Reviews of recommended books by Miller Library staff and volunteers.
“From the first the Japanese garden — whether in Kyoto or Kansas City — has stood as a tangible antithesis to Western values.” Working from that premise, Kendall H. Brown profiles “Japanese-Style Gardens of the Pacific West Coast” , including our own. The 20 gardens — all open to the public — are enticingly presented by Melba Levick’s photographs.
Excerpted from the Spring 2007 Arboretum Bulletin.
“Going Native: Making Use of New Zealand Plants” combines the expertise of several kiwi botanists, ecologists and horticulturists. Aimed at a New Zealand audience, it is still well worth a read by Cascadia gardeners, especially the more daring.
Excerpted from the Spring 2007 Arboretum Bulletin.
Des Kennedy shares from the heart in “This Rambling Affair: A Year in a Country Garden,” set on Denman Island in British Columbia. He knows his audience. “Gardeners are like people who endlessly take self-help courses and seminars to try make things better. We are chronic improvers, not necessarily of ourselves, but certainly of our landscapes…”
Excerpted from the Spring 2007 Arboretum Bulletin.
A who’s who of experts collaborated on “Wild Lilies, Irises, and Grasses: Gardening with California Monocots.” You ask, is nothing safe from invading Californians? Perhaps not, but many of these showy plants already have Pacific Northwest residency. Our collection includes this title and others from the Golden State with relevancy for our part of the coast.
Excerpted from the Spring 2007 Arboretum Bulletin.
“Wetland Plants of Oregon & Washington” is a smart little guide perfect for taking into the field with its water resistant cover and handy size. Author B. Jennifer Guard’s use of photographs, line drawings, plant and habitat descriptions, keys, and notes makes this a most effective book for plant identification.
Excerpted from the Spring 2007 Arboretum Bulletin.
“Fall is tough on the vocabulary of a garden writer. I don’t think I have another riotous, spectacular, or gorgeous left…” But Ketzel Levine does find her unique voice in “Plant This!,” an often wacky but insightful review of favorites from her Portland garden.
Excerpted from the Spring 2007 Arboretum Bulletin.
Robert Henderson dedicates “Neighborhood Forager” to Euell Gibbons, “…who invented the genre that sustains me, literally and figuratively.” This handbook for living from nature is based on the author’s considerable experience harvesting and using the native and naturalized plants near his home in Rosedale, British Columbia.
Excerpted from the Sprng 2007 Arboretum Bulletin.
“The rhododendron landscapes in our modern gardens were first inspired by the sight of rhododendrons growing in the wild.” So begins Mt. Vernon, Washington author Sonja Nelson in “Rhododendrons in the Landscape, ” a book that brings both historical perspective and practical design to using these iconic plants in Pacific Northwest gardens.
Excerpted from the Spring 2007 Arboretum Bulletin.
Wondering what’s the best time of year to sow your cilantro seeds or plant onion sets? The Maritime Northwest Garden Guide: Planting Calendar for Year-Round Organic Gardening by Seattle Tilth (and multiple authors over the years)defines a complete time-line for sowing a wide range of edibles and flowers. Also included are a number of excellent articles on organic gardening techniques, like summer cover crops and recipes for preventing powdery mildew. Buy online.
Once you’ve spent a pretty penny on a new hellebore you will want to protect your investment by learning exactly what they need to thrive. Read The Gardener’s Guide to Growing Hellebores by Graham Rice and Elizabeth Strangman for details on cultivation, propagation and essays on hellebore species and hybrids. Color pictures will whet your appetite for more of these delightful winter bloomers.