Among the things that have been occupying my time of late are some stories I've done for our local paper, the Hartford Courant. I forgot to post about them. I did one on sheds, and another on using veggies in ornamental gardens.
Showing posts with label Good Reads. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Good Reads. Show all posts
6.25.2009
1.23.2009
When Winter Comes...Spring Follows
Bill Cullina's most excellent account of how plants adapt and survive to the frigid temperatures of winter appeared in two parts. I linked to the first installment when it appeared a couple months ago. Part two -which looks toward spring, as I too am already doing- is now available at the fine site maintained by the New England Wildflower Society. Good reading for a January day, especially here in New England where we're having an old-fashioned winter. Brrr!
12.12.2008
When Winter Comes...
A superlative explanation of plant adaptation to winter can be found in the current New England Wildlfower Society newsletter. Penned by plantsman Bill Cullina, currently of the Coastal Maine Botanical Garden and formerly a stalwart hand at the New England Wildflower Society, this first installment of a two-part article examines what happens to plants when temperatures drop; part two, to appear soon, will shed light on how plants reawake in Spring. Bill's a New England guy, but with fast-growing national reputation, thanks to his frequent lectures and four excellent books, with a fifth on the way. BTW, the garden above is at the Hill-Stead, a historic home turned museum in Farmington, Ct. We're looking at its Sunken Garden, designed by Gertrude Jekyll. 11.20.2008
Durian and Other Iffy Edibles
Everything you've heard about the durian--assuming you've heard anything at all--is true. It's sinister looking, but sweet tasting, a strange fusion of ugliness and beauty. Tim Laman's National Geographic photo, above, perfectly captures the durian's duality. It is ambrosial. It smells bad enough to induce vomiting. It is an aphrodisiac (Indonesians say that when the durians come down, the sarongs go up). It is illegal in many southeast Asian hotels and on public transport. Virgin Airlines once cancelled a flight because, thanks to the stench of a stowaway durian, the plane was unfit to fly in. No matter what which side of the argument you take, there's no denying it's one strange fruit.Consider its spiked shell, which, if you were walking under a tree at just the wrong time, could have lethal implications--durians can easily be large as an American football. Stink fruit looks primeval, and our hunger for it may be equally archaic. Our taste for it, say some southeast Asians, harkens back to our animalistic, id-driven roots, since the "king of fruits" is said to be a favorite snack of the Orang Pendek--Sumatra's storied manbeast--and other wild, fearsome missing links. One of the more grisly descriptions comes from Adam Leith Gollner's highly entertaining book "The Fruit Hunters: A Story of Nature, Adventure, Obsession and Commerce." In it, he likens the scent of a durian to that of "a disinterrred corpse clutching a wheel of blue cheese."'
I tried durian several times while traveling in Java and Bali. One day while tooling around the artist's village of Ubud, I left a durian in my car while I went into a restaurant for some nasi goreng, and a few skewers of sate ayam. When I got back and opened the door, it smelt as if the entire NFL had stuffed their dirty socks under the back seat. Undeterred (though I'm not sure why), I got back to my bungalow, sliced the fruit open, and slopped out some of the creamy, custardy goop within. To me it tasted like sweet vanilla custard infused with bite of an onion. Sweet, but with a bite. Pleasant, really. But there was still that awesome olfactory challenge-durian boasts some of the same sulfuric chemical compounds as garlic and skunk. As a result, the entire experience was enveloped in cloud of noxious, malodorous gas, an olfactory assault. Not pleasant, really.
So it was odd snack. Rarely does one have the chance to taste something truly weird, something outside all prior sensory experience. For me it was a edgy epicurean adventure; and while I'm not about to become a member of one of the many fan clubs that host tasting parties, I'd give durian another go. The experience is so complex that it merits further exploration. If you're so inclined, it might be worth looking around Chinatown in New York or San Francisco or any similar Southeast Asian enclave. For more on durians and other really strange things to eat, head over to the weird fruit post at WebEcoist.
