Tag Archives: book preview

Book Preview: Decoding Gardening Advice

Posted on by

5

Decoding Gardening Advice cover imageI read a lot of books on gardening. Between books I receive from publishers for review and books I borrow from a local library for research on specific gardens I am designing, most of them fall into the same general category – relaying information to the gardener that, when it comes right down to it, is meant to read and regurgitated.

You have a specific problem in your garden…well, here’s my solution. To be honest, there’s not a whole lot of thinking involved on the reader’s part.

I find that many gardening books are written to share information but not to truly educate the reader/gardener.  Decoding Gardening Advice:  The Science Behind the 100 Most Common Recommendations by Jeff Gillman and Meleah Maynard is different.

Growing a Gardener

Decoding Gardening Advice is for the thinking gardener, someone who not only wants a beautiful garden but also wants to grow as a gardener. It’s a book for any gardener who wants to understand why specific advice they’ve heard time and again from well-meaning experts, friends and garden gurus, may or may not actually work.

Don’t let the words ‘science behind’ in the title scare you away, this is an easy-to-read but well-researched book that will help you become a better gardener.  Gillman and Maynard give humorous, science-based advice that will save you time and money and help you sort out the often contradictory advice we gardeners give and receive.

Good, Debatable & Wrong

Chapters on topics ranging from soil to water to mulch to all kinds of  plants, pests and lawn care are divided into three distinct sections:  Good Advice, Advice That’s Debatable and Advice That’s Just Wrong.

Each common recommendation is reviewed, the authors then look at what happens if you follow the advice and then tell you either how to do it in your garden (good advice) or how to do it better (debatable and bad advice).

Decoding Gardening Advice is one of those books that you’ll refer to again and again. Because it’s filled with practical, and usable advice, you’ll find yourself checking out the facts behind recommendations you’re bound to hear over the garden fence, at your next garden club meeting, or even advice you read on your favorite blog.

Note:  I received a copy of this book from the publisher, Timber Press, for the express purpose of reviewing it.

Book Preview: The Green Roof Manual

Posted on by

0

Cover image of The Green Roof ManualOk, it’s true.  The Green Roof Manual is geared towards professionals who design, install and maintain green roofs.  But that doesn’t mean it is not a valuable resource for the non-professional as well.

As interest in sustainability continues to grow, green roofs have captured the attention of a varied audience interested in learning how green roofs can aid in stormwater management, temperature regulation, reducing energy costs, increasing wildlife habitat and simply adding beauty to a typically barren part of the landscape.

The Green Roof Manual is a simple yet comprehensive look at the ins & outs of green roofs, from their history in North America to the anatomy of a green roof  and the basics of designing, building and maintaining your green roof.  For potential green roof owners, there’s also a chapter called ‘State of the Industry’ with information you’ll want to know on everything from finding a professional to work with, third-party accreditation and the actual economics of having a green roof.

The Green Roof Manual  has some wonderful photos of green roofs that allow readers to see what to actually expect a finished roof to look like.  There’s a great layout of photos of a green roof in Maryland planted primarily with succulents that shows readers how the roof looks during each month of the year.  Even when it’s not in bloom, the rivers of different textures are amazing.

If you’re a green roof professional, this is a must have book.  If you’re a homeowner who is thinking about installing a green roof, you need this book too.  It will save you lots of time, energy and frustration.

Note:  I received a copy of the book from the publisher, Timber Press, for the express purpose of reviewing it.

Book Preview: Designing Gardens with Flora of the American East

Posted on by

3

Cover image of Designing Gardens with Flora of the American EastPlease don’t let the title of the book intimidate you.  I agree, it’s not one of those ‘warm & fuzzy’ titles that you are immediately drawn to as you’re searching the gardening section of your local book store. And that’s a good thing.

Designing Gardens with Flora of the American East is written for the thinking gardener.  The gardener who sees their garden as more than a collection of pretty plants.  The gardener who understands the important role every garden plays in the broader ecosystem and realizes the critical importance of bio-diversity. 

