Book Reviews - March 2009
Gardening Incentives
Saving Seeds: The Gardener’s Guide to Growing and Storing Vegetable and Flower Seeds by Marc Rogers. North Adams, MA: Storey Publishing, 1990. Paper, 185 pp., ISBN 978-0-88266-634-1, $14.95.
This popular guide to saving valuable seeds is still available to gardeners who cherish heirloom plants. Whether they are favorite flowers or vegetables, author Marc Rogers provides the basic information on what and how to harvest, store, and test seeds, as well as the pros and cons of seed saving. The second part of the book deals with growing specific vegetables for seeds and is followed by a section imparting information on annual and biennial flowers. There are several desirable supplementary materials: a table of characteristics of common vegetables saved for seed, including seed viability over time; a checklist of some seed borne vegetable diseases; a glossary; a director of seed sources; and maps showing average late and early frosts dates in the U.S. This handy, compact book is a classic for gardeners who have rediscovered the tradition of saving seed from one season to another.
Down & Dirty: 43 Fun & Funky Projects & Activities to Get You Gardening by Ellen Zachos. North Adams, MA: Storey Publishing, 2007. Paper, 248 pp., ISBN 10: 1-58017-641-0, ISBN 13: 978-1-58017-641-5, $19.95.
A primer for novice gardeners, this text contains advice from a youthful professional gardener on the basics of gardening. Ellen Zacho combines instructions with projects that will keep up the interest of the beginner; these range from planting containers to making elderberry champagne. Although the organization of the book appears haphazard, there appears to be a certain degree of planning: as the reader turns each page, a new recipe or adventure brings delight, keeping up interest. Unfortunately, some of the more complicated projects, such as building a garden wall, are not sufficiently detailed for such ventures to be successful. Those who get pleasure from the unconventional will enjoy the activities for fun lovers on the colorful pages.
My Natural History: The Evolution of a Gardener by Liz Primeau. Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada: Greystone Books, 2008.Hardcover, 207 pp., ISBN 978-1-55365-376-9, $27.00.
In her memoir, garden writer and former editor of Canadian Gardening magazine, Liz Primeau, born in 1932, describes her life growing up in Winnepeg where she learned to love gardening and enjoy nature on the nearby prairie. Her idyllic family life was ended with the early death of her father, causing her to move away to a rural setting where an uncle, another gardening mentor, taught her during a poignant period the rudiments of growing vegetables and flowers. This urge to garden followed her throughout the rest of her life, one that had its emotional highs and lows. The author’s hobby turned into a profession, as she eventually became a prominent journalist, TV celebrity, and lecturer. Her narrative contains descriptions of contemporary and historic gardens she has visited in Canada and abroad. Primeau shares her joy in their individuality in an appealing literary style that captures the reader’s attention.
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