February Book Reviews

by AGH

This was an interesting task. I have so many books I wished I had kept when we thinned out our library space last January, it was tempting to go where we donated them and get them back to give to all of you…but I wasn’t a member of the club until September and too much time had passed, so here are a few that I have read recently that you might enjoy.

My first choice is Kitchen Garden Revival by Nicole Burke

​This book entices one to think a little outside the box (or rather in it) while creating raised vegetable gardens. The author owns Rooted Garden a design firm based in Houston. That made me cautious until I saw that she also has offices in Chicago but with two such diverse climates, it was worth checking out.

The book is good for the novice gardener as well as the more experienced. It is broken down eight sections going from site planning to harvesting, without jumping around, encouraging the gardener to discover their own growing zone rather than go with the broader ones listed in most resources. She walks you though the process with lots of lovely and useful photos while breaking down and detailing every step to a successful harvest. From creating the perfect soil to timing the plantings, to making sure you have the tools you need, it even helps shrink the massive world of
available seeds for you to choose from in the space you have available.

It appears at first to be mostly a book for the novice but as you read on there is so much more there that isn’t just rehashed information. My favorite quote might just be “but here’s my advice: Don’t read the plant tags”. She also connects the reader to her site Gardenary.com/book to sign up for her free journal for use as you grow your kitchen garden.

Moving on the my second pick Creating a Garden Retreat by Virginia Johnson

I didn’t expect to find a lot of useful information when I first read this book last spring as the author is writing about her property - a city backyard in the Toronto area - and I live away from the city in a garden filled yard. But the way she speaks of her garden and tells of its process resounds to anyone who wants something other than hardscape when they walk into their yard. Virginia Johnson is an artist as you can see from her watercolor sketches throughout the book but she is also a busy woman multitasking her way through each day.

The book tells us that there are so many wonderful ways to create a garden and that they are all worth it and still reminds that gardens grow and change over the years and that it is okay for them to do so. Gardening is work, but it is also fun! She also owns up to her errors and in doing so lets the reader off the hook for theirs.

The book discusses plants by groups, trees & shrubs, herbs/fruits/vegetables, flowers, vines and extols the virtues of her personal favorites in prose that makes you want to add them to your garden as well. It allows the garden to be whatever size you have and encourages you to enjoy it. Inviting one to see how she lives in her garden with her family and animals and other residents who share the space. She talks about the many ways she uses her garden and the way it expands to their life inside and out. I haven’t ordered them yet but I even ended up wanting the sneakers she loves!

Third a comprehensive resource book Organic Gardening by Geoff Hamilton

​I really enjoy books by British writers as the climate there is so similar to that of the Pacific Northwest and this is one more book that is really useful for our area.

Organic Gardening is wonderful reference guide for anyone who wants to create a beautiful and healthy garden. One that will give you joy while protecting the world in which we all live. The author was an early advocate of organic gardening and established those processes when he created Barnsdale Gardens in England.

This book will help the reader gain the knowledge to become more aware of the use of natural methods that benefit both the garden and the world around it. It starts
with the basics: soil, fertilizer, pest control, things that are pertinent for any garden.

As the book continues it focuses on different types of gardens, vegetable, herb, containers and greenhouses. Then it moves to the techniques for daily care, cultivation and propagation. It is filled with lots of drawings and photographs with details on a wide variety of processes as well as plants to make it easy to follow in your own garden, a true blend of classic tradition gardening with newer technology.

“Don’t underestimate the therapeutic value of gardening. It’s the one area where we can all use our nascent creative talents to make a truly satisfying work of art. Every individual, with thought, patience and a large portion of help from nature, has it in them to create their own private paradise: truly a thing of beauty is a joy for ever.” - Geoff Hamilton

 Lastly a very interesting local book Creating Sanctuary by Jessi Bloom

​I bought this one last August after listening to Jessi speak at an class held by Christianson’s Nursery. She spoke so earnestly I wanted to be able to have the book to remind myself of what she had to say. Rereading it in preparation for reviewing it was even more interesting as I had time to start to decide how her knowledge fit what I want my garden to improve and grow.

​She breaks things down into a number of categories making it easy to read and there is a lot of information that can be referenced in the future, recipes, plant descriptions etc.

It is divided into sections.

The first, Creating Sacred Space, is about turning a garden into your sanctuary, a place where you can benefit the most.

The second, Botanical Alchemy, lists lots of plants that can build up the layers that make your garden what you need it to be. It also teaches how to grow, harvest and use them to live a healthy life.

The final category, Nurturing Self, speaks of how you can live a better life in the garden you have grown.

Throughout the book she shares photographs taken during her travels of modern and ancient gardens and healing places. 

Creating Sanctuary really rethinks what a garden can be and defends the idea that there is no wrong way to use your space. If it is healthy and you love it…it is right.  This is not a garden book, yet it is about living with your garden space and how it affects your life. The author is a local ecological landscape designer and has written several other books.