Summers’ book picks up where Douglas Tallamy’s book Bringing Nature Home leaves off. It offers practical information about gardening with native, or indigenous, plants.  Since Summers is also an adjunct professor at the Westchester Community College, her book is sprinkled with lots of scientific facts that admittedly bogs down the book in certain parts.

Where this book excels is at offering indigenous alternatives to invasive plants and presenting design ideas on how to incorporate them into various garden settings – from cottage gardens to meadows to traditional foundation plantings.  There is a chapter on shopping for native plants and also lists of native plants for various purposes such as attracting birds, providing host plants for butterflies or gardening in the shade.

Designing Gardens with Flora of the American East is a must have book for any gardener in the region who is interested in making their garden more sustainable, bio-diverse and ecologically sensitive.

As an aside, I just saw the author, Carolyn Summers, speak at the Ecological Landscape Association’s conference and she was wonderful. Ms. Summers is a lively and engaging speaker and the hour presentation flew by. If you ever have the chance to see Ms. Summers speak, don’t pass it up.

Book Preview: Practical Bamboos

Posted on by

2

Cover photo of Practical Bamboo by Paul WhittakerPractical Bamboos:  The 50 Best Plants for Screens, Containers & More by Paul Whittaker is a treasure trove of advice and inspiration for any gardener who would like to know more about bamboo.  This gardener included.

I’ve been growing bamboo, Fargesia robusta ‘Green Screen’, for about 3 years in my garden with mixed results.  I learned more practical, useful information about my bamboo reading a few paragraphs in Whittaker’s book than I have over the past few years reading other sources on the subject.  To my delight, I learned my bamboo is behaving exactly the way it’s supposed to here in my Connecticut garden.  My view of  ’mixed results’ was primarily due to unrealistic expectations about bamboo growth habits.

Practical Bamboos begins with a comprehensive overview of bamboo – types, soil requirements, structure and growth habits – so by the time the reader gets into the profiles of individual bamboo you already have a basic understanding of what you need to provide the plants in order for them to thrive in your garden.   Whittaker’s take-away advice, for beginners and more seasoned bamboo aficionados is, ‘ You can’t have shoots without roots’.  After reading this book, you’ll understand why the roots are so important for bamboos.

Each of the bamboo profiles contains a handy checklist, including height, cold hardiness, drought tolerance and ideas on how to best incorporate it into your garden, so you can quickly compare bamboos and find the right one for your site.   The photos are beautiful and definitely capture the unique qualities of each bamboo. 

Practical Bamboo concludes with a chapter on caring for your bamboo.  Watering, pruning , digging and pest control are all outlined, with photos to help illustrated Whittaker’s easy-to-understand text.  Whittaker also provides a not only where to buy bamboo but also where to see it growing in arboretums and other managed garden settings.

Regardless of your level of expertise with bamboo, beginner or collector, Practical Bamboo has something to offer - practical advice and tons of design inspiration.

Note:  I received a copy of this book from the publisher, Timber Press, for the express purpose of reviewing it.

Book Preview: The Gossler Guide to the Best Hardy Shrubs

Posted on by

0

Shrubs are the mainstay of every garden but it can be difficult for many homeowners to find anything other than the same cookie-cutter shrubs carried at virtually every nursery or garden center.  When you do happen upon a new shrub cultivar, it’s hard to know what’s new about it and if new actually means better.  The Gossler Guide to the Best Hardy Shrubs is a welcome resource to help sort through all the clutter of new shrub introductions and help  find ‘the best of the best’ that is also perfectly suited to your garden.  (Note:  The shrubs in the book are hardy in zones 5 – 9.)

I have to admit, I had never heard of the Gossler family until I received this book for preview.  It seems the Gossler’s has been growing and selling flowering shrubs at their specialty nursery in Oregon’s Willamette Valley for over 40 years.  Who better to guide you through the maze of shrubs on the market?  To make the list of 350 best shrubs included in the book, each one had to live up to a certain set of criteria – under 20 feet tall, hardy, disease-resistant and easy to grow. Preference was also given to shrubs with multi-season beauty and interest.

Plant profiles describe the shrub’s main characteristics, origin, hardiness zones and light requirement.  Descriptions are written in an easy-to-read, conversational tone full of insights gleaned from personally growing most of the shrubs.  It’s almost as if you’re walking through the Gossler’s own garden as they are showing you each of the selections. 

