Thursday, April 23, 2015

A Fresh Crop of Books (Plus another Book Giveaway)


Some of us are still waiting impatiently for Spring to arrive. Believe it or not, there was a light dusting of snow on the ground this morning!

I can't think of a better of a better way to laze-away a wintery evening than sipping a cup of coffee and thumbing through a spring catalogue of gardening books. Here are just a few of the books that caught my eye:




Small Green Roofs
By Nigel Dunnett, Dusty Gedge, John Little & Edmund C. Snodgrass
Paperback 256 pages; full color throughout
American Horticultural Society Book Award winner

We need to replace our garden shed and so this book cover grabbed my attention. I'd love to have a similar green roof on our new shed.

This book contains 40 illustrated profiles of small green roof designs with details on design, construction, installation, care and maintenance.




Cultivating Garden Style
Inspired ideas and practical advice to unleash your garden personality
By Rochelle Greayer
Paper over board
320 pages; full color throughout
Selection of the Homestyle Book Club

This guide to outdoor design by the editor of Pith + Vigor features 23 unique garden styles intended to help you find your personal garden style. There are lessons and tips in gardening and design, as well as step-by-step projects.

Worthy of note: this book contains over 1,500 photographs to inspire you.


This is a series of books covering: Asters, Epimediums, Ferns, Sedums, Snowdrops and Tulips. Carolyn of Carolyn's Shade Gardens, who is a snowdrop expert among other things, did a very favourable review of The Plant Lover's Guide of Snowdrops. The New York Times describes the series as "lavishly illustrated."





A Beginners Guide to Preserving Food at Home
By Janet Chadwick
Paperback
240 pages; a mix of two-color and illustrations

This bestseller promises to take the fear out of canning, which is reassuring to people like me who are novice canners. The book covers best techniques for canning popular fruits and veggies.


Drink the Harvest
By Nan K. Chase & DeNeice C. Guest
Paperback 232 pages; Full color with photographs & illustrations

I like the idea that preserving summer's harvest extends beyond jams and pickles.

This book covers juices, ciders, wines, teas and syrups. There are also tips and growing and harvesting the necessary ingredients.








Coleus
Rainbow of Foliage for Containers and Gardens
By Ray Rogers
Hardcover, 228 pages; full color throughout

Did you know that 2015 has been named as the Year of the Coleus by the National Garden Bureau (USA)?

With 225 varieties of Coleus featured in its pages and tips of propagation, care and use, this book covers just about everything you might want to know about the plant of the year.





Planting the Dry Shade Garden
By Graham Rice
Paperback, 192 pages; full color throughout

Moist shade, is one thing. Dry shade is double the challenge. A good chunk of my back garden is dry and shady, so a guide that highlights 130 plants that do well with reduced light and moisture, would be a handy reference.




Epic Tomatoes
By Craig Lehoullier
Paperback, 256 pages; full color photographs & illustrations

This book explains how to plant and grow tomatoes, as well as offers tips on how to control pests and diseases. Author Craig Lehoullier has spent over 30 years trialing tomatoes and highlights his top 10 tomato varieties.






Mosaic Garden Projects
By Mark Brody
Paperback 256 pages; full color throughout

For those of us still waiting for Spring, a garden art project might help keep us sane!
This book covers the basics of making a mosaic and has 25 projects with step-by-step instructions.





 



A few older Books you might want to look out for:



The Collector's Garden
By Ken Druse
Paperback 256 pages; full color throughout
American Horticultural Society Book Award winner

In The Collector's Garden author Ken Druse studies 28 gardens throughout the world that have a plant driven focus.

Natural Companions, The Garden Lover's Guide to Plant Combinations is second book by Ken Druse. It features stunning photographs by Ellen Hoverkamp.



The Layered Garden
By David L. Culp
Paperback 312 pages; full color throughout


This book, which I reviewed back in 2012, went on to be a bestseller and won a gold award from the Garden Writers Association. The Layered Garden shows gardeners how to layer plants with beautiful photographs of Culp's Brandywine Cottage Garden as illustration of the concept.

Below is an image of Brandywine Cottage's walled garden.
Image from The Layered Garden © David l. Culp & Timber Press, 2012. Used with kind permission from Timber Press.
Coming Soon:



The Magical World of Moss Gardening
By Annie Martin 
Paperback 264 pages; full color throughout
For Release July 2015

Two years ago I started growing some moss and was surprised and pleased by the results. Now I'd like to learn more about growing moss.

This book, by expert Annie Martin, covers the basics: tips on designing with moss, as well as planting and maintenance.






