It’s been a brutally hot summer, with a severe dry spell early on and drenching rainstorms later in the season.
Now that we’re into these dog days of August, all this gardener wants to do is curl up with a good garden tome and dream of more temperate times.
Even in this era of e-books, when I read I enjoy the real thing in my hand. There’s something about the heft and smell of paper and about the ability to make margin notes, or the gift-giving possibilities that render an electronic version of a book less suitable.
So here’s a couple of the better gardening books that have lately landed me in my green wicker porch chair with a tumbler of iced coffee at the ready.
“Northeast Fruit and Vegetable Gardening”
With mounting concern over where our food comes from, how it’s grown and what’s possibly in it, interest in vegetable gardening and small orchard production is exploding. This is true even among longtime ornamental gardeners, and especially among the younger set.
Charlie Nardozzi’s “Northeast Fruit and Vegetable Gardening,” subtitled “Plant, Grow and Eat the Best Edibles for Northeast Gardens” (Cool Springs Press, $22.99) enables any and all of us to plan and plant the vegetable and home orchard garden we’ve always dreamed of.
Nardozzi covers location and design, building soil, growing from seed or sets, garden maintenance, trouble-shooting pests and disease, harvest/storage and much more. The book is chock full of clear, colorful photographs (check out the close-up of a tomato hornworm on page 79!).
The second half delineates the easiest and best known vegetables, herbs and fruits grown in the Northeast, from artichokes to winter squash, from basil to parsley, and from apple to strawberry. The book thus serves as guide and guru to the beginner as well as the experienced vegetable and fruit gardener.
“Beginners Illustrated Guide to Gardening: Techniques to Help You Get Started.”
No matter what type of gardening we indulge in, no matter how long we’ve been at it, we all continue to need a little help along the way. “Beginners Illustrated Guide to Gardening” is written to assist anyone who wants to know more about gardening, but it’s especially helpful to first-timers.
I’ve been gardening for 60 years, and I learned a tip or two with this softcover book by Katie Elzer-Peters. (Cool Springs Press, 2012, $21.99)
In color-coded sections, she covers the basics (what does the term “organic” mean?; what are the proper names for tree parts?) as well as some advanced information.
There’s a primer on tools, a briefing on lawn care and information on doing well by annuals, bulbs, perennials, trees and shrubs. All accompanied by unambiguous, vivid photographs.
The author addresses mulches, weed and pest control and how to read a plant tag or seed packet. Her “Success Tips,” “Know the Lingo” and “Just Grow With It!” in each segment are invaluable.
Each section relates what the reader will learn, what she’ll need, and tips for an “Instant Green Thumb.” The book is easy on the eyes, and rich with helpful details to hoist the gardener of any skill level a bit higher on the learning curve.
Pundits opine that to keep our brains youthful we must try new things. One of the best ways to incorporate innovation with a minimum of trepidation is to read up on it first. Grab one of these books and while away an afternoon or two during the August doldrums.
Does your group need a speaker? Colleen Plimpton speaks at garden clubs, libraries, women’s clubs, resorts, museums and historical societies. Visit www.colleenplimpton.com under “Appearances” for additional information and topics.
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