MBR: The Gardening Shelf
MWBOOKREVW
Noble Rot
William Echikson
W.W. Norton
500 – 5th Ave., New York NY 10110
0393051625 $34.95 www.wwnorton.com
Bordeaux is the wine region centered by tradition and fame – but in the past
two decades innovators have made their mark even in this sacred region,
streamlining and adjusting established cultivation and fermentation techniques
to produce a different type of wine than the classic bordeaux style. Noble Rot
considers these renegades of the wine world, examining the underlying
foundations of these changes from technological pressures to feuding chateaus.
Using the harvest season of 2001 as its starting point, William Echkson's Noble
Rot incorporates a season's results into his overall discussions of changes
affecting bordeaux growers and winemakers. A fascinating history evolves.
Timber Press
133 SW 2nd Ave.#450, Portland, OR 97204-3527
1-800-327-5680 www.timberpress.com
There are plenty of gardening guides always adding to a rich market of books,
but if your special gardener seeks the depth lacking in most, turn to Timber
Press: its guides hold all the detail a gardener could want, making them as
important for college-level botany and horticultural collections as for the
avid home gardener. They're packed with color, but the heart of each book is
its horticultural detail, providing plenty of important insights. L. Clarence
Towe's American Azaleas (088-1926450, $29.95) provides an outstanding coverage
of fifteen species of American azaleas suitable for garden environments. A
centerfold of color photos accompanies the meat of the discussion: azalea
varieties, propagation, and how nurseries are working to improve azaleas to
regional gardening conditions. Chapters cover all the basics of collecting,
landscaping with and improving upon azaleas. Peter Goldblatt, John Manning and
Gary Dunlop's Crocosmia And Chasmanthe (0881926-515, $29.95) tells of a
cultivar first flowered in Paris in 1633 – which has received surprisingly
little attention since. This is one of the only in-depth focuses available on
the Chasmanthe, native to South Africa, and the Crocosmia, from tropical
Africa: chapters discuss species and cultivars, garden applicability , history,
and an important horticultural account of the genera in general. Watercolors by
botanist Auriol Batten accompany excellent description. Jurgen Dahl's The
Curious Gardener (0881926574, $24.95) appears for the first time in English to
discuss connections between gardening and mental health. From why gardeners
should grow bad-smelling plants to what really makes a garden work on many
levels, Dahl probes the psychological and physical attributes of a garden's
design and contents which enjoy seasonal transitions, sensual associations, and
practical usage. Trevor Bath and Joy Jones' Hardy Geraniums (0881926701,
$19.95) will appeal to a wide range of gardeners, from beginners and newcomers
to the geranium family to associated plantings and specis and cultivars to
choose from. Bright color photos throughout accompany easy and practical
discussions of geranium growing. C.J. and D.M. Van Gelderen's Encyclopedia Of
Hydrangeas (0881926221, $49.95) is particularly notable for its pages packed
with color photos of the hydrangea's many species, subspecies and varieties.
Other more casual coverages have appeared on the hydrangea, but any gardener
who wants in-depth detail must have this reference: the latest horticultural
and botanical introductions are included, recommendations are specific to the
authors' background running a family nursery, and gardeners receive all the
tools needed to successfully cultivate the hydrangea under a variety of garden
settings. Allan Armitage's Armitage's Garden Annuals (0881926175, $49.95) is
another specialty item recommended for the avid, neo-professional gardener who
seeks more than casual coverages of plants. Alan M. Armitage gathers proven
specimens from over 200 genera of plants and evaluates why they are recommended
above all others. Over a thousand color photos provide an excellent set of
references to the annuals, biennials, and perennials within, but it's the
authority of Armitage, already well known for his technical manuals on
gardening, which earns this top rating. Hanneke Van Dijk's impressive
Agapanthus For Gardeners (0881926-566, $24.95) packs in hundreds of color
photos in a rich discussion of the species and subspecies of the agapantha.
