|
American
Horticultural Society
The American Gardener
March/April 2003 Recommended
Garden Books
Because the AHS Horticultural Book
Service was discontinued as of June 30, 2000 no further phone or mail orders
are filled. However, AHS members are still be able to order books at a
discount by linking to Amazon.com through the Society's Web site. Through this
partnership with Amazon.com, AHS members can receive better discounts on most
titles, faster delivery, greater inventory, and improved access to
hard-to-find books. The books listed here have not been critically evaluated;
they have been chosen for description based on unusual subject matter or
substantive content.
The
following
books are our current recommended garden books from the March/April 2003 issue
of The American Gardener. To
read the review just click on the book title. You can then order the book
directly from Amazon.com by clicking on "Buy this book!" that
follows each review.
BOOK REVIEWS
Recommendations for Your Gardening
Library
GARDENER’S BOOKS
Noteworthy New Titles
BOOK REVIEWS
Recommendations for Your Gardening Library
Grounds for Pleasure: Four Centuries of the American
Garden.
Denise Otis. Harry N. Abrams, Inc, New York, 2002. 352 pages. Publisher’s
price, hardcover: $52.50.
Buy This Book
Weighing in at over five pounds, Denise Otis’s gorgeous book is all muscle and
no flab. Fifteen years in the making by the former editor of House & Garden,
this highly readable work is an extraordinary chronicle of the private garden
in America from its earliest roots to the end of the 20th century.
And what a lot of information is
packed in here. Musings about likely influences on the European settlers
include asides on such subjects as the native Indians’ possible use of
sunflowers “decoratively.” And there are portfolios of outstanding modern
gardens, not the least of which is a breathtaking Santa Barbara hillside
garden by Isabelle C. Greene, inspired by terraced agricultural fields.
Illustrated with archival line
drawings as well as black-and-white and color photographs, this book is a
thoughtful and loving study by a knowledgeable garden writer. The
conversational text provides a wealth of information on American landscapes as
varied as the grandly “naturalistic” 19th-century Hunnewell estate, with its
astonishing mix of Italian and French influences, and a Lilliputian New York
City backyard of the same period, designed to feature subtropical plants.
The names of some who influenced
their countrymen will be familiar—Charles Platt, Ellen Shipman, and Frank
Scott, among them. But a fair majority of the characters may be new to most,
as the scope of the author’s knowledge and personal interest is nothing less
than astonishing. Nowhere is this more evident than in the center section
where the material included is aptly described in part of the subtitle:
“…some digressions on the
(garden) customs or conditions that influenced them.” And delightful
digressions these are, ranging from subjects as diverse as the Picturesque
Style in Brooklyn as promoted by a local nurseryman, to the peculiarly
American passion for foundation planting.
It is a shame the phrase
“exhaustively researched” has become such a cliché, as I can think of no more
succinct way to describe Denise Otis’s remarkable magnum opus.
-Linda Yang
Linda Yang, a former garden writer for The New York Times, is author of The
City Gardener’s Handbook (Storey, 2002).
Hope’s Edge: The
Next Diet for a Small Planet.
Frances Moore Lappé and Anna Lappé. Tarcher/Putnam Publishing, New York, 2002.
448 pages. Publisher’s price, hardcover: $10.47.
Buy This Book
 If you think gardening is just about finding joy and solace in working with
the earth or making our world more beautiful, think again. Gardening is also
political—whether through the creation of edible gardens at schools in San
Francisco, seed-saving efforts in India, planting trees in Nigeria, or
reclaiming land for growing in Brazil. Hope’s Edge shows by these and other
examples that the links between what we grow and eat, our health, and our
economy extend to the root and soul of our societies.
Expect to have your perceptions
rattled as you travel around the world with Lappé and her daughter on a broad
and deep personal journey. We embark with their multitude of questions and
doubts about solving the problem of world hunger. We return with no pat
answers, but with hope and conviction that the way we grow plants and feed our
communities can be transformative.
In Bangladesh, founders of the
Grameen bank are proving that a different model for lending money can
transform despair and poverty into abundance. Not only is the bank owned by
its borrowers—poor village women—but these women also require 16 borrower
“pledges” that are slowly bringing about social change in the treatment of
women. Among them are pledges to keep the family small, educate their
children, and to “not inflict any injustice on anyone nor to allow anyone to
do so.”
In India, a former nuclear physicist
is helping villages climb out of deep debt from costly chemicals by saving
seeds and returning to organic farming. In Europe we meet farmers who are
shifting their emphasis from productivity to quality and recognizing a farm’s
multiple roles in a community: providing healthful food, protecting the
environment, and providing jobs.
Back home, we learn about a new breed
of America’s family farms that are community-supported, and meet old timers
seeking to improve their health by trading chemicals and feed lots for
organics and intensive, rotational pasture grazing.
At its core, Hope’s Edge is about
facing our fears and discovering we do have the courage and know-how to make a
difference. A must-read for those interested in sustainability, it will
challenge and inspire gardeners everywhere.
-Tanya Denckla
Tanya Denckla is author of the forthcoming revised 2nd edition of The Organic
Gardener’s Home Reference (Storey ).
The Genus
Epimedium.
William T. Stearn. Timber Press, Portland, Oregon, 2002. 342 pages.
Publisher’s price, hardcover: $34.97.
