Book of the Month

May 2013

Gardening with Hardy Heathers, David Small and Ella May T. Wulff, Timber Press, Portland, Oregon (September 10, 2008); 296pps, 214 color photos, 1 b/w illustration, 2 charts, 17 maps; hardcover; publisher's price: NA; Amazon price: $15.98.

Who better than the late David Small, heather propagator extraordinaire and leading light of Britain’s Heather Society, and Ella May Wulff, past president of the North American Heather Society, to write a comprehensive volume on their favorite plants? This alliance of British and American wisdom is another in the Timber Press series of expert-written texts devoted to a single genus.

I encountered heaths and heathers in my first spring of field work for clients as a fledgling professional gardener over a decade ago. I was struck by their beauty and utility in otherwise hard to plant spots such as low banks. With drought tolerance (once established) and simple care by shearing in spring for heathers and summer for heaths, these plants fit today’s mandate for the “low maintenance”garden.

Before long, I had joined the local chapter of the North American Heather Society here in the Northeast to learn more about these plants. On an early fall weekend trip to Brandywine Valley gardens sponsored by our chapter, I met Ella May. Soon she was picking my brain for ideas about design and companion planting with heathers. What a happy surprise to learn that she was writing this book and would include my suggestions!

A great feature of the text is the season of bloom and soil pH preferences chart for both the spring blooming Ericas (heaths) and the summer blooming Callunas (heathers). Daboecias are also included, but these arenʼt hardy for me here in zone 5. Excellent photos and variety descriptions follow. This information is extremely helpful for anyone working to decipher nursery catalogue listings, aiming to pick the right plant for the right place.

I also like the special uses charts near the end of the book, with such headings as “early bloomers,” “edgers,” and “rock gardens, sinks and troughs.” Winter foliage color is also one of the key headings, and this is one of the great reasons to grow these plants! Many heaths do not bloom but sport changing foliage as the year turns.

While on the topic of winter, however, there is just brief mention in the volume about the techniques we here in the Northeast must never fail to use to keep our favorite plants alive. If only we knew in advance what kind of winter we were about to get! Since this will never be, I recommend precaution. Ericas are low, tough plants and can go with minimal protection such as a mulch of pine needles. However, Callunas may succumb to desiccating winds while the ground is frozen and snow cover is lacking. A tip: We cover them with 6" of pine needles and then a layer of evergreen boughs once the ground is frozen. This winter mulch can be removed in late March or early April. Then the plants beneath are sheared and spruced up for another season.

For those with a yen to propagate, David Small reveals all in Chapter 3, including layering, dropping, cuttings and seed. The timing of these activities during the gardening season is also outlined clearly with charts. His discussion of heather breeding will also be of interest.

Check out the listings in the back of the book for gardens to visit, nursery and designer listings, and a helpful glossary. Above all, enjoy this highly readable reference!

Priscilla Hutt Williams is President of Pumpkin Brook Organic Gardening in Townsend, Massachusetts. She is a board member of the Northeast Heather Society and a member of the New England chapter of NARGS.

Remember, by ordering this book through Amazon using this site you will benefit NARGS!  Simply click on the book title or cover photo!!

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April 2013

Seeing Trees — Discover the Extraordinary Secrets of Everyday Trees, Nancy Ross Hugo, photography by Robert Llewellyn, Timber Press, Portland, Oregon (August 16, 2011); 245pps, 175 color photos, hardcover; publisher: $29.95; Amazon: $19.77.

Book review by: Susan Stiles

March 2013

Daphnes: A Practical Guide for Gardeners, Robin White, Timber Press, Portland, Oregon (January 3, 2006); 224pp, 160 color photos, 2 line drawings, hardcover; publisher's price: $34.95; Amazon price: $34.95.

Book review by: Paul Bowden

February 2013

50 Beautiful Deer-Resistant Plants: The Prettiest Annuals, Perennials, Bulbs and Shrubs that Deer Don't Eat, Ruth Rogers Clausen, photography by Alan L. Detrick, Timber Press, Portland, Oregon (May 31, 2011); 224pp, 84 color photos, 9x7½ in., softcover; publisher’s price: $19.95; Amazon price: $13.57.