Descriptions of all species accompany a recommendation of 80 particular
cultivars which have proven as particularly hardy for garden and container
growing, while chapters on choosing plants, cultivation and using agapanthus as
a cut flower provide specific growing and usage tips. Bobby Ward's The Plant
Hunter's Garden : The New Explorers And Their Discoveries (0881926-965, $39.95)
is one of the best leisure choices a gift-giver can make for that gardener who
already has a healthy plant library, but loves to read more about plant
history. This profiles over thirty modern plant huters, telling of private
explorers collecting plants for horticultural introduction. Chapters explore
these modern plant seekers' lives and careers as well as the plants themselves:
Ward asked each hunter to choose the best from their years of collecting
experience, and many of the plants are rare gems the avid gardener will want to
learn about. Bill McClaren's Encyclopedia Of Dahlias (0881926582, $39.95)
provides a fine focus on a very popular plant known for bright colors. There's
a wide range of choices in the dahlia family, making McClaren's encyclopedic
coverage particularly important in exploring the hundreds of new selections
available in the dahlia family. From specific recommendations of hardy
cultivars appropriate for the general garden to discussions of cultural
peculiarities and specialty dahlias, Encyclopedia Of Dahlias is a lovely,
eye-catching volume packed with practical insights.
Botany In A Day
Thomas J. Elpel
HOPS Press
12 Quartz St., Pony, MT 59747-0697
1892784157 $25.00 www.hollowtop.com
Any interested in plant identification should consider Botany In A Day: The
Patterns Method Of Plant Identification as an important guide. Thomas Elpel
(Director of Hollowtop Outdoor Primitive School, Pony, Montana) deftly teaches
the patterns method of plant identification, providing a method for learning
about groupings of plants based on the idea that related plants have similar
patterns for identification, and similar uses. Black and white line drawings
accompany descriptions of different plant families and their identification
processes.
Midwest Cottage Gardens
Frances Manos
Trails Books
c/o Trails Media Group
PO Box 317, Black Earth, WI 53515-0317
1931599408 $29.95 1-800-236-8088 www.trailsbooks.com
Midwest Cottage Gardens is a beautifully presented softcover coffee-table book
featuring full-color photographs and practical instructions for raising an
organic garden in the Midwest climate. Author Frances Manos draws upon 20 years
of gardening experience, lists some of the most popular garden plants that
thrive here in the Midwest, while walking the reader through the basic elements
of planting, and more. Midwest Cottage Gardens is a captivating delight simply
to page through, as well as a useful resource resurce to work from.
Beyond The Garden
Ellen Spector Platt & Alan Detrick
Fulcrum Publishing
16100 Table Mountain Parkway, #300, Golden, Colorado 80403
1555914764 $19.95 1-800-992-2908 www.fulcrum-books.com
Ellen Spector's Beyond The Garden: Easy & Elegant Rose Design is a beautiful
guide illustrated throughout with full-color photographs by Alan Detrick of
more than 30 projects one can undertake to add floral color and life to one's
home. From simple arrangements to wreaths, topiaries, potpourris, framed roses
and more, Beyond The Garden: Easy & Elegant Rose Design is a superb resource
for gifts, crafts, hobbies, or simply freshening up one's house. A selection of
tips for selecting, growing, and caring for roses as well as preserving them
rounds out this first-rate guide which is especially recommended for rose
gardening enthusiasts.
Gardens Of The Arts And Crafts Movement
Judith B. Tankard
Harry N. Abrams, Inc.
100 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10011
0810949652 $50.00 1-800-759-0190 www.abramsbooks.com
Gardens Of The Arts And Crafts Movement: Reality And Imagination by gardening
historian and a teacher at Harvard University's Landscape Institute, Judith
Tankard (who is also the founding editor of "Journal of the New England Garden
History Society) presents a fascinating and informative exploration of
landscape design from the late 1800s down to the present. It was this
increasingly influential landscaping philosophy that was to redefine the
relationship between the garden and the house for upscale property owners. The
gardens used as illustrative examples include such legendary designers as
William Morris and Gertrude Jekyll. Profusely illustrated in full color and
impressively enhanced with an appendix of Arts and Crafts gardens open for
visits from the public, Gardens Of The Arts And Crafts Movement: Reality And
Imagination will prove a highly prized and seminal addition to personal,
professional, academic, and community library Gardening, Landscaping, and
Horticultural Studies reference and resource collections.
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