Gardening By the Book

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.

The Visitor’s Guide to American Gardens

noreply@blogger.com (Kylee Baumle) — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 22:51:00 +0000

The Visitor’s Guide to American Gardens
by Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp

336 pages
Cool Springs Press, 2011
List price: $19.99

So many gardens, so little time. Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a travel guide that compiled all the great gardens you could visit in the U.S. and Canada, and gardening events, too? Thanks to the work of Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp and Cool Springs Press, now there is.

One of the first things I do when I’m planning a trip to anywhere, whether the purpose of the travel has anything to do with gardening or not, is to see if there are any public gardens that I can visit while I’m there. I usually do a Google search, ask friends, or look in the phone book after I’ve arrived. But with this handy guide, all the information I really need is in one place.

QR Code for Cleveland
Botanical Garden

The Visitor’s Guide to American Gardens, by its own admission, isn’t complete, but it comes pretty close. Organized by state (and Canada), more than 400 gardens are profiled, with details such as address, phone, website, hours and any fees associated with them. Of course some of these are subject to change, but the information needed to contact the gardens is provided so you can double-check it before your visit, including QR codes for many. If your favorite garden or event isn’t included in this guide, contact information is given so that it may be added to future editions.

At the back, there’s also a monthly guide to flower and garden shows, listed by state. Basic maps make up another section showing the location of the gardens. Several travel companies are listed, with flower show and garden destinations where they lead tours.

If I could make one improvement on the book, it would be to make it more pocket-sized so that I could carry it in my purse during my travels. It’s not large (9” x 6” x 1”), but it’s not really small enough for me to consider it a pocket version. Photos are sparse, so if you want a book that gives a visual preview of the gardens, this isn't it, but the information presented is all you'll need to plan your own visits.

Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp is a professional writer and inveterate garden visitor. She has been writing about gardens and gardening since 1989, when she began writing for The Indianapolis Star. In addition to maintaining a weekly column for the Star, Sharp regularly contributes articles to Indiana Gardening and Angie's List Magazine.

This is her second book. She is co-author of the Indiana Gardener's Guide (2003), also for Cool Springs Press.

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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 Outdoor Room

noreply@blogger.com (Kylee Baumle) — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 06:22:00 +0000

The Outdoor Room
by Jamie Durie

224 pages, softcover
Harper Design, 2011
List price: $25.99

You may know Jamie Durie from PBS’s The Victory Garden and his HGTV show, The Outdoor Room. He’s the Aussie-accented fireball that not only gets you enthused about gardening, but shows you how, in a way that gives you the confidence that you really can do it.

I met Jamie for the first time in August, at the Independent Garden Center Show in Chicago, where he was promoting his new book, The Outdoor Room. He had that same trademark enthusiasm as he took the time to show me how the book was laid out, explaining the how and why of the various landscape designs.

The designs in the book are quintessential Durie. They are fresh and modern, with enough tradition to appeal to the styles of a large number of gardeners. Each has a formulaic presentation – Design Brief, Design Solution, Eco-Tip, Bite-Size Design, Plant List, Where it Works (USDA Zones), Inspiration, Design Elements and one element rarely seen in books of this type – that of the maintenance required (Garden Care) once the outdoor room is completed. This allows you to truly see the big picture before a single paver is laid or shrub is planted.

There are plenty of photographs and design diagrams to help you create your own outdoor room, whether your main purpose is to create a cozy retreat, an area for entertaining, or both. Jamie even gives you some assistance with choosing that, too. The Outdoor Room is a landscape design class you can take in the comfort of your favorite reading chair, which I have a feeling is just the way Jamie planned it.

Jamie Durie is a qualified horticulturist, award-winning landscape designer, and host of both PBS’s The Victory Garden and HGTV’s The Outdoor Room. He is the author of several books, including Patio, Inspired, The Source Book, and Outdoor Kids. His company, Durie Design, is based in Los Angeles, where he lives.

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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.

Seeing Trees

noreply@blogger.com (Kylee Baumle) — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 18:03:00 +0000

Seeing Trees: Discover the Extraordinary Secrets of Everyday Trees
by Nancy Ross Hugo and Robert Llewellyn (Photographer)

242 pages
Timber Press, 2011
List price: $29.95

Trivia buffs love books that take an ordinary subject and reveal extraordinary tidbits of fascinating information about their subjects. In reality, nearly everyone loves trivia because it appeals to that part of us that loves adventure. It’s the revealing of the unexpected that gives us a little bit of a thrill and tickles the pleasure center of our brains.