11.11.2008
Review: Great Gardens of the Berkshires
Let me begin with a disclosure: I’ve known Virginia Small for more than a decade, and in that time we have collaborated and brainstormed on everything from garden designs to magazine articles. Too bad I missed the boat working with her on “Great Gardens of the Berkshires” (Down East, hardcover, $35). Instead, Virginia, a former senior editor at Fine Gardening magazine, and ace garden lensman Rich Pomerantz teamed up to produce this paean to 17 great gardens clinging to the rocky spine of the Berkshires. Public gardens such as incomparable Naumkeag and The Mount are featured, as are private gardens, including those of Lee Link, Jack Hyland and Larry Wente, and Honey Sharp. Virginia’s a poet, so her prose is crisp, sharp, and evocative, but what distinguishes Great Gardens of the Berkshires from so many coffee-tablesque great garden books is that this one is not merely an exercise in lyrical praise-giving. Instead, it’s chock full of news-you-can-use concepts such as how these gardens actually evolved, what sites served the owners as sources of inspiration, and what design strategies were employed in creating these distinctive sites. Many of those valuable insights are distilled in boxed featurettes, so they can readily be referred to again and again. Last but not least, Rich Pomerantz’s fine photographs are inspiring enough to stand on their own, but their careful integration with the text makes them especially informative as well.
10.21.2008
Michael Pollan and the "Farmer in Chief"
Michael Pollan is our most eloquent writer on food. But he doesn't worry about recipes. Instead Pollan tirelessly explores the thicket of fact and fallacy that surround the production, distribution, and consumption of food, and posits new ideas for solving some of the ills caused by industrial farming, a problem many of us are just starting to recognize. "Farmer in Chief", his article in last week's New York Time's Sunday magazine outlines what our next president can do to begin restoring balance and responsibility to our food chain. It's fascinating reading for anyone who cares about what we eat and how it gets to our table.
While we're on the subject, I'd like to get in a plug for another of Pollan's books, "Second Nature: A Gardener's Education." It's a meditation on the meaning and practice of gardening that rehsaped some of my thoughts on what tilling the soil is all about.
While we're on the subject, I'd like to get in a plug for another of Pollan's books, "Second Nature: A Gardener's Education." It's a meditation on the meaning and practice of gardening that rehsaped some of my thoughts on what tilling the soil is all about.
Ten Terrific Garden Books
Go ahead. Blame it on all the top 10 lists that have become pervasive in the publishing world. You know, the 10 best movies, the 10 best CDs, the 10 Bests DVDs, the 10 best fiction books, the 10 best non-fiction books, and so on ad nauseum. Sorry, but I’m going to go add yet another.
I’ll call my list My 10 Most Inspiring Garden Books. I read tons of gardening books, and they’re one of my favorite ways for plodding through the off season. But there are a few that have really stood the test of time, books rich enough not to surrender all their ideas in a single sitting, ones I can read and reread and still come away with something new. I look to them as a treasure trove of ideas for making new designs or improving old ones, for learning about plants, and for just plain getting fired up about getting outside and getting down to work. If gardening is equal parts inspiration and perspiration, a good book can help me get a good start on the first half of the job before spring comes around.
Here are 10 of my most inspiring favorites:
Eden on Their Minds: American Gardeners with Bold Visions by Starr Ockenga (Clarkson Potter)
The Collector’s Garden: Designing with Extraordinary Plants by Ken Druse (Clarkson Potter)
A Garden Gallery: The Plants, Art, and Hardscape of Little and Lewis by George Little and David Lewis (Timber Press)
When I’m paging through garden books, I’m often looking for examples of exceptional personal gardens, those handmade by their owners. Seeing what one person or one couple can create over the years can be inspiring not only for the sophistication of the design or plantsmanship, but for the simple virtue of showing just how much can result from the work of one or two. A garden like that tells me, “You can do it too.” And so I’m inspired to persevere. My favorite books of all time for this kind of browsing are “Eden on Their Minds”, “The Collector’s Garden” and "A Garden Gallery."These superbly photographed tomes offer glimpses of extraordinary gardens and brief profiles of their owners. The Collector’s Garden features luminaries such as Dan Hinkley, Marco Polo Stufano, Nancy Goodwin and Ruth Bancroft. Eden on Their Minds sweeps us into the gardens of Linda Cochran, Marcia Donahue and others. Little and Lewis stays put in their extraordinary Bainbridge Island garden, which is equal parts plantsman's paradise, imaginary archaeology, and magical spell. For my money, these books offer the best garden tours you can take this time of year. And for anyone who fears they may be teetering on the edge of gardenmania, Ockenga, Druse and Little and Lewis offer proof positive that there are people out there who are far more afflicted than you’ll ever be.
Hot Plants for Cool Climates by Susan A. Roth and Dennis Schrader (Houghton Mifflin)
Having been bitten hard by the tropical bug-figuratively, and, at times, all too literally-I’ve found Dennis Schrader’s book the best title of the lot when it comes to growing tropical plants in temperate climes. Besides stunning photos by Susan Roth, it’s filled with great information on design, and on overwintering tender plants. It also includes a super encyclopedia of plants worth trying—along with propagation and overwintering tips for each variety. And last but not least, it includes a comprehensive list of sources for tropicals.