Book review by: Amanda Haney

January 2013

The Gardener's Guide to Cactus: The 100 Best Paddles, Barrels, Columns, and Globes, Scott Calhoun, Timber Press, Portland, OR (January 31, 2012); 228pp, 128 color photos, paperback; publisher's price: $24.95; Amazon price: $16.47.

Book review by: Gail Klodzinski

December 2012

Small Conifers for Small Gardens, Robert L. Fincham, Coenosium Press, Eatonville, Washington (2011); 292pp, 256 color photos; publisher's price: US $40-$42, Canada $50, Overseas $52 (not available from Amazon).

Book review by: Panayoti Kelaidis

November 2012

Concrete Garden Projects: Easy & Inexpensive Containers, Furniture, Water Features & More, Malin Nilson and Camilla Arvidsson, Timber Press (August 23, 2011); 133pp, 270 color photos, paperback; publisher's price: $19.95, Amazon price: $13.43.

Book review by: Carol Eichler

October 2012

Planting the Dry Shade Garden: The Best Plants for the Toughest Spot in Your Garden, Graham Rice, Timber Press (August 9, 2011); 193pp, 125 color photos, softcover; publisher's price: $24.95, Amazon price: $16.47.

Book review by: Ray Deutch

September 2012

Calochortus: Mariposa Lilies and their Relatives, Mary E. Gerritsen and Ron Parsons, Timber Press, Portland, Oregon (July 15, 2007); 232pp, 175 color photos, 2 b/w line drawings, 1 color illustration, hardcover; publisher's price: $29.95; Amazon price: $25.61.

Book review by: Frances Burr

August 2012

Alpines: An Essential Guide, Michael Mitchell, The Crowood Press, Wiltshire, UK (Jan. 1, 2012); 144pp, 217 color photos, hardcover; publisher's price: £19.95; Amazon price: $40.71.

Book review by: Panayoti Kelaidis

July 2012

Tomorrow’s Garden: Design and Inspiration for a New Age of Sustainable Gardening, Stephen Orr, Rodale Press, Emmaus, PA (Feb. 15, 2011); 256pp, hardcover; publisher's price: $24.99; Amazon price: $16.49.

Book review by: Carole Ottesen

June 2012

Waterwise Plants for Sustainable Gardens: 200 Drought-Tolerant Choices for All Climates, Lauren Springer Ogden and Scott Ogden, Timber Press, Portland, Oregon (2011); 249pp, 245 color photos, softcover; publisher’s price: $24.95; Amazon price $16.47.

Book review by: Rand B. Lee

May 2012

Heucheras and Heucherellas: Coral Bells and Foamy Bells, Dan Heims and Grahame Ware, Timber Press (April 7, 2005), 208pp, 116 color photos, hardcover; publisher’s price: $27.95; Amazon price: $26.01.

Book review by: Bob Bartolomei

April 2012

One Writer’s Garden: Eudora Welty’s Home Place, Susan Haltom and Jane Roy Brown, University Press of Mississippi, Jackson, MS (Sept. 8, 2011), 304pp, 250 photos, hardcover; publisher’s price $35; Amazon price $23.10.

Book review by: Bobby J. Ward

March 2012

Weeds: In Defense of Nature’s Most Unloved Plants, Richard Mabey, HarperCollins Publishers, New York, New York (June 28, 2011), 336pp, hardcover; publisher’s price: $25.99; Amazon price: $17.15.

Book review by: Jeff Cox

February 2012

Fifty Plants that Changed the Course of History, Bill Laws, Firefly Books, Buffalo, New York (Sept. 14, 2011), 224pp, hardcover; publisher’s price: $29.95; Amazon price: $19.77.

