The easiest
and possibly the most popular category for gift-giving is books,
especially for those last-minute shoppers and having a couple titles
in mind can make the gift bulletproof. That's where a wish list
posted on Amazon.com or barnesandnoble.com comes in handy. Lacking
that, I took a stroll by the gardening books in a large bookstore
to see what titles would be vying for your attention. I looked for
books that seemed appropriately pretty but still useful.
For instance, "Gardening for Dummies," IDG, $16.99, by Michael
MacCaskey and Bill Marken is very useful but not pretty enough
for a gift. (See my review, August
Garden Edition). Michel Pollan's "Second Nature: A Gardener's
Education," Dell, $13.95, paperback, a book that I'm very fond
of and recommended last month,
would qualify as a gift if you could find it in hardcover. The
handful of titles I've selected are hardcover coffee table books,
with one noted exception, lovely to behold and a pleasure to read.
The books about butterflies and annuals are also worthy of space
in your bookcase.
Before proceeding, I must repeat a bit of book giving advice:
Don't inscribe a gift book. Most bookstores are kind enough
to exchange a book if it isn't marked up and is in good shape,
without a receipt. If you feel compelled to add a personal note,
do so on a separate piece of paper and tuck it inside the cover.
"Passionate Gardening: Good Advice for Challenging Climates,"
Fulcrum, $34.95, hardcover, by Lauren Springer and Rob Proctor.
This is a book that's been very visible of late and is likely to
tempt you. It's not the war stories I expected, given the title.
It's a breezy collection of ramblings, sometimes personal, about
the authors' experiences in their gardens and lives.
The essays, some of which the book says are based on newspaper
columns, are part philosophy, part gardening advice. The essays
are organized by season and subject, but there's no need to read
them in order. The authors' advice is ecologically friendly
and, though based on their Western gardens, can be applied to
any garden. This book definitely makes the grade as a gift book.
Paper quality and design are first rate, and high quality photographs,
most of which were taken by the authors, are wonderful.
According to Fulcrum, the duo co-authored the Denver Post column,
Front Range Gardeners, for eight years. Both Colorado gardeners
are experts in their own right. Springer was schooled as a horticulturist
and has gardened on both sides of the pond. She is well known
for writing the award-winning "The Undaunted Garden" which I plan
to discuss in an upcoming column. Proctor is director of
horticulture at the Denver Botanic Gardens and an accomplished
artist. He has authored several garden books, and he and his garden
frequently appear on the Discovery Channel.
"The Painted Garden: A Year in Words and Watercolors," Running
Press, $17.95, hardcover, by Mary Woodin.
This little treasure may not be as visible as some larger titles
but it's worth searching out. It is the musings of a gardener quite
literally, as the typeface resembles handwriting, over the course
of a year alongside watercolor sketches of her garden. The author's
text is supplemented by quotes from well-known gardeners.
The book's forward states, "I have spent a glorious year, paintbrush
in one hand, trowel in the other, recording the comings and goings
in my garden, from bulbs and blossoms to buds and a baby." Her
training as a textile designer is evident as she adds texture
and color to sketches of her suburban London garden. Many times
the photographs fall short of recording the full beauty of a flower
and it takes an artist's keen observance to truly evoke it. Woodin
uses her magic to bring to life the twigs, flowers, leaves, and
bulbs. Before you know it, you're taking a virtual tour of her
garden and reminiscing about your own.
Annuals with Style: Design Ideas from Classic to Cutting
Edge, Taunton
Press, $29.95, hardcover, by Michael A. Ruggiero and Tom Christopher.
This lovely book is chock full of useful information for all types
of gardener. While it's primary focus is annuals, the book is also
an easy-to-read primer on the life cycle of plants, making sense
of that not-so-neat business of what "annual," "perennial," and
"biennial" mean. The authors' fresh look at the use of annuals in
garden design leaves behind the commonplace to create lively combinations
with tropicals, succulents, grasses, vines, foliage plants, and
biennials. Typical of Taunton Press, the book is beautifully designed.
There's no shortage of excellent photos, many of which were contributed
by Ruggiero.
The 'Essential Annuals' section is the place where we get a close-up
discussion of the plants, in alphabetical order. The formatted
information for each plant--Start, Garden uses, Culture, Gardener's
Choice, Pests and Diseases--is very thorough. The tidbits of history
are interesting and I especially liked the 'Gardener's Choice'
section, which describes recommended varieties. In this section,
however, the book's design fails the reader by using identification
photos that are small and sometimes not helpful. It's here also
that the page design doesn't clearly show where one plant entry
starts and the next ends.
The book received a lot of press earlier in the year but it wasn't
until I noticed that Michael Ruggiero was one of the authors that
I took a closer look. Our paths crossed a few years ago on a project
on roses. He is Senior Curator at the New York Botanical Garden,
where he started working some 40 years ago. Christopher is a contributing
editor for Martha Stewart Living.
Garden Butterflies of North America by Rick Mikula (Willow
Creek Press, $29.50 hardcover; $19.50 paperback).
The subject of butterflies and butterfly gardening is so hot these
days you're likely to see several titles on the subject this gift
giving season. This one grabbed my attention once I learned more
about the author.
As is always the case, I see his name everywhere butterflies
are discussed. He's been butterfly farming for the last 20 years
and serves as butterfly habitat consultant for many universities,
zoos, museums, and aviaries. He even has his own web site (www.holeinhand.com)
which has his books for sale. The Gallery of Garden Butterflies
is the highlight of the book. Each of 40 or so butterflies get
a spot in the gallery with a large photo and a page of text. You'll
also see a map of North America with the butterfly's range highlighted.
When it comes to butterflies, learning to recognize which caterpillars
are destined to become these lovely creatures is half the battle
for me. Don't expect much help here. Apparently, the caterpillars
of one butterfly can vary so greatly that most books, including
this one, resort to a general description rather than a photo.
The text reveals a knowledgeable lepidopterist, at home describing
such things as flight patterns, resting posture, larvae, and eggs.
It's also peppered with delicious details of habit: "Clouded Sulphur
males are extremely fond of puddle clubbing. In many areas it
is not unusual to find them congregating on and around the eyes
of turtles and alligators to drink the tears of their host....The
saline solution assists the males in the production of sperm."
The book also has useful information that doesn't get bogged
down in the technical about life cycle, basking rituals (to fly,
they must warm up to 80 degrees), and puddling (hanging out around
puddles). Mikula also covers the plants that attract butterflies,
plants the deter their pests (ants, aphids, spider mites) and
insects that deter butterfly pests (ladybug, syrpids, lacewing,
dragonfly).
The book's narration carefully preserves Mikula's enthusiasm
and pleasure with butterflies keeping the science of the subject
interesting--for which Mikula also deserves credit, as he edited
the book. Combine that with photos of butterflies and you have
a wonderful introduction and reference work.
On the same subject but from a regional perspective is "Your
Florida Guide to Butterfly Gardening: A guide for the Deep
South," University of Florida Press, $14.95, paperback by Jaret
C. Daniels.
Thanks to its compact size and heavily formatted information,
this guide is practical for use in the field. The photos are lovely
and make it easy to identify butterflies and their larvae, as
well as the plants that serve as nectar sources for adults and
hosts for larvae.
Don't forget to enjoy the holidays. Happy new year!
We'd like to hear your gardening favorites and we could pass those
on to our readers, too, for gardening book gift ideas. E-mail
SWWPub.