The Inward Garden Creating a Place of Beauty and Meaning by Julie Moir Messervy
(Little, Brown)
Julie Moir Messervy has a unique spin on garden design, one based primarily on the psychology of the garden’s owner. Her purely personal approach paves the way to creating gardens that really resonate. Stripped to its essence, her approach returns us to childhood, and the memory—and meaning--of those special places we held dear. From there, she asks us to recall the landscapes we have found meaningful in the world at large. Julie then shows the way to translate those spaces into garden places all our own. Her trailblazing book on design is one to turn to again and aagian. Plus it's got great photos by former National Geographic staffer Sam Abell.
The American Horticultural Society A to Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants edited by Christopher Brickell and Judith D. Zuk (DK Publishing, Inc.)
A good reference is indispensable for checking how to grow unusual plants, for identifying some of those prized plants whose names have long been forgotten, for learning about the ultimate sizes or growing conditions required some strange specimen and for all matter of inquiries. Thanks to its many pictures, the hefty The American Horticultural Society A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants is my favorite.
Second Nature, by Michael Pollan
I mean no disrespect in calling Michael Pollan an egghead. He is, without doubt, the deepest thinking garden writer around. His collection of essays about gardening in its largest and most all-inclusive sense is one of only two gardening books I’ve ever read that made me stop and consider what all my efforts were about. (The other of those two books, it so happens, is “The Botany of Desire”, also by Michael Pollan.) Whether he’s writing lyrically about mowing the lawn or examining the bloodlines of roses, Pollan is utterly compelling. For a more cosmic look at the world of gardening, go no further.
Planting Combinations: Winning Plant Combinations for Every Garden by Jill Billington (Stewart, Tabori & Chang)
Great plant combinations are the building blocks of a great garden. This thoughtful volume, filled with stunning photos by ace garden photographer Clive Nichols, covers all the bases, from big picture ideas like overall style to nitty gritty details like working with smooth-leaved plants. Among the many great thing in its pages are photo series showing the year-to-year development of several gardens.
Color by Design: Planting with Color in the Contemporary Garden by Nori and Sandra Pope. (available in paperback as “Color in the Garden” (Soma Press)
This Canadian expat couple has become the kings of color in Great Britain.. The Popes are known best for the fabulous musings on single colors schemes. Their Hadspen House garden recreates the color wheel with segment devoted to exploring every nuance of each color as they make their way around the palette. Their provocative colorist theories are intriguing, but I’m afraid to say I find the essays—one for each color--kind of stilted and of less than practical value. The book’s best feature is easily the photos, again by Clive Nichols, which will inspire all but the color blind to look at their gardens in a new light.
Dirr’s Hardy Trees and Shrubs: An Illustrated Encyclopedia by Michael A. Dirr (Timber Press)
This compendium of hardy woody plants is tough to beat. It’s comprehensive, well illustrated (especially worthwhile are pictures of plants in different seasons, in fruit in flower and or fall foliage), and full of hard-won knowledge about what works and why.
It’s also got a very useful set of lists in the back-with detailed plant lists for a whole range of varying conditions as far as light, soil type, moisture levels, and more. Anyone intent on introducing a greater range of woody plants should stop here first.
I’ll call my list My 10 Most Inspiring Garden Books. I read tons of gardening books, and they’re one of my favorite ways for plodding through the off season. But there are a few that have really stood the test of time, books rich enough not to surrender all their ideas in a single sitting, ones I can read and reread and still come away with something new. I look to them as a treasure trove of ideas for making new designs or improving old ones, for learning about plants, and for just plain getting fired up about getting outside and getting down to work. If gardening is equal parts inspiration and perspiration, a good book can help me get a good start on the first half of the job before spring comes around.
