Happy Thanksgiving Day After to all!
In today's local newspaper, the gardening columnist listed his 6 top new gardening books of 2006:
- "The Landscape Design Answer Book", by Jane Bath. Rated as best of the year.
- "The Truth About Garden Remedies", by Jeff Gillman.
- "The Essential Garden Maintenance Workbook", by Rosemary (how appropriate) Alexander.
- "Encyclopedia of Garden Design and Structure", by Derek Dell.
- "Armitage's Native Plants for North American Gardens", by Allan M. Armitage.
- "Bird-by-Bird Gardening", by Sally Roth.
The only one of these that I have read is #5. A fellow native plant enthusiast loaned it to me a month or so ago. It is a well-written book, and Armitage takes a moderate view on the use of native plants in the landscape. He feels--and I agree--that non-native plants can be an attractive and functional part of the landscape--as long as they are non-invasive.
My "library" of gardening/plant books is fairly extensive. I would have a tough time picking out my favorite, or even my top 5. However, the one book that I have found almost indispensible is "Newcomb's Wildflower Guide", by Lawrence Newcomb. The version that I have is geared specifically towards the Northeastern United States, and it lists virtually every plant that I have ever stumbled across in my wanderings. The identification keys are easy to learn and use; this book is the primary teaching tool for the Environmental Education classes at the school where I work. Another nice book is "Taylor's Guide to Perennials", by Barbara W. Ellis. This is a nicely illustrated book that lists some of the most popular and attractive perennial flowers, most of them native, for the home gardener.
I would be interested in hearing from fellow gardeners about their favorite books.
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Comments: 6
Thanks for the reply. I'll have to see if I can find a copy of "Sunset Northeastern Garden Book". Sound like an interesting and informative read.
You should be able to find a reputable supplier of native plants in your area. In the south-central PA area, we have three nurseries that are dedicated solely to native plants--North Creek, New Moon, and Octararo. You might be able to do a 'Net search and find some in your area, or you could try asking a local conservancy group. I have an advantage over most people in that I work closely with the Environmental Education program at the school where I am employed. We have over 150 acres of restored native wildlife habitat (woods, wetlands, and meadows), and we propagate our own plants, so I never have a shortage.
Not everyone is fortunate enough to have access to plants like I do, but if you take the steps above, you should be able to find some suppliers in your neck of the woods. Let me know how you make out.
With your love of the wild, and native plants, you will soon be investigating books on composting, which should round out your love of nature, and help you to truly be a part of the natural world. One of my favorite websites for awesome book reviews by individual staff members is www.powells.com. Search for keyword: composting-and you will see numerous titles that might be excellent to help you.
I also purchased a Soil Soup ( http://www.soilsoup.com/splash/holiday2006/ ) unit 2 years ago, and have watched plants/roses/etc., actually whatever I planted Exceed all expectations for size & vigor due to use of the Soil Soup application during the growing season. Do check out the site and email other users for feedback. It is interesting the work that went into the development of this resource.
Of course, I am blessed to live north of Seattle the Pacific North West. We enjoy mild temperatures, long rainy periods, and very few winter icing conditions. This makes for optimum growing conditions. I do know we need to remember to give credit to our climate, which allows us extreme bounty with anything we grow.
Best wishes with your endeavor.
Nice to hear from a fellow composter. We have a standard compost pit in the backyard for outdoor waste, and we have an indoor worm bin that we use to compost our household organic waste. We have acheived superior results over the last few years using both regular and vermicompost. We have also greatly reduced our contribution to landfills by composting virtually every scrap of organic material that we produce.
Probably the best book for the home vermicompost enthusiast is "Worms Eat My Garbage", by the late Mary Applehoff--The Worm Woman. There is plenty of information online, too.
Keep composting!
P.S. Gettin' a little snow and ice out there in Washington, aren't you, Barbara?