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May/June 1999 Recommended Garden Books
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The following books
are recommended garden books from the May/June 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.
 Pleasures
of the Cottage Garden
Rand B. Lee. Friedman/Fairfax Publishers, New York, NY,
1998. 144 pages.
Recommended, but review unavailable on-line (see, current
issue of The American Gardener).
Buy this book!
 Butterfly
Gardening: Creating Summer Magic in your Garden
The Xerces Society & Smithsonian Institution. Sierra Club
Books, San Francisco, CA, 1998. 208 pages.
Recommended, but review unavailable on-line (see, current
issue of The American Gardener).
Buy this book!
Earth on Her Hands
Starrr Ockenga. Clarkson N. Potter, New York, NY, 1998. 239
pages.
Recommended, but review unavailable on-line (see, current
issue of The American Gardener).
Buy this book!
Tyler's Honest
Herbal, 4TH Edition
Steven Foster and Varro E. Tyler. The Haworth Herbal Press,
Binghamton, NY, 1999. 442 pages.
With the ever increasing interest in herbal remedies, more
gardeners are growing their own herbs. But before you begin
boiling water for an herbal tea or other concoction, take a
look at the updated fourth edition of Tyler’s Honest Herbal.
First published in 1981, this book is considered by experts to
be one of the most reliable sources of information on herbal
medicines.
Foster and Tyler-leading authorities in the study of natural
products for medicinal use-analyze and report on the most
current scientific research and clinical data for more than
100 popular herbal remedies, including St. John’s-wort,
echinacea, ginseng, and ginkgo, to support or disprove the
purported uses of each plant. The authors’ evaluations are
objective and straightforward, noting the chemical
constituents in each plant and their efficacy in preventing or
treating ailments. Safety is also addressed, with warnings of
possible side effects and potential drug interactions. Each
entry is followed by a list of references, allowing interested
readers to study the scientific data themselves.
For ease of use, entries are arranged alphabetically by each
plant’s common name. A thorough index makes it a snap to
locate information on many topics, including toxic plants,
plants used to treat certain symptoms or illnesses, and FDA
regulations.
Tyler’s Honest Herbal offers an informed and serious
evaluation of herbal remedies; it is recommended reading for
anyone considering the use of these products.
-- Christina M. Scott, Assistant Editor of The American
Gardener.
Buy this book!
Knot Gardens and
Parterres
Robin Whalley and Anne Jennings. Barn Elms Publishing,
London, 1998. 160 pages.
This book is a treasure trove of information about the
development of knot gardens throughout history. On the more
practical side, the authors explore different methods of
creating and using knots as a garden feature and describe
systematically the process of planning, planting, and
maintaining a knot garden. This is a great book for anyone
interested in garden history or who wants to replicate
historical designs. The many color photographs of knot gardens
are sure to inspire any gardener.
Buy this book!
 Washington's
Gardens at Mount Vernon
Mac Griswold. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, MA, 1999.
192 pages.
This year, the 200th anniversary of George Washington’s death,
is the perfect time for release of this compilation of
archival material highlighting Washington’s achievements as a
gardener, landscaper, and farmer. With information garnered
from Washington’s memos, diaries, garden plans, and plant
lists, the author reveals how this famous statesman gathered
seeds and transplanted and pruned trees. Griswold also shows
how Washington designed a kitchen garden, pleasure garden, and
botanical garden that have been restored at Mount Vernon.
Buy this book!
 The
Art of the Kitchen Garden
Jan and Michael Gertley. The Taunton Press, Newton, CT,
1999. 151 pages.
If you are no longer satisfied with growing vegetables in neat
little rows, then this is the book for you. The authors
discuss new ways to lay out a garden so it is both functional
and aesthetically pleasing. Included are detailed designs of
quilt-block gardens, Japanese family-crest gardens, and Celtic
knot gardens. The book is illustrated with 134 color
photographs and 29 color drawings.
Buy this book!
 Gardening
Basics
Ken Beckett, Steve Bradley, Noel Kingsbury, and Tim
Newbury. Sterling Publishing Co., New York, NY, 1999. 276
pages.
Step-by-step instructions and thousands of photographs and
illustrations make this book an informative reference for both
beginning and experienced gardeners. The authors guide the
reader through all stages of gardening, including design,
plant selection, and maintenance for both ornamental and
vegetable gardens. Concise instructions are provided for
projects such as building ponds, pergolas, decks, and fences,
as well as explanations on how to lay hard surfaces such as
concrete, paving slabs, and stone. An appendix includes
seasonal calendars for ornamental and edible gardens.
Buy this book!
Quick and Easy
Container Water Gardens
Philip Swindells. Storey Books, Pownal, VT, 1998. 128
pages.
Container water gardens offer versatility for gardeners who
don’t have time or space for conventional water features.
Swindells, a water garden expert, provides complete
step-by-step instructions for creating more than 25 easy and
affordable water gardens for both indoors and out, proving
that water features are not just for large, extravagant
gardens. Each project is illustrated with detailed color
photographs. An encyclopedic list of largely trouble-free
aquatic plants is included to help you choose plants suitable
to your climate. The care of water plants, fish, and snails is
also discussed. The book includes more than 100 color
photographs and illustrations.
Buy this book!
 Great
Garden Formulas
Joan Benjamin and Deborah L. Martin, editors. Rodale Press,
Emmaus, PA, 1998. 342 pages.
This useful collection of more than 350 mix-it-yourself
concoctions for your garden provides explicit, cookbook-style
instructions on how to make everything from compost to natural
herbicides and pest repellants. Most of the recipes use
ingredients readily available at the local garden center or
grocery store. The book includes a large list of sources for
information and supplies, a bibliography of recommended
reading, metric conversion tables, and a complete index.
Buy this book!
 Japanese
Flowering Cherries
Wybe Kuitert with Arie Peterse. Timber Press, Portland, OR,
1999. 395 pages.
Kuitert’s extraordinary book on Japanese flowering cherries
includes a detailed account of their history and complete
information for their cultivation and propagation. A professor
of landscape architecture at the Kyoto University of Art and
Design, Kuitert also disentangles the confusing mixture of
Japanese and English plant names that have long plagued
nurseries, collectors, and amateur gardeners. In addition,
Dutch plant breeder Arie Peterse contributes a complete
botanical key to the classification of Japanese cherries. More
than 100 color photographs of cherries in flower, along with
rare period artwork, complete this practical handbook for
selecting and growing these aristocratic flowering trees.
Buy this book!
 Papermaking
with Plants
Helen Hiebert. Storey Books, Pownal, Vermont, 1998. 112
pages.
A papermaker and artist, Hiebert shares the techniques she
uses to create unique sheets of paper from plant
materials-including hosta, pampas grass, bamboo, and
rose-of-Sharon-gathered from the wild or the garden. Hiebert
provides step-by-step instructions on setting up a studio,
collecting plants and preparing the fibers, and ultimately,
making your own paper. The book includes color illustrations,
an appendix, glossary, and resource guide.
Buy this book!
 The
Orchid Thief
Susan Orlean. Random House, New York, 1998. 284 pages.
The fascinating true story of a man whose obsession with
orchids takes him on a quest into the wild swamps of southern
Florida. Arrested after stealing rare orchids, renegade plant
dealer John Laroche and three Seminole Indians become
embroiled in an odd legal controversy involving
environmentalists, Native American activists, and devoted
orchid collectors. The result is a tale that is strange,
compelling, and at times hilarious. Woven through the story is
a wealth of botanical information about wild orchids, all
checked for accuracy by the American Orchid Society. This book
supports the old adage that truth can indeed be stranger than
fiction.
Buy this book!
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