May 2015 Book Review During the last six years that I have had the privilege of being a part of the BOOK NOOK, the quality of the gardening books that are being written has risen to amazing heights, in my opinion. We gardeners are having a good time in the dirt and I believe this is being reflected in the gardening books that are available on the market. Native Plants of the Southeast by Larry Mellichamp with photographs by Will Stuart is the May review book. This 350 page book is top-of-the-line from every view point. What a great book, a must for all southeastern gardeners! It was published in 2014 by Timber Press of London, England, and Portland, Oregon. It is available in book stores and on the internet at the list price of $39.95. Larry Mellichamp resides in Charlotte, North Carolina, and is a botany professor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He is Director of the university s botanical gardens as well. Will Stuart s spectacular color photography makes the book come alive. A Comprehensive Guide to the Best 460 Species for the Garden is how the author introduces this book. A history lesson on native plants follows, and proceeds to tell us why we should use native plants, and how and where to use these plants. The reader is led from the mountains to the coast. Every plant, tree, grass, vine, fern and wild flower is accompanied by its own color photography. The book is a veritable gardening feast. Fill your plate and I hope you enjoy this book as I have, and will in times to come. Now it is time for me to say I am stepping aside from this chair. I thank all three of the past presidents (Betsy Steele, Maida Dantzler and Judith Dill) I have had the privilege to serve. To Margaret Graham who has been the website chairman during my six years, my hat is off to you and I thank you for all your help. We have had only good words and times. To my readers thanks for your suggestions and support, and simply for reading the BOOK NOOK. To Anna Sheets, the incoming book review chairman, I wish you happy times-it s a great job.
April 2015 Book Review In February my husband and I, along with our house guests, were attending the Southeastern Wildlife Exposition; we stopped to look at the University of South Carolina s Press booth. The two books I discovered there make up this month s book review. Each book is something I want you readers to know about. The first book is a charming children s book named Katie s Cabbage by Katie Stagliano. This book is based on a true story set in Summerville, SC and has potential for youth education, a program that the GCSC supports. A quick synopsis of the book; Katie s fourth grade teacher gives each child a cabbage plant to take home and plant. Katie s plant grows to weigh 40 pounds. She donates the cabbage to a soup kitchen to help feed the homeless. Katie is now in high school and has founded Katie s Krops, a nonprofit organization to start vegetable gardens to help the needy. The Youth Chairmen of the garden clubs that make up the GCSC could use this Book as a tool in furthering youth education. About ten years ago when I was the State Litter Chairman, the garden clubs of South Carolina used a children s book called The Wartville Wizard to teach elementary school children about litter. Katie s Cabbage has a good message for elementary school children. The second book is Daffodils in American Gardens 1733-1940 by Sara L. Van Beck. This volume is a learned study of daffodils in America. The author takes the reader on a journey through six chapters of prose and wonderful drawings, old photographs and landscape garden plans. The final chapter discusses daffodils in historic gardens with a special emphasis on cemeteries. The author is a plant historian, a horticulturist and an officer in the American Daffodil Society. In her acknowledgments she recognizes the late James R. Cothran. Jim Cothran was a great friend of the and is missed by all whose life he touched. Daffodils in American Gardens 1733-1940 was published by the University of South Carolina Press in 2015 and is available in local book stores and through the internet. I hope to see many of you in Charleston for the GCSC convention in April.
March 2015 Book Review One of the early book reviews I wrote for this column was about The Southern Living Garden Book. That manuscript was published in 2009. The 2009 volume replaced a 1998 book with the same title. Well, here we are in 2015 with The New Southern Living Garden Book that has undergone changes and is a wonderful gardening tool for the South. The first chapter in the book, titled The Essentials of Southern Gardening, starts by giving an interesting account of southern gardening from colonial times to the present. Many of our country s founding fathers were very accomplished gardeners. George Washington and Thomas Jefferson were both fine gardeners along with many other of our colonial settlers The southeastern section of the United States of America was settled as a group of agricultural colonies. These colonies were not land locked, but were dotted with seaports. Plants were brought to this part of America from around the world. This added to our native plants and gave southern horticulture, both past and present, its unusual plant material. This book is filled with plant finder advice and next moves into the south s best plants in alphabetical order. The color photography throughout the 700 plus pages will be very helpful to all gardeners, from novices to champions. The New Southern Living Garden Book is available on line and in book stores. My hat is off to Southern Living for a job well done. Add this new edition to your garden books and you will use it time and time again. Let s hope spring is around the corner. It has been too cold too long!
February 2015 Book Review Several years ago I happened upon a neighbor planting tomatoes in bales of hay that he had placed in established flower beds around his backyard. I found this quite interesting and innovative. His harvest was bountiful and tasty. That entire affair had not crossed my mind for years, until I saw a gardening book titled Straw Bale Gardens, the Breakthrough Method for Growing Vegetables Anywhere, Earlier and with no Weeding, by Joel Karsten. The author was raised on a farm in Minnesota and is a graduate of the University of Minnesota. He works in the field of horticulture. His adventure into straw bale gardening is a very good story. As you read this book you enjoy the tale and learn how to plant this kind of garden. The attention to detail plus the accompanying illustrations make a well presented book. Mr. Karsten has a great sense of humor; for example, the name of one of his chapters is Straw-the reason cows moo and pigs oink. The publisher is Cool Springs Press of Minneapolis, Minnesota. It was printed in 2013 and can be found on line as well as in book stores. The cover price is $19.95. Widen your horizons with the ideas found in the book recommended in the February book review, or just enjoy the read even if you don t plant. My daffodils are up and who knows, I just may go buy some bales of straw. Stay out of trouble!
January 2015 Book Review Happy New Year!! I hope your holiday was blessed and that the New Year brings you joy. For January I have chosen a book entitled Deep Rooted Wisdom, Skills and Stories from Generations of Gardeners by Augustus Jenkins Farmer, published in 2014 by Timber Press, Inc. Some of you who read my monthly offering may be familiar with Jenks Farmer. If so, just let me tell the remaining readers a bit about this gentle man. He is a South Carolinian, residing here as well as working with his partner Tom Hall in the horticulture field. An example of his talent can be seen at the River Bank Garden in Columbia, South Carolina. Those of you who have attended GCSC board meetings in past years have enjoyed first hand his handiwork while going to and from these gatherings. Mr. Farmer will be attending, speaking and autographing his book in Charleston in April 2015 at the annual Meeting of the GCSC. Mark your calendars and join us for a treat. Now the icing on the cake for, Felder Rushing has written the introduction to the book. Felder is one of the South s horticultural geniuses. He writes with wit and flare, and an abundance of knowledge. The last sentence in the introduction sums up the book perfectly; Don t just pick this up as a gardening guide; as you pick this man s amazing brain, and read between the lines for glimpses of his wry humor, feel his loving heart as well. Reading this book reveals many things for gardeners-stories, how-to-dos, and just what the title says; Skills and Stories from Generations of Gardeners. When next we meet please let me know your opinion of Deep Rooted Wisdom.