The Indestructible Houseplant
By Tovah Martin with Photography by Kindra Clineff
Paperback 328 pages; full color throughout
For Release June 2015

During the late fall and winter I lavish attention on my houseplants, but by summertime, they are looking forlorn and neglected, baking in the sun of my dinning room window. "Indestructible" could prove useful adjective in coping with my seasonal neglect!

In this book author Tovah Martin highlights indoor plants that are tough, beautiful, and readily available. In addition to plant profiles there are there are tips on care, maintenance and creating eye-catching indoor displays.

Disclaimer: This selection of books is entirely of my own choosing. I did receive a copy of Epic Tomatoes: How to Select & Grow the Best Varieties of All Time by Craig Lehoullier at the Garden Writers Association (Chapter 7) annual lunch that I am going to give away to one lucky reader.

If you would like to be entered in the draw to win Epic Tomatoes please leave a comment below. 

If you are a non-blogger and would like to enter please leave a comment on the Three Dogs in a Garden Facebook page (link to Facebook in the right sidebar).

Please make sure there is a way for me to get hold of you by Facebook or email! I am still struggling to contact Bonnie Johnson who won Grow Gardeners in my last book draw.

19 comments:

  1. I'm fascinated by the history and variety of tomatoes so please include me in the draw. Is moss an elusive plant in your area? Here in the Pacific North West we are covered in it. Many people complain but I think it is beautiful. The Viola tricolor, which I call heartsease, at the top of the page, is delightful.

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    1. I would not go so far as to say that moss is elusive- I do have some on rocks and even growing in patches in the grass. I'd like to encourage moss to grow where I want it to rather than in random spots. I also want to do is to create a moss covered island bed in the back section of my garden. Summers are pretty dry here, so not every type of moss would thrive. Generally speaking, I'd like to know more about growing moss.

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    2. I like the idea of a moss covered island. You are so creative!

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  2. I can't grow tomatoes to save my life and would love to know what I'm doing wrong.

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  3. You had a dusting of snow......that is not on! At all!!!
    Some great books here, I was drawn to Green roofs, Mosaic garden projects and the Walled garden, I shall look out for those.
    I would love to be in your draw.xxx

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  4. I would love to be entered in your Epic Tomatoes book giveaway.
    BTW, thanks for including so many book reviews in one place, made it easy to see which should be next on my list ;)

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  5. Snow - Oh No !

    Lovely colours in the Coleus pictures and the snowdrop photo is absolutely STUNNING.

    All the best Jan

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  6. Wow, such interesting books! I would love to be in the draw for the book. Tomatoes grow so well here, we have our rogue tomatoes from our compost that sprout up in the oddest places. A dusting of snow?!?! That's just not fair. good lord, enough already . Hope it's warmer for you this weekend!

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  7. We got a dusting of snow too...I was so disappointed when I saw it!! Though today was warmer. What a wonderful selection of books...the dry shade looks interesting! Well all of them do!! I would love to be entered into your giveaway! Wishing you a lovely weekend friend! Nicole xo

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  8. Sounds like a lovely book! I´ve been just thinking bout what to grow this year :)
    mmyheartishere@gmail.com

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  9. I would love Epic Tomatoes. The gardener's guide series seems to be quite good if the snowdrop book is typical, thanks for the mention. I want the fern and epimedium books. Also the dry shade book is enticing.

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  10. Wow, my comment actually worked!!!!

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  11. Wonderful collection of books, Jennifer. I would like several of them, but will settle for the tomato one if I'm lucky. My email address is on my blog. Love your reviews. P. x

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  12. Oh Jennifer girl ... we had that dreadful dusting of snow too here in Kingston ... but it seems to have disappeared now ... so disheartening though ... especially with bags of compost dispersed around the garden and another 8 in my car waiting to be scattered ... when will it truly be Spring ?
    I love your selection of books .. the moss does something to me, I love it !! The collectors garden ... the layered garden ... dry shade garden ... all of them I lust after .. but? I have funneled my "money" towards plants ... BIG sigh ... maybe in the Fall ? LOL
    Joy : )
    Fingers crossed NO more snow !!

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  13. If I can only grow one thing it will be tomatoes. I'd love to win the book.

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  14. Thank you for introducing us to all these. The only one I read is the one by David Culp which I enjoyed.

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  15. Great selection of books here - love learning new things!

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  16. What a wonderful selection, so many here, there must be one to suit everybody. I already have a couple but could imagine being tempted by a few more!

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  17. Jennifer what a great list of books...I will be checking several out...

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