I'm going to blame Josephine Nuese for my latest reading goal/obsession. In her book, The Country Garden (1970), Josephine takes the reader through her garden starting in January and continuing month by month to December. Which reminded me that the author of another book I'm currently reading, Seed to Dust by Marc Hamer, also starts with January in a garden. See where this is going? The next thing I know, I'm going through my library rounding up all the books that appear to start … [Read more...] about A Year of Reading Month by Month
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Signed Books Now Available!
Out in my garden, the Halloween Hare is busy preparing for Halloween night. What do those preparations involve? That's covered in the book. What does the Halloween Hare do on Halloween night? Also covered in the book. And how does the Halloween Hare relate to the Christmas Cottontail? Say it with me, "That's in the book.' Signed copies of both the hardback and softcover editions are now available for purchase in my online store. Quantities are limited because when you … [Read more...] about Signed Books Now Available!
Happy Bookday, Halloween Hare!
Happy Bookday, Halloween Hare! Yes, indeed, I've finally lifted the story of the Halloween Hare off the pages of this blog and put it into a book. Now even if the internet disappears one Halloween night, at least the book will survive, and so will the Halloween Hare. What's it about you ask? I don't want to give away the entire story but suffice it to say that I wonder if the Halloween Hare can start a new tradition of tossing a few extra pieces of candy out into the garden for him … [Read more...] about Happy Bookday, Halloween Hare!
Lost Ladies of Garden Writing – Ella Porter McKinney
As more irises begin to appear in the garden, I've found another lost lady of garden writing, Ella Porter McKinney, who wrote Iris in the Little Garden (1927). I will confess I didn't find very much information about Ella. Like other writers in The Little Garden series of books from the 1920s, she appears to have been involved with a local garden club—hers was in Madison, New Jersey—and the National Garden Club of America. I did figure out after many searches that she got married in … [Read more...] about Lost Ladies of Garden Writing – Ella Porter McKinney
What is a floracrat?
I recently started reading Some Ancient Gentlemen: Being an Examination of Certain People, Plants and Gardens by Tyler Whittle (1966, Taplinger Publishing Co., Inc. ) Ah, the good ol' days of garden writing. I'm not saying that gardening books these days are boring. I'm just saying that reading books from 50—oh wait—56 years ago, introduces one to a style of writing that we don't often see these days. I could quote and quote and quote from this book but instead I'll just hone in on the … [Read more...] about What is a floracrat?
Books for Gardeners!
Yesterday I was pleased to be a guest on Better Lawns and Gardens with Teresa Watkins to talk about some books that gardeners might like to see under the Christmas tree this year. If you live in Florida, this is a wonderful radio program to listen to on Saturday mornings. Teresa provides great information for gardening in Florida and she takes questions from callers. I have the utmost respect for anyone who can take live calls and answer questions like that on the radio for everyone to … [Read more...] about Books for Gardeners!
