Known to Instagram followers as an ‘influencer,’ Plant Kween grows over 200 houseplants (the ‘gurls’ of the book’s title) in a small Brooklyn apartment. Christopher Griffin dedicates this book to the grandmother whose love of plants and gardening made a strong impression on him at a tender age.
Written in a conversational style, and providing the expected horticultural details one might need to keep a plant alive indoors, there are many unexpected aspects to this book: it is the first houseplant book I’ve encountered that comes with a playlist! Griffin is the opposite of snobbish, not a seeker of the rarest of plants for their own sake. Plants that can thrive and whose beauty brings delight are the important thing.
While anthropomorphizing plants, Griffin also phytomorphizes humans: “We are basically houseplants with complex emotions.” Caring for plants is inextricably linked to caring for one’s own well-being. He reflects on the ways that we might judge ourselves as ‘not having a green thumb,’ and recounts an apocryphal tale about the term’s origins which puts things in perspective. Griffin takes a forgiving and encouraging stance on gardening as an ongoing learning experience that is open to anyone.
As someone immune to the allure of Instagram who mainly grows plants outdoors, I was nevertheless charmed by this book’s ebullient enthusiasm for growing green ‘gurls.’ To quote the author, “This book is filled with that Black queer nonbinary femme plant parent joy!”
Before he was known as a landscape architect, Frederick Law Olmsted was best known for a series of articles he wrote for “The New York Daily Times” (now “The New York Times”) and later books he published about his travels in the southern United States between late 1852 and the summer of 1854. He was keen observer and reported quite accurately and in great detail on the economic and social structures, especially the practice of slavery.
“Olmsted South: Old South Critic, New South Planner” is a collection of scholarly essays written in the 1970s that in part analyze the change in Olmsted’s attitude during his travels. By the end, he is convinced that slavery is disastrous not only for the enslaved but for the entire society. This would later influence his work as a landscape architect: “Underlying his plans for each park, parkway, campus, and suburb was an understanding of the past expressed in the natural history of the site as well as in the growth and development of American society” (quoted from the Foreword of “Olmsted South” by Albert Fein).
Excerpted from Brian Thompson’s article in the Summer 2022 issue of the Arboretum Bulletin
“A Clearing in the Distance” by Witold Rybczynski was published in 1999 but has stood the test of time. The author takes a personal approach, interjecting his opinions on the actions of his subject: “And now, I feel myself becoming impatient with Olmsted. Why can’t he just get on with it?”
Because of this level of engagement, I recommend this book as a good starting point for learning about both Olmsted’s personal and professional life. The integration of contemporary and modern perspectives and vignettes is a very effective approach for describing an era to readers 150 and more years later.
The author is also adept at illustrating the qualities in Olmsted that best define his profession: the ability to form a long range vision, and live with it through the scrutiny and compromise to conclusion, or to know when to cut your losses and move on to the next project.
Rybczynski’s research includes visits to surviving projects, such Brooklyn’s Prospect Park or Montreal’s Mount Royal. He also is familiar with the Olmsted plan for Tacoma, describing the solution of the hilly site as “an elegant solution” and lamenting that “the railroad directors would have none of it.”
Excerpted from the Summer 2022 issue of the Arboretum Bulletin
This older biography of Frederick Law Olmsted, Sr. has stood the test of time and I recommend it. Laura Wood Roper writes in the style of an investigator and reporter. Her book “FLO”, published in 1973, is based on over 20 years of research, including the invaluable input of personal interviews from Frederick Olmsted, Jr. near the end of his life.
While always the observer, Roper’s wry comments eloquently express her opinions about Olmsted’s personality and those of the people with whom he was associated. She gives a more complete picture than most of Mary Olmsted, who was first the wife of Frederick’s beloved brother John. Following his death, she married Frederick and brought not only three stepchildren, but an immeasurable influence on his career.
The author is adept at illustrating the qualities in Olmsted that best define his profession: the ability to form a long range vision, and live with it through the scrutiny and compromise to conclusion, or to know when to cut your losses and move on to the next project. As Roper summarizes, “Nothing in Olmsted’s correspondence suggests that such failures of influence made him lose heart or doubt the eventual effectiveness of his work.” This quality, even more than the landscapes he left us, may be ultimately what makes the life of Frederick Law Olmsted, Sr. so appealing.
Excerpted from the Summer 2022 issue of the Arboretum Bulletin
“Frederick Law Olmsted: Plans and Views of Public Parks” (published in 2015) and “Frederick Law Olmsted: Plans and Views of Communities and Private Estates” (2020) are the most visually rich of any of the Olmsted books in the Miller Library collection. At 11”x11” and well over 400 pages each, these challenge the fortitude of any coffee table but this means that the plans, while still reduced in size, are large enough to interpret and understand easily.
Charles Beveridge was the lead editor for both of these books and has been researching and writing about the Olmsted legacy for over 50 years.
Local readers would find the later volume the most interesting with Olmsted’s plans for the city of Tacoma from 1873. His approach to cities built on hills was to abandon a rectilinear grid system, but rather have “principal streets laid on gradual grades ascending the steep hills.” His plan also included a Capitol Park in anticipation Tacoma would become the seat of government for the state.