Book review by: Linda Yang

January 2012

Phlox: A Natural History and Gardener's Guide, James H. Locklear, Timber Press (March 9, 2011), 340pp, 73 color photos, hardcover; publisher's price: $49.95; Amazon price: $36.46.

Book review by: Ed Glover

December 2011

Founding Gardeners: The Revolutionary Generation, Nature, and the Shaping of the American Nation, Andrea Wulf. Knopf, New York, NY (March 29, 2011), 352pp, hardcover; publisher’s price: $30; Amazon price: $17.85.

Book review by: Catriona Tudor Erler

November 2011

IRISES: A Gardener’s Encyclopedia, Claire Austin, Timber Press (October 15, 2005), 340pp, 1155 color photos, hardcover; publisher's price: $49.95; Amazon price: $32.97.

Book review by: Bobbie Lively Diebold

October 2011

Attracting Native Pollinators: Protecting North America’s Bees and Butterflies, Eric Mader, Matthew Shepherd, Mace Vaughan, Scott Hoffman Black, and Gretchen LeBuhn, Storey Publishing, North Adams, Massachusetts (February 26, 2011); 384pp, softcover; publisher’s price: $29.95; Amazon price: $19.77.

Book review by: Eric Grisell

September 2011

The Book of Little Hostas: 200 Small, Very Small, and Mini Varieties, Kathy Guest Shadrack and Michael Shadrack, publisher: Timber Press (November 24, 2010); 208pp, 263 color photos, hardcover; publisher's price: $27.95; Amazon price: $22.58.

Book review by: Carole Bordelon

August 2011

Saxifrages: A Definitive Guide to the 2000 Species, Hybrids & Cultivars, Malcolm McGregor, publisher: Timber Press (August 15, 2008); 384pp, 339 color photos, hardcover; publisher's price: $49.95; Amazon price: $32.97.

Book review by: Peter George

July 2011

Thoughtful Gardening, Robin Lane Fox, publisher: Basic Books (November 9, 2010); 384pp, hardcover; publisher's price: $29.95; Amazon price: $19.77.

Book review by: Robin Bell

June 2011

The Opinionated Gardener: Random Offshoots from an Alpine Garden, Geoffrey Charlesworth, David R. Godine Publisher, 01 May 1987 (ISBN 13: 9780879236724, ISBN 10: 0879236728); hardback, 196pp.

Book Review by: Lori Chips

May 2011

Land Above the Trees: A Guide to American Alpine Tundra, Ann H. Zwinger and Beatrice E. Willard, Ph.D., Harper & Row, Publishers - 1972; Johnson Books, rev. April 1996; ISBN-10: 9781555661717, ISBN-13: 978-1555661717; 448pp; publisher's price (soft): $19.95.

Book Review by: Hans J. Sauter

April 2011

Timber Press Pocket Guide to Conifers, Richard L. Bitner (author of 250 of the Best Conifers for Gardens), Timber Press, 2010, 224pp, softcover; publisher's price: $19.95.

Book Review by: Frances Burr

March 2011

Gardening on Pavement, Tables, and Hard Surfaces, George Schenk, Timber Press, Portland, OR, 2003; 192pp, softcover; publisher's price: $19.95.

Book Review by: Lori Chips

February 2011

Gardening for a Lifetime: How to Garden Wiser as You Grow Older, Sydney Eddison, Timber Press, Portland, Oregon, 2010; 204pp, hardcover; publisher’s price: $19.95.

Book Review by: Doreen Howard

January 2011

Flowers of Turkey: A Photo Guide, Gerhard Pils, Eigenverlag G. Pils, Austria 2006; 450pp, hardbound (No ISBN number); approximately $130.

The Flowers of Crete, John Fielding and Nicholas Turland, ed. by Brian Mathew, Kew: Surrey, 2008; ISBN 978–1–84246–079–5; 650pp, >1900 color photographs; approximately $100.

Book Reviews by: Panayoti Kelaidis

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Speaking of books, consider going to the NARGS Bookstore for even more good rock gardening titles !!!

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