I was disappointed there is not a photo of each of the shrubs listed (although for some reason several shrubs, like Chionanthus, have more than one photo), or a listing of reliable mail-order resources since the premise of the book is help homeowners create unique and beautiful landscapes. 

Is The Gossler Guide to the Best Hardy Shrubs the definitive resource on the subject? Probably not.  But it is a worthwhile addition to any gardener’s library, who gardens in zones 5 – 9 and who wants to be thoughtful about their shrub purchases and realizes a bit of helpful advice from the experts is always priceless.

Note:  This book was provided to me by the publisher, Timber Press,  for the express purpose of reviewing it. 

Book Preview: Right Rose, Right Place

Posted on by

2

I have to admit it, I’m a bit intimidated by roses.  Maybe it’s because I’m a  lazy gardener at heart, but roses seem way too high maintenance for me.  Sure, whenever I see a beautiful shrub rose or climbing rose in full bloom I lust after it and tell myself I can be the kind of gardener who grows spectacular roses, but I’ve never had the confidence to jump into the rose world with two feet – until now.

Right Rose, Right Place by Peter Schneider is a guide book for selecting the right rose for nearly any garden situation.  From the opening sentence of the introduction, ‘The single most important key to growing good roses is choosing the right rose in the first place.’ to one of the last sentences, ‘Rose pruning is not a mysterious excercise once you understand the reasons why it’s necessary.’ , Schneider walks you through all the steps you’ll need to make the right rose choice for your garden.

I like the way Schneider doesn’t pull any punches when it comes to growing roses.  Early on he talks about how you need to decide what rose feature is most important to you – the color, fragrance, height, disease resistance, repeat bloom – and then realize you simply can’t have it all.  Successfully growing roses means you have to compromise.  That’s hard to hear but important and truthful information, especially for novice rose growers. 

Right Rose, Right Place includes chapters on stand-alone roses, roses to grow in mixed beds, shrub roses, cutting roses, climbing roses, roses for containers, and tree roses.  Once you identify the garden vignette that works for you, Schneider walks you through all the best rose choices, offering tips and advice along with the basics like color, bloom size, height and hardiness.  Chapters on buying, planting and caring for roses round out all the how-to basics you’ll need to succeed.

Whether you’re new to rose gardening or looking to add just the right rose to your growing collection, Right Rose Right Place has something to offer – confidence.

Note:  This book was provided to me by the publisher, Storey,  for the express purpose of reviewing it. 

Book Preview…The Pruning Book

Posted on by

2

An Updated Classic

 

Pruning.  The mere mention of the word can send both newbie gardeners and green-thumbs quacking in their wellies.  It sounds simple enough – cut out the dead parts and trim everything else up to promote healthy grow – but it is a difficult task to perfect.  Luckily, horticulturist Lee Reich has recently updated his classic how-to book on pruning, The Pruning Book,  to help us all out.  

What separates The Pruning Book from many of the other books on this topic is the wealth of knowledge given about the science of pruning.  Rather than simply offer the standard advice – clip here, cut there – Reich explains in detail why you need to prune (it’s essential to an attractive and healthy garden) and how the plant is going to react to the different methods of pruning.   He also discusses how the timing of pruning affects how the plant reacts and what happens when you prune flowers or roots, not just stems and branches.  

I like books like this that assume the reader is intelligent and can comprehend the basic science involved.  I prefer to learn why I am performing a certain step rather than just doing it and hoping for the best.  The Pruning Book covers pruning techniques for not only shrubs and trees but also houseplants, topiaries and fruit trees so it is a much more comprehensive pruning manual than many others currently on the market.  

My only gripe with the book is that is not exactly the kind of book you’d take out in the garden with you and refer to while pruning.  Rather than colorful step-by-step illustrations of where to cut, The Pruning Book is really more of a reference book.  No problem, I have other step-by-step guides I can take outside with me.  The Pruning Book can stay inside where I use it as the comprehensive resource it was meant to be.  

    

Note:  This book was provided to me by the publisher, The Taunton Press,  for the express purpose of reviewing it.