart Living magazine and his previous positions with Domino and House & Garden magazines. The gardens demonstrate responsible environmental practices, as far as is possible, and every one of them has strong aesthetic appeal, whether you are a fan of the traditional or the contemporary.

With 200 color photographs within its 256 pages, this is a book to be looked at again and again for inspiration. In fact, there’s so much to take in, it’s like visiting a place such as Longwood Gardens (Pennsylvania) or Butchart Gardens (Vancouver Island, BC) – there’s always something to be found that you didn’t see the first time.

If I’ve one real complaint, it’s that the print size is too small. They’ve enlarged it a little when the words are printed on a colored background, but even that is a little difficult to read. Orr has a lot to say and I don’t know if the book editors/designers were trying to fit all those words in between all those photographs while trying to restrict the size of the book, or what. I’m near-sighted, so it can’t be blamed on my eyesight, as I don’t require glasses for reading. The print is just small. But I enjoyed the book enough that I’ll forgive the publisher.

Stephen Orr is the gardening editorial director for Martha Stewart Living magazine and formerly was a contributor to the New York Times and garden editor for Domino and House & Garden magazines. He lives and gardens in New York City and upstate New York. Follow Stephen on whatweretheskieslike.com.

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The publication being reviewed in this blog post was the sole compensation for reviewing it. All opinions expressed here are mine. If I like something, I'll say so. If I don't, I'll say that,too.

Paradise Under Glass

noreply@blogger.com (Kylee Baumle) — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 03:22:00 +0000

Paradise Under Glass: An Amateur Creates a Conservatory Garden
by Ruth Kassinger

348 pages
William Morrow, 2010
List price: $24.99

As a book reviewer, many garden books arrive gratis in my mailbox each week, but I purchase many on my own, such as Paradise Under Glass: An Amateur Creates a Conservatory Garden by Ruth Kassinger. What piqued my interest in this book initially was Kassinger’s desire to have a conservatory. I have one too so I understood; we were kindred spirits.

Ms. Kassinger learned a great deal as she traversed the path from dream to reality and the planning and construction of the conservatory is recounted with all the excitement, frustration and humor that building just about anything can entail. Anyone considering (or dreaming of) doing the same will likely enjoy reading her account while picking up some valuable tips along the way.

But what made this book an even greater pleasure for me to read was the fascinating historical information, including early plant collection, the first Wardian cases,the elaborate glass houses of the 1800s, and more. She deftly weaves the historical and the present, with perfect segues from one to the other.

As a bonus for her readers, Kassinger includes detailed illustrated plans for building a vertical garden like the one in her own conservatory. I would like to have seen actual photographs of her conservatory as it evolved. That evolution taught her some lessons about life, which she also shares with us. A satisfying read.

Ruth Kassinger is the author of a number of award-winning science and history books for young adults. In addition, her science and health writing has appeared in the Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, National Geographic Explorer, Health magazine, Science Weekly, and other publications. You can find her on Facebook or her website, as well as on GreatGardenSpeakers.com. She lives with her husband in Chevy Chase, Maryland.

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The publication reviewed here was purchased by the reviewer.

Dirr’s Encyclopedia of Trees and Shrubs

noreply@blogger.com (Kylee Baumle) — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 10:22:00 +0000

Dirr’s Encyclopedia of Trees & Shrubs
by Michael Dirr

951 pages
Timber Press, 2011
List price: $79.95

I’m a little reluctant (and embarrassed) to confess that when I received my review copy of Dirr’s Encyclopedia of Trees & Shrubs a couple of weeks ago, it was the first time I’d ever laid eyes on the book - in any edition. But its reputation preceded it. I’d certainly heard about it and I was well aware of its author. Highly revered, enough that it’s called “the bible,” this book is a combination of Dirr's previous reference publications, making it the most comprehensive on the subject, containing information about more than 3700 species and cultivars.

With over 380 genera represented, together with 3500 photographs contained in 951 pages, this is no small piece of literature. But Dirr is no small figure in the world of horticulture, either. He lives and breathes his work as a hybridizer (Endless Summer® hydrangeas are just a small part of his work), educator, researcher, and author, and we are the beneficiaries.

Dirr infuses the detailed factual information with personal opinions, which carry the imprint of his intimate knowledge of his subject matter. The book is as much a grower’s how-to manual as it is an essential work of reference and not one that you read from cover to cover as if a novel, of course. But I found it difficult to put down, once I started reading about specific plants. One thing led to another (and another…) and before I knew it, I’d been reading for an hour.

Think $79.95 is too much to pay for such a book? It’s a bargain. Trust me.

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HEADS UP! Timber Press is giving a copy away this Friday, December 2, 2011. All you need to do is head on over to their site and leave a comment on the giveaway blog post by 4:00 PM PST that day. Good luck!

Michael A. Dirr is a professor of horticulture at the University of Georgia. He is the author of twelve books and has published more than 300 scientific and popular papers and articles. His teaching, lectures, seminars, garden study tours, and plant introduction programs have contributed enormously to greater horticultural awareness. He has received the highest teaching and gardening awards from the University of Georgia, American Society of Horticultural Science, American Horticultural Society, American Nursery & Landscape Association, Massachusetts Horticultural Society, Southern Nursery Association, and Garden Club of America.

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The publication being reviewed in this blog post was the sole compensation for reviewing it. All opinions expressed here are mine. If I like something, I'll say so. If I don't, I'll say that,too.