This concept was too radical for many of the founders of the city and was never adopted. The results of their decision were shrewdly noted by English journalist and author Rudyard Kipling when he visited Tacoma in 1913. He described the city as having: “ungraded streets that ended abruptly in a fifteen-foot drop and a nest of brambles.”
Excerpted from the Summer 2022 issue of the Arboretum Bulletin
“Frederick Law Olmsted: Plans and Views of Public Parks” (published in 2015) and “Frederick Law Olmsted: Plans and Views of Communities and Private Estates” (2020) are the most visually rich of any of the Olmsted books in the Miller Library collection. At 11”x11” and well over 400 pages each, these challenge the fortitude of any coffee table but this means that the plans, while still reduced in size, are large enough to interpret and understand easily.
Charles Beveridge was the lead editor for both of these books and has been researching and writing about the Olmsted legacy for over 50 years.
Local readers would find the later volume the most interesting with Olmsted’s plans for the city of Tacoma from 1873. His approach to cities built on hills was to abandon a rectilinear grid system, but rather have “principal streets laid on gradual grades ascending the steep hills.” His plan also included a
“Capitol Park” in anticipation Tacoma would become the seat of government for the state.
This concept was too radical for many of the founders of the city and was never adopted. The results of their decision were shrewdly noted by English journalist and author Rudyard Kipling when he visited Tacoma in 1913. He described the city as having: “ungraded streets that ended abruptly in a fifteen-foot drop and a nest of brambles.”
Excerpted from the Summer 2022 issue of the Arboretum Bulletin
Charles Beveridge has been researching and writing about the Olmsted legacy for over 50 years. He co-wrote (with Paul Rocheleau) the 1995 book “Frederick Law Olmsted: Designing the American Landscape.” This features the most prominent of the Olmsted projects and is richly illustrated, and includes a chapter highlighting the Seattle park system.
Excerpted from the Summer 2022 issue of the Arboretum Bulletin
The influence of Frederick Law Olmsted on what became the National Park Service is not a significant theme of earlier biographies, but recent books have addressed this topic in more depth. “The Power of Scenery: Frederick Law Olmsted and the Origin of National Parks” by Dennis Drabelle recounts the origins of national parks, both in this country and internationally.
While the author delightfully brings to life many historical personalities, it is clear that he regards Olmsted as the most influential individual in the social, political, and natural forces that created the earliest parks in the mid to late 19th century.
Excerpted from the Summer 2022 issue of the Arboretum Bulletin
The influence of Frederick Law Olmsted. on what became the National Park Service is not a significant theme of earlier biographies, but recent books have addressed this topic in more depth. A narrowly focused study is provided by “Olmsted and Yosemite: Civil War, Abolition, and the National Park Idea” by Rolf Diamant and Ethan Carr.
Olmsted wrote in 1865 a report about the newly established Yosemite Park (a state of California entity at the time), laying the guidelines for its future management and, the authors argue, for all national parks.
This book also expands on how Olmsted’s earlier travels in the south fostered his strong belief in the importance of accessible parks for all. A substantial segment of the Yosemite report (using Olmsted’s spelling of the name) is quoted and succinctly summarizes his approach towards all his designs.
“This union of deepest sublimity with the deepest beauty of nature, not in one feature or another, not in one part or one scene or another, not any landscape that can be framed by itself, but all around and wherever the visitor goes, constitute the Yo Semite the greatest glory of nature.”
Excerpted from the Summer 2022 issue of the Arboretum Bulletin
Dave Goulson is an advocate for insects. Silent Earth: Averting the Insect Apocalypse is his new book addressing the alarming decline in the populations of these animals who are critical to all other life on Earth.
After a brief history of how insects evolved, he joyfully gives examples of the almost infinite variety of these creatures and how they live, feed, reproduce, and protect themselves. The wonder of metamorphosis is just one example, an amazing life cycle process used by approximately 65% of insect species.
In later chapters, he describes the devastation that is impacting most insects and helps the reader to a different perspective. “On our own planet we are the bad guys, thoughtlessly annihilating life of all kinds for our own convenience.” He blames his own profession as part of the problem: “Ecologists and entomologists should be deeply concerned that we have done such a poor job of explaining the vital importance of insects to the general public.”
Goulson does offer hope and practical solutions. He recommends teaching young children the importance of insects, because most are naturally interested in “bugs” and this may lead to a lifetime of conservation minded decisions. He regrets that teenage and university students are more difficult to reach. He has found that many, even those who choose to study ecology, have little knowledge of the natural world.
He ends the books with specific and doable actions that can be taken by local governments, national governments, farmers, gardeners — and everyone. He encourages all ages to spend more time outside, learning about the variety of life forms, starting with the easiest such as common birds or trees. If people can even name a few animals and plants in nature, they are more likely to be interested in learning about less well-known creatures, and act in ways to protect and promote their well-being.
Published in the Leaflet for Scholars, June 2022, Volume 9, Issue 6.