Buy This Book
 A perfectionist to the very end, legendary English botanist William T. Stearn
finished work on a revised and much enlarged version of his 1938 monograph,
The Genus Epimedium, shortly before his death in 2001. In this remarkably
scholarly work, Stearn organizes and describes the species and many cultivars
and sorts out the “dire tangle” of names. Gardeners shouldn’t be put off by
this scholarly approach, but rather revel in “those delightful things” that so
captivated Stearn.
Commonly known as barrenworts, epimediums are garden workhorses.
There is enough diversity in the
genus to appeal to all levels of gardeners, from the novice to the
sophisticated. As Stearn describes, there are evergreen varieties like
Epimedium 5perralchicum and E. 5warleyense to mask bare woodlands. Deciduous
species such as E. alpinum and E. 5versicolor ‘Versicolor’ effectively clothe
the mulched soil of shrub borders. There are vigorous spreaders like E.
pinnatum subsp. colchicum that sport abundant yellow flowers when grown in any
good garden soil. E. grandiflorum and E. acuminatum are perfect for shady rock
crevices, since they grow slowly, forming tidy clumps.
The book is an excellent mix of
history, geography, gardening tips, and science. Concise, clear taxonomic
descriptions and information on geographical distribution are complemented by
glorious paintings, line drawings, and color photographs. The key to the genus
is excellent, and was sorely needed. The number of named cultivars and
selections included—many recent ly discovered—is outstanding.
Stearn applies the same taxonomic
treatment for other herbaceous members of Berberidaceae, including Vancouveria,
Caulophyllum, Diphylleia, and Jeffersonia. A final bonus in the book is the
inclusion of Julian Shaw’s thorough discussion of the genus Podophyllum.
If you weren’t an epimedium
enthusiast before discovering this book, I am sure you will be won over after
perusing its pages. I have been growing epimediums for over two decades—they
cover dark shady corners, creep under woody shrubs and conifers, colonize
dappled shade, and occasionally stray into sunnier spots. Now I want to grow
more species, hybrids, and selections, and I am delighted to have this book in
my gardening library as a tool and a top-notch reference.
Plant and grow epimediums. Be barren no more!
- Yvonne England
Garden writer Yvonne England lives and gardens in Honey Brook, Pennsylvania.
GARDENER’S BOOKS
Noteworthy New Titles
There are many more new books on the market than we have time or space to
review, but here are a few that recently caught our eye. Through a partnership
with amazon.com, AHS members can order these and other books at a discount by
linking to amazon.com through the Society’s Web site by selecting "Buy this
Book."
 Architecture in the Garden.
James van Sweden, foreword by Penelope Hobhouse. Random House, New York, New
York, 2002. 272 pages. Publisher’s price, hardcover: $27.97.
Buy This Book
In his new book, award-winning landscape architect James van Sweden reveals
both the logic and the inspiration behind developing a harmonious landscape
that weds house to garden. He provides readers with a process that they can
apply to their own landscape, using architectural elements as the backbone of
a design that suits both the homeowners’ needs and makes the most of their
site.
Van Sweden discusses the elements of
garden architecture—paths, walls, gates, fences, terraces, sheds, lighting,
furniture, waterworks, and art. To illustrate his approach, he describes
several case studies that include both large and small landscapes in a variety
of climates and styles. Stunning color photographs by Richard Felber enhance
van Sweden's discussions; schematic drawings by Ching-Fang Chen provide useful
details.
The Intuitive Gardener:
Finding Creative Freedom in the Garden.
Marilyn Raff. Fulcrum Publishing, Golden, Colorado, 2002. 184 pages.
Publisher’s price, softcover: $17.47.
Buy This Book
“Two forces propel me to garden: imagination and intuition,” states Marilyn
Raff in the first chapter of her new book about how you approach gardening.
Drawing from her experience developing her own suburban landscape in
Littleton, Colorado, she encourages readers to trust their own intuition,
rather than limit themselves to the rules and opinions of experts. She
suggests that gardeners unleash their imagination and creativity and follow
their internal feelings about what is right for their gardens.
Chapters include discussions about
sun-loving plants, plants for the shade, roses, and grasses. In her final
chapter, “The Richness of Color and Form,” Raff focuses on appreciating and
making the most of seasonal changes in the garden.
Palms Won’t Grow Here and Other Myths.
David A. Francko. Timber Press, Portland, Oregon,
2003. 267 pages. Publisher’s price, hardcover: $19.57.
Buy This Book
Adventurous gardeners will welcome this book by botany professor David A.
Francko. Asserting that warm-climate plants can be grown in areas subject to
chilling winters, Francko provides suggestions on how gardeners can
successfully push the envelope of plant hardiness. His discussions about the
science behind cold hardiness, microclimates, site selection, and plant
protection offer a logical approach based on understanding and accommodating
plant needs. With humorous asides and practical tips, Francko challenges
cool-temperature gardeners to consider growing exotic, tropical plants that
they have previously considered too tender for their climate.
Gardening with Prairie Plants:
How to Create Beautiful Native Landscapes.
Sally Wasowski, photographs by Andy Wasowski. University of Minnesota Press,
Minneapolis, Minnesota, 2002. 304 pages.
Publisher's price, softcover: $20.97.
Buy This Book
 Landscape designer Sally Wasowski offers practical advice and detailed
directions for anyone interested in prairie gardening. Plans for both small
and large landscapes are discussed, as is criteria for selecting and
installing plants. Detailed listings for more than 300 species provide the
gardener interested in native plants with ample choices and the cultural
information they need to grow them successfully. The 241 color photographs by
Andy Wasowski illustrate the effective use of prairie native in landscape
design.
|