So what about the trees that we pass on our neighborhood walk or drive past on our way to work? You know the ones – the maples, oaks, walnuts, and pines. So plentiful and common, we take them for granted and barely give them notice most of the time. If you grow trees or simply enjoy them, you’ll find the uncommon insights shared about ten common trees in Seeing Trees utterly fascinating.

Emerging American beech leaves stretch free of their golden bud scales.

Seeing Trees takes a look at the unique ways trees develop, how leaves and buds form, and the beauty of their distinct barks, among other things. The photography of Robert Llewellyn brings the descriptions to life and complements the text perfectly.

Each tree is a botanical masterpiece, only fully appreciated by giving them close inspection, and Seeing Trees helps you do just that, making it an interactive book of the best kind. Your next walk in the woods won't be the same.

Nancy Ross Hugo has been writing, lecturing, and teaching about trees, native plants, and floral design for over 30 years. Her writing has appeared in Horticulture, Fine Gardening, American Forests, Country Journal, Virginia Living, and Country Life. Nancy and her husband, John, live in Virginia.

Robert Llewellyn has been photographing trees and landscapes for almost forty years. His photographs have been featured in major art exhibits, and more than thirty books featuring his photography are in print. He and his wife, Bobbi, live near Charlottesville, Virginia.

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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 Roses

noreply@blogger.com (Kylee Baumle) — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 03:53:00 +0000

Eat Your Roses
…Pansies, Lavender and 49 other Delicious Edible Flowers
by Denise Schreiber

104 pages
St. Lynn’s Press, 2011
List price: $17.95

Sure, you probably knew that dandelions and nasturtium flowers were edible, but did you know that there were many more that you likely grow in your garden that you could be putting on your dinner plate? Eat Your Roses is a fascinating guide that gives detailed information about 51 edible flowers and continues with 31 recipes using them, making this both a reference book and a cookbook.

Impressive is the word that comes to mind when I browsed the creative ways that edible flowers can be used in everything from appetizers to desserts and everything in between. I especially want to try some of the floral butters. This delightful book is perfect for gifting to gardeners and cooks alike. And it comes in that wonderful spiral, coated pages format that St. Lynn’s Press does so well.

Denise Schreiber, a lifelong gardener with a degree in floriculture and liberal studies, lives and gardens in a Pittsburgh suburb with her husband, daughter and four cats. She is also the Greenhouse Manager for Allegheny County Parks. Many people in the Pittsburgh area are familiar with Denise as the expert gardener “Mrs. Know-It-All,” a fixture on the widely-heard KDKA Sunday morning radio show, The Organic Gardeners.

More of Denise’s edible flowers recipes and tips can be found online at www.edibleflowers1.com.

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

Planting the Dry Shade Garden

noreply@blogger.com (Kylee Baumle) — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 02:40:00 +0000

Planting the Dry Shade Garden
The Best Plants for the Toughest Spot in Your Garden
by Graham Rice

193 pages
Timber Press, 2011
List price: $24.95

I’m partial to books that address a problem I’m having in my own garden. I’m especially partial to them if they give me practical solutions for it. I dove right into Planting the Dry Shade Garden because this is one of the toughest growing situations that I, along with many other gardeners, have.

First off, Graham Rice explains what makes a dry shade garden tough for plants. Part of dealing with the problem is understanding it. And then he gives us the good news – news that we’ve known all along – that it’s a matter of growing the right plant for the situation.

There really are many plants that will handle dry shade just fine. And that’s what the bulk of the book is about. More than 130 plants that will grow well in most zones are profiled, giving us plenty to choose from. Included are shrubs, climbers, perennials, ground covers, bulbs, biennials, and even annuals. In addition, Rice shares tips on how to improve the dry shade garden conditions themselves, thereby increasing our chances for success.

Planting the Dry Shade Garden is a valuable garden tool that I’ve needed for a long time. I’m using it to help keep my vow to garden smarter, not harder.

Graham Rice is an internationally known plantsman and the award-winning writer of more than 25 gardening books. With a degree in horticulture from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, England, Graham gardens in dry shade on both sides of the Atlantic.