Here are 10 of my most inspiring favorites:
Eden on Their Minds: American Gardeners with Bold Visions by Starr Ockenga (Clarkson Potter)
The Collector’s Garden: Designing with Extraordinary Plants by Ken Druse (Clarkson Potter)
A Garden Gallery: The Plants, Art, and Hardscape of Little and Lewis by George Little and David Lewis (Timber Press)
When I’m paging through garden books, I’m often looking for examples of exceptional personal gardens, those handmade by their owners. Seeing what one person or one couple can create over the years can be inspiring not only for the sophistication of the design or plantsmanship, but for the simple virtue of showing just how much can result from the work of one or two. A garden like that tells me, “You can do it too.” And so I’m inspired to persevere. My favorite books of all time for this kind of browsing are “Eden on Their Minds”, “The Collector’s Garden” and "A Garden Gallery."These superbly photographed tomes offer glimpses of extraordinary gardens and brief profiles of their owners. The Collector’s Garden features luminaries such as Dan Hinkley, Marco Polo Stufano, Nancy Goodwin and Ruth Bancroft. Eden on Their Minds sweeps us into the gardens of Linda Cochran, Marcia Donahue and others. Little and Lewis stays put in their extraordinary Bainbridge Island garden, which is equal parts plantsman's paradise, imaginary archaeology, and magical spell. For my money, these books offer the best garden tours you can take this time of year. And for anyone who fears they may be teetering on the edge of gardenmania, Ockenga, Druse and Little and Lewis offer proof positive that there are people out there who are far more afflicted than you’ll ever be.
Hot Plants for Cool Climates by Susan A. Roth and Dennis Schrader (Houghton Mifflin)
Having been bitten hard by the tropical bug-figuratively, and, at times, all too literally-I’ve found Dennis Schrader’s book the best title of the lot when it comes to growing tropical plants in temperate climes. Besides stunning photos by Susan Roth, it’s filled with great information on design, and on overwintering tender plants. It also includes a super encyclopedia of plants worth trying—along with propagation and overwintering tips for each variety. And last but not least, it includes a comprehensive list of sources for tropicals.
The Inward Garden Creating a Place of Beauty and Meaning by Julie Moir Messervy
(Little, Brown)
Julie Moir Messervy has a unique spin on garden design, one based primarily on the psychology of the garden’s owner. Her purely personal approach paves the way to creating gardens that really resonate. Stripped to its essence, her approach returns us to childhood, and the memory—and meaning--of those special places we held dear. From there, she asks us to recall the landscapes we have found meaningful in the world at large. Julie then shows the way to translate those spaces into garden places all our own. Her trailblazing book on design is one to turn to again and aagian. Plus it's got great photos by former National Geographic staffer Sam Abell.
The American Horticultural Society A to Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants edited by Christopher Brickell and Judith D. Zuk (DK Publishing, Inc.)
A good reference is indispensable for checking how to grow unusual plants, for identifying some of those prized plants whose names have long been forgotten, for learning about the ultimate sizes or growing conditions required some strange specimen and for all matter of inquiries. Thanks to its many pictures, the hefty The American Horticultural Society A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants is my favorite.
Second Nature, by Michael Pollan
I mean no disrespect in calling Michael Pollan an egghead. He is, without doubt, the deepest thinking garden writer around. His collection of essays about gardening in its largest and most all-inclusive sense is one of only two gardening books I’ve ever read that made me stop and consider what all my efforts were about. (The other of those two books, it so happens, is “The Botany of Desire”, also by Michael Pollan.) Whether he’s writing lyrically about mowing the lawn or examining the bloodlines of roses, Pollan is utterly compelling. For a more cosmic look at the world of gardening, go no further.
Planting Combinations: Winning Plant Combinations for Every Garden by Jill Billington (Stewart, Tabori & Chang)
Great plant combinations are the building blocks of a great garden. This thoughtful volume, filled with stunning photos by ace garden photographer Clive Nichols, covers all the bases, from big picture ideas like overall style to nitty gritty details like working with smooth-leaved plants. Among the many great thing in its pages are photo series showing the year-to-year development of several gardens.
Color by Design: Planting with Color in the Contemporary Garden by Nori and Sandra Pope. (available in paperback as “Color in the Garden” (Soma Press)
This Canadian expat couple has become the kings of color in Great Britain.. The Popes are known best for the fabulous musings on single colors schemes. Their Hadspen House garden recreates the color wheel with segment devoted to exploring every nuance of each color as they make their way around the palette. Their provocative colorist theories are intriguing, but I’m afraid to say I find the essays—one for each color--kind of stilted and of less than practical value. The book’s best feature is easily the photos, again by Clive Nichols, which will inspire all but the color blind to look at their gardens in a new light.
Dirr’s Hardy Trees and Shrubs: An Illustrated Encyclopedia by Michael A. Dirr (Timber Press)
This compendium of hardy woody plants is tough to beat. It’s comprehensive, well illustrated (especially worthwhile are pictures of plants in different seasons, in fruit in flower and or fall foliage), and full of hard-won knowledge about what works and why.
It’s also got a very useful set of lists in the back-with detailed plant lists for a whole range of varying conditions as far as light, soil type, moisture levels, and more. Anyone intent on introducing a greater range of woody plants should stop here first.
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