Natural Companions:Book Review & Giveaway

Image by Ellen Hoverkamp © Natural Companions by Ken Druse with Botanical Photographs by Ellen Hoverkamp. Published in 2012 by Stewart, Tabori & Chang, New York. An imprint of ABRAMS. 

I am really excited about this particular book and giveaway. 

I first leafed through the glossy pages of Natural Companions back in early spring. My first thought was, "Wow! This is absolutely gorgeous. All my gardening friends would really enjoy this book."

I determined there and then to track down a review copy of the book. Many, many emails later, I am very pleased to write this short review and give a copy of this beautiful book away to one very lucky reader.

Image by Ken Druse © Natural Companions by Ken Druse with Botanical Photographs by Ellen Hoverkamp. Published in 2012 by Stewart, Tabori & Chang, New York. An imprint of ABRAMS. 

This coming winter, when the snow is flying, and your summer garden is but a distant memory, this is exactly the kind of book you are going to want to reach for. 

Grab a coffee, and maybe even a big piece of chocolate cake (this book calls for a little decadence) before you settle in to read in your favourite chair. Not so mundane as to weigh down the imagination with practical considerations, the pages of this book are where flights of fancy can take wing.

Natural Companions is the collaboration of well-known writer-photographer Ken Druse, and artist Ellen Hoverkamp. Through a series of essays, the author presents plant pairings in a fresh new way. The book covers a broad range of related topics that are organized according to the seasons and are illustrated with a mix of Ken's garden photography and Ellen's botanical images.

Image by Ellen Hoverkamp © Natural Companions by Ken Druse with Botanical Photographs by Ellen Hoverkamp. Published in 2012 by Stewart, Tabori & Chang, New York. An imprint of ABRAMS. 

To make each of the book's images, Ellen's Hoverkamp painstakingly arranged plant specimens facedown on the glass of a large format flatbed scanner. Sometimes wires were necessary to suspend the flowers so they would not get crushed. The resulting image immortalizes a moment in the garden and exquisitely illustrates one of Ken Druse's suggested planting combinations. The technology employed to create the images may be modern, but the final artowrk harkens back to traditional botanical illustration.

Image by Ellen Hoverkamp © Natural Companions by Ken Druse with Botanical Photographs by Ellen Hoverkamp. Published in 2012 by Stewart, Tabori & Chang, New York. An imprint of ABRAMS. 

Image by Ellen Hoverkamp © Natural Companions by Ken Druse with Botanical Photographs by Ellen Hoverkamp. Published in 2012 by Stewart, Tabori & Chang, New York. An imprint of ABRAMS. 

Height, size, color, texture, bloom time: the factors involved in considering planting combinations can seem overwhelming. The calm orderliness of Natural Companion's botanical images and Ken Druse's witty, entertaining writing style seem to demystify the process of selecting companion plantings. 

You are going to love this book!

P.S. I notice that Natural Companions is much more affordable if you order it online from Amazon or Chapters in Canada. Take a peek in the store and then order it online to save yourself some money.

If you would like to be included in the draw for the copy of Natural Companions, please leave a comment below. The contest will remain open for a full week (until next Monday at 12pm, my time). The draw and winning announcement will take place early the following week.

Many thanks to Ken Druse, and Stewart, Tabori & Chang for providing a book for this giveaway. Thanks also to Larissa for her help in making all the arrangements for this review and giveaway. 

Good luck everyone!

I am going to link this post to Holley's monthly book review party. To find reviews on many other great gardening books, be sure to click the link: Roses and Other Gardening Joys.

More Information and Links:

Author, Ken Druse: Ken Druse is the author of over a dozen award-winning books. He has a weekly radio show,"Ken Druse- Real Dirt" on public radio, The radio show is also available as a podcast on his website. His writing can be found in the New York Times, Martha Stewart Living, House Beautiful and many other magazines. Ken Druse lives in New Jersey and Brooklyn, New York. Visit his website: KenDruse.com

Photographer, Ellen Hoverkamp: Ellen has been creating fine art photographs using a flat bed scanner since 1997. Her large archival prints have been exhibited in galleries, and garden-related venues throughout North America. She her home in West Haven, Connecticut.  Medium and large sized archival prints of her photographs are available through her online shop. Visit her website: myneighborsgarden.com