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

The Roses at the End of the Road

noreply@blogger.com (Kylee Baumle) — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 03:38:00 +0000

The Roses at the End of the Road
by Pat Leuchtman

95 pages
Fiftyshift.com Publishing
List price: $14.95

Now that the face of publishing is changing at breakneck speed, there’s a plethora of self-published books entering the market. Some are good and some are not, but as a reader, writer and book reviewer, I applaud them. How else might we get to know our fellow gardeners and their talents?

Pat Leuchtman is the author of The Roses at the End of the Road, a winsome collection of the events and characters that make up her life with Henry on their rural Massachusetts farm. They don’t grow wheat or corn or soybeans. What they grow is roses – lots of roses. They grow perennials too, but it’s clear that roses are their passion.

I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Pat on several occasions and never knew of her rich past, including living in China during the Tiananmen Square incident. She tells of her life’s journey to The End of the Road farm, where every year she and Henry host The Rose Walk.

Growing a garden is always a learning experience. Our gardens teach us much, as the tending to its needs continues year after year. The Roses at the End of the Road is a warm, satisfying read which makes you glad that Pat Leuchtman decided to share the lessons she’s learned.

Pat Leuchtman has been writing about gardens and gardeners in The Recorder (Greenfield, MA) since 1980, and in her CommonWeeder blog since 2007. This is her first book.

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

The Bad Tempered Gardener

noreply@blogger.com (Kylee Baumle) — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 16:32:00 +0000

The Bad Tempered Gardener
by Anne Wareham

168 pages
Frances Lincoln Limited, 2011
List price: $24.95

Having interacted with Anne Wareham on Twitter and observed many other conversations there, I really thought I’d thoroughly love her book, The Bad Tempered Gardener. I enjoy her sharp wit and her sometimes blunt frankness. But I can’t exactly say the same for her book. Perhaps the title set my mood as a reader, too.

I got into the spirit of things as I read the first few chapters, but by halfway through, I was growing weary of her not liking this or not liking that. I appreciate her honesty about gardens and gardening. I agree with many of her observations and don’t with others. But by the time I had six or so chapters to go, I found myself doing some self-talk to finish the book.

Perhaps because I’m a glass half full kind of gal, this just wasn’t the book for me. I mean no disrespect when I say it was just a bit too bad-tempered for me. I was warned, after all. But it wasn’t just the negativity; it was also the expounding on things when the same thing could be said in half the words.

Wareham and her husband Charles Hawes have created a garden of genius in the reflecting pool and wavy hedges. Brilliant. To her credit, she gives many points for gardeners to ponder and we would all do well to do a little more independent thinking, as she does.

Anne Wareham has been living and gardening in the Welsh borders with her husband Charles Hawes for over thirty years. She has written occasional pieces for the Financial Times on gardens since 1998 and accompanying articles to Charles Hawes' photographs in magazines such as The English Garden and Gardens Illustrated. She contributed a chapter to the Frances Lincoln book Vista and is a founder member of thinkingardens, set up with the support of the RHS to encourage and develop a broader, more enquiring attitude to gardens.

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The Language of Flowers: A Novel

noreply@blogger.com (Kylee Baumle) — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 22:44:00 +0000

The Language of Flowers: A Novel
by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

336 pages
Ballentine Books, 2011
List price: $25.00

Being a gardener and seeing things through a gardener’s eyes, it was the title that first drew my attention to The Language of Flowers. But being fiction, I knew that while flowers might be a major player, they just as easily might not be. They are.

Vanessa Diffenbaugh’s debut novel tackles a subject that few of us are really familiar with - the life of foster children – and joins it to the Victorian custom of using flowers to convey thoughts and feelings. As we hear about Victoria’s life in a volley of chapters that tell of her difficult past and then her equally difficult present, we come to want her to succeed, despite her struggles with herself to do so. She has those in her life that want her to have a good life, too, if she can only come to believe in their sincerity – not an easy task for a child who has grown up in a series of foster and group homes.

In case you’re wondering, there’s romance here, but this is no romance novel. It is an inspiring and at the same time, enlightening tale of a complicated life about a girl we somehow like straight away. We do learn about the language of flowers and a bit about viticulture, but we learn a great deal more about the human spirit.

I read The Language of Flowers in two days and not because I didn’t have anything else to do. It captured my interest in the first few pages and never let go until I reached the end. Very few books do both for me. As I made my way through each chapter, I tried to figure out how it all would work together to come to a satisfying conclusion. I never quite figured it out until I read it and that’s a good thing.

