I feel like this every time a new edition of the Sunset Western Garden Book arrives. (I wish I could just embed that video–that would be so awesome–but copyright protections are just so sophisticated these days. Go watch the first 30 seconds or so and come back.) Okay? Yeah. The new Sunset book is here! [...]
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While reading the latest issue of Better Homes and Gardens, I stumbled upon a new (to me) trend in outdoor living: Outdoor Televisions! Phew! It’s. […]
Body: Posted by Bert CreggLast week I posted about some horticultural disasters I witnessed in the Czech Republic. This week the chamber of horrors. […]
Biodiverse Lawn by Coalition Member Thomas Christopher Like other members of this group, I believe that the contemporary model of lawn has got to go.. […]
Thanks, everyone, for your highly amusing comments on Scott Calhoun's post about his fine new book, The Gardener's Guide to Cactus. I was just in Phoenix for a day, and I drove around with a genuine interest and curiosity about the cacti I saw, all thanks to Scott and...
Read more in: Books, Unusually Clever PeopleI really enjoyed my visit to Cornell Plantations this week, particularly the herb garden, which was still looking good after several hard frosts. Even in the relatively chilly November air, I was overpowered by scent as I passed one of the 17 theme beds. This was clearly the "tussie...
Read more in: Books, Eat ThisTourists to D.C. typically see the Smithsonian museums, but how about the 28+ acres of maintained gardens around them? Most would be surprised to learn there’s that much hort action going on right there on the National Mall. But straight from Smithsonian Books, the new Guide to Smithsonian Gardens...
Read more in: BooksThis book is being hailed as the "horticultural publishing event of the year" and that's probably no exaggeration. Professor Michael A. Dirr is THE MAN when it comes to woody plants. And I agree with all the blurbs – that this 951-page Bible of woody plants is a "trove...
Read more in: BooksSo your new book is a memoir about your garden. I know from my own experience that anytime you're writing about something that's true, you have all these creative challenges to deal with–other people in your life become characters, you have to find a plot and a narrative arc...
Read more in: BooksHere's my latest for Kirkus Reviews. Click here to read Amy's interview with Benjamin Vogt about his book Sleep, Creep, Leap. Sustainable v. traditional front yards in Santa Monica, CA I must have read every book ever published about “sustainable gardening” – surely there aren’t any more of them! –...
Read more in: BooksHere's the post that appeared on Kirkus last Thursday. Tune in here for Susan's thoughts on The New American Landscape. There can be great pleasure in reading gardening advice that has little or no practical relevance for you. That’s why we cherish the British garden writers. From Christopher Lloyd’s...
Read more in: BooksThis ran last week on Kirkus; head over there to check out our latest bookish post. Years ago, I very much wanted a piece of chicken art by S.V. Medaris, but I couldn’t afford it, so I bought a t-shirt instead. That t-shirt now has a hole in...
Read more in: BooksHere's my latest for Kirkus Reviews. Click here to read Amy's review of the clicken book "Cluck". Felder Rushing, despite his actual horticulture degree, radio show, books, and years on the speaking circuit, is also one of the few real characters in the gardening world. He stands out from...
Read more in: BooksHere's last week's Kirkus post, and I've added a giveaway to it. Check here for Susan's take on Felder Rushing's Slow Gardening. Hostas—not the most exciting plant, but gardeners who have to deal with heavy soil, part-to-full shade, and aggressive tree roots know their value. They easily thrive under...
Read more in: BooksThis piece ran on Kirkus' gardening blog–head over there now to see our latest posts. There’s a lot of hand-wringing going on in the publishing world right now. The poor economy, the closure of many fine independent bookstores, the rise of ebooks—it’s causing a lot of anguish. And...
Read more in: BooksHere's my latest for Kirkus Reviews, and check here to see Amy's review of the Bad-Tempered Gardener. Back when perennials became the hot plant group for American gardeners, new fans of perennials glommed onto Tracy DiSabato-Aust’s 1998 book The Well-Tended Perennial Garden because it so clearly explained how to...
Read more in: BooksHere's my take on Weeds (on Kirkus last week). If you missed Amy's Washington Post review of this book, check here. And go here for Susan's Kirkus post on the digital revolution at Timber and more. Some delightful weeds I've been hosting behind the garage. How you define weeds...
Read more in: BooksThis ran last week on Kirkus Review's garden blog--do go check that out. And today on Kirkus Reviews see Michele's article about The Aphorists. I am one of those crazy chicken owners who owns more books about chickens than actual chickens. In fact, the ratio right now is three...
Read more in: BooksHere's my most recent review for Kirkus, and today they've posted Amy's review of chicken books. “Neither a museum nor a great plodding institution, Chanticleer is a gardener’s garden,” says Adrian Higgins about what he and garden photographer Rob Cardillo and this blogger and horticulturists all over the world...
Read more in: BooksHere's my Kirkus column from last week. Check here for Susan's post on Chanticleer. For the past couple years, I’ve been fighting a feeling that I’m being left behind by the gardening world as part of a forgotten minority. The hottest trends have passed me by. I don’t grow...
Read more in: BooksHere's last week's Kirkus post. And be sure to read Susan's post today about the art of gardening. I had been meaning to write about Allan Armitage's vines and climbers book for some time. In my small garden, sometimes the only way to go is up, so I've been...
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Commented on Plant Ideas Needed for Biodiverse Lawn { The next occasion When i understand the weblog, Lets hope that it doesnt disappoint us just as much as this place. I am talking about,... } – May 23, 12:55 PM
Commented on Got Gnomes? { I'm with the gnomes. Those plastic chairs were especially ugly. Maybe they were reacting to the buying-plastic-stuff-made-in-China over actually gardening and communing with nature? } – May 23, 11:01 AM
Commented on Cats in the Garden - Solutions Only { Except for the expensive elctronic contraptions, I have tried all those suggestions and more (coyote and cougar urine, a dog), and none of them work.... } – May 23, 10:45 AM
Commented on Got Gnomes? { It is very funny, and also a bit of an inside joke. There is a very funny book "Yew and Non-Yew" by James Bartholomew that... } – May 22, 11:44 PM
Commented on In Defense of Plant Critics { It's not worth going back to quote it exactly, but the crack in the article about the man who loved his impatiens, but didn't know... } – May 22, 11:03 PMWe are:
perfect
magazine
gardens.
Gardening
our
asses
off.
Having a
hell of a lot
of fun.