It’s hard for me to believe that this is a first novel. Diffenbaugh has made herself a tough act to follow, but I hope she does.

To write The Language of Flowers, Vanessa Diffenbaugh found inspiration in her own experience as a foster mother. After studying creative writing and education at Stanford University, Vanessa taught art and writing to youth in low-income communities. She and her husband, PK, have three children and live in Cambridge, Massachusetts. This is her first novel.

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Good Bug Bad Bug & Good Weed Bad Weed

noreply@blogger.com (Kylee Baumle) — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 03:48:00 +0000

Good Bug Bad Bug
Who's Who, What They Do, and How to Manage Them Organically

by Jessica Walliser

95 pages

St. Lynn's Press, 2nd Edition, Updated, 2011

List price: $17.95

The fact that this book is in its Second Edition (Revised and Updated, previous edition 2008) speaks of its popularity and value as a guide for the home gardener when it comes to the love/hate relationship we have with bugs. We struggle with them, knowing that some are good and some are bad, but how do we tell the difference?

Once again, Jessica Walliser gives us the lowdown on 41 of the most common bugs that we come face-to-face with in our gardens. Three new ones have been added as a result of climate change's effect on the insect world and ours. I really like the spiral, vertical format of this book, with its sturdy and coated pages, making it durable enough to take to the garden with you. But besides its physical traits, the information it gives about each insect is thorough enough to give gardeners the confidence to identify the good guys as well as the bad, and how to deal with all of them organically, if we find it necessary.

Hooray for this concise guide that should be on every gardener's reference shelf!

Jessica Walliser co-hosts “The Organic Gardeners” on KDKA radio in Pittsburgh. She is a contributing editor for Organic Gardening magazine where you can read her 'Good Bug, Bad Bug' feature in each issue. Her column ‘The Good Earth’ appears weekly in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and she is a regular contributor to Urban Farm, Popular Farming, Hobby Farms and Hobby Farm Home magazines.

Good Weed Bad Weed
Who's Who, What to Do, and Why Some Deserve a Second Chance

by Nancy Gift

95 pages

St. Lynn's Press, 2011

List price: $17.95

With the successful format of Good Bug Bad Bug, Nancy Gift tackles that other nemesis of gardeners everywhere - the weed. Every garden has them and Gift sorts them out for us - 43 of the most commonly found.

At first glance, I cringed when I saw a couple of weeds listed as good, when they clearly are not good in my garden. But Gift expects that reaction and says so. Disagreement over what constitutes a weed has been going on for a very long time. But as the subtitle says, some deserve a second chance and Gift explains why. Mostly it's about changing our habitual and cultural thoughts and being open to seeing the attributes of what we think a weed is.

Take purslane, for example. Purslane grows easily in my northwest Ohio gardens and is a nuisance to farmers. But in some cultures, it's highly prized for its edible properties. It's gaining in popularity in this country as well, and after seeing it sold in a farmer's market in Seattle this summer, my view is changing. Weeds are plants too, and Nancy Gift helps us sort them out organically, even including recipes to make use of them on the dinner table.

Again, the spiral binding and coated pages make this a book that will stand up to practical use.

Nancy Gift is an assistant professor of environmental science and acting director of the Rachel Carson Institute at Chatham University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where she lives with her husband, two daughters, four chickens, one cat, and a lawn full of many beloved weeds.

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

"Seeing Trees" Book and Print Giveaway!

noreply@blogger.com (Kylee Baumle) — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 19:10:00 +0000

I've not yet received my review copy of Seeing Trees: Discover the Extraordinary Secrets of Everyday Trees by Nancy Ross Hugo and Robert Llewellyn (it's on the way), but I wanted to share this awesome giveaway that the publisher, Timber Press, is doing RIGHT NOW. You can win a signed copy of the book as well as a signed print by the photographer, Robert Llewellyn.

Seeing Trees is a brand new release (August 16, 2011) and delves into the intimate world of some of the best-known trees. You'll learn details about trees that you didn't know before and paired with photography by Llewellyn, you'll know what to look for as you're out and among them. You're guaranteed to never look at trees the same again. (Gosh, what will I say in my review?)

This is the signed professional quality print from Robert Llewellyn that the
winner will receive. It captures emerging American beech (Fagus grandifolia)
leaves, stretching free of their golden bud scales.

It's easy to enter. Just click here to go to the contest page and enter your information. You only have until September 9, 2011, so get on over there and enter! And if you just can't wait to see if you win a copy, you can purchase one now at Amazon.

My Garden, the City and Me

noreply@blogger.com (Kylee Baumle) — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 14:54:00 +0000

My Garden, the City and Me

Rooftop Adventures in the Wilds of London

by Helen Babbs

144 pages

Timber Press, 2011

List price: $18.95

I’ll admit that I like to read chic lit now and then. It’s mildly entertaining when I want to relax and not try to tax my brain figuring out the meaning of life. Most books of this genre (that I’ve read anyway) take place in Britain and while the nuances of difference in language and culture may not affect the outcome, they do flavor the story in a unique way. Besides being a book about gardening, it was the fascination with the British voice that spurred me to read My Garden, the City and Me: Rooftop Adventures in the Wilds of London by Helen Babbs.

Photo courtesy of Timber Press

This isn’t chic lit and I didn’t expect it to be. It’s a charming story of a year in the life of Babbs’ apartment…err, flat…rooftop garden. But it still has that British essence that I enjoy. I chose bedtime to read this book, not to help me find sleep, but to escape from the day to that rooftop far away in London. The rooftop served Babbs and me well in this respect.

Reflections of her year as a gardener and her views of her city make My Garden, the City and Me a pleasant read. I empathized with her trials, but because I'm a rural gardener, I especially cheered her success at growing so much in the middle of a metropolitan city. It’s a sweet memoir.

Helen Babbs is a freelance journalist and writer in her mid-twenties. She has worked for the BBC, Associated Press, and Time Out, and is editor of the London Wildlife Trust's magazine, Wild London. She has a monthly nature notes column in Kitchen Garden magazine and blogs on their website about her roof garden, in addition to writing for Organic Garden and Home magazine.

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

A Recipe For Continuous Bloom

noreply@blogger.com (Kylee Baumle) — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 18:24:00 +0000

A Recipe For Continuous Bloom
by Lorraine Roberts

316 pages
Plant Paradise Country Gardens™ (self-published), 2011
List price: $29.95 + tax and S&H = $40.40 CAD

As our gardens reach the midpoint of the growing season in many areas and begin the decline into what some of us look forward to as a break from it all and others become depressed that it will soon be over, we take a more serious look at what has bloomed when.

The dream garden is one that has constant bloom throughout the growing season, but that's easier said than done. Things such as soil type, moisture requirements, growing zones, and other factors all play a part and it can be frustrating and difficult to plan such a garden.

Garden center owner Lorraine Roberts has written a "recipe book" that makes this task easier. A Recipe For Continuous Bloom organizes perennials by bloom time, giving us just their very basic needs. It's a picture book (and more), with outstanding specimen photos, which simply inspires plant lovers to grow more in general.

But at the back of the book is a plant guide that gives suggestions for what to grow if you want a particular type of garden, such as a hummingbird garden. Other lists include plants for attracting butterflies, drought-tolerant plants, long-blooming perennials, North American native plants, plants that attract beneficial insects, and more.

A Recipe For Continuous Bloom is based on Roberts' home growing zone of Zone 5 in Ontario, Canada, but being in the middle of the spectrum makes this a useful book for those of other zones as well.

The book could have been better though, with just a bit of tweaking. Roberts gives us only the cold end of the zone in which the featured plants will grow, but not the warmer limit. She labels the plants by their botanical name, but including the common names would have been a nice touch, too.

She has divided the book into sections by their light requirements, and at the top of the page in a green-colored bar that can also be seen at the pages' edges, it gives their months of bloom. Color-coding this bar by month (instead of them being all the same color) would have been a help to the reader in finding all plants that bloom in June, regardless of whether they're a shade plant or a sun plant or somewhere in-between.

Still, it's a handy book and I like its spiral binding. The photography is Roberts' and the images show off the plants well. I'll find it useful in my garden planning. For more information and purchasing information, visit her website.

Lorraine Roberts has a wealth of knowledge in the field of horticulture and has written many gardening articles for magazines. She is a speaker at Canada Blooms, the Successful Gardening Show, and horticultural societies on a wide range of topics. Lorraine and her husband, Robert, own and operate Plant Paradise Country Gardens™, an organic perennial nursery and garden centre in Caledon, Ontario, Canada, featuring extensive perennial display gardens of continuous bloom.

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