Classic Bulbs: Hidden Treasures for the Modern Garden

Average customer rating:
Classic Bulbs: Hidden Treasures for the Modern Garden
Katherine Whiteside
Manufacturer: Villard
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Flowers | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
General | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0394587278
Release Date: 1991-12-08

Average customer rating:

Will inspire you to grow tomatoes

100 Heirloom Tomatoes

Great Book

Emily White knows "snob" quite well

100 is not enough!

Smith & Hawken: 100 Heirloom Tomatoes for the American Garden
Carolyn J. Male
Manufacturer: Workman Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Turtleback

Fruit | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
General | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Vegetables | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Tomatoes | By Plant | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

The Great Tomato Book

Taylor's Guide to Heirloom Vegetables: A Complete Guide to the Best Historic and Ethnic Varieties (Taylor's Gardening Guides)

The Heirloom Tomato Cookbook

The Tomato Festival Cookbook: 150 Recipes that Make the Most of Your Crop of Lush, Vine-Ripened, Sun-Warmed, Fat, Juicy, Ready-to-Burst Heirloom Tomatoes

How to Grow World Record Tomatoes: A Guinness Champion Reveals His All-Organic Secrets

ASIN: 0761114009

Amazon.com

This is a book for the true tomato snob who is not content with the ordinary red beefsteak weighing heavily on the vine at the end of summer. Yellow, pink, green, and orange tomatoes are all part of this guide to heirloom varieties, many of which are only available through catalogs or through an organization called the Seed Savers Exchange.

Author Carolyn Male favors heirlooms that have been passed down through families, not commercially created hybrids. She does not hesitate to be critical, calling some varieties mealy or bland, while others send her into epiphanies. Although she makes gestures toward guiding the novice, this is a book for either food fanatics or experts who move in the subculture of truly obsessed gardeners catering to gourmet cooks and specialty markets. Throughout the book, enticing photographs of freshly picked heirlooms remind the reader that grocery store tomatoes aren't really tomatoes at all, sitting sadly under fluorescent lights, losing their flavor and color. If only they had been born in a tomato snob's garden; then they would have been treated like royalty. --Emily White

Book Description

Preserved by families, collected by seed savers, passed around among farmers, heirloom tomatoes are now being sought out by more and more home gardeners as an alternative to the bland sameness of commercial hybrids. And happily, these growers are discovering that heirlooms are not only vastly more flavorful, but are just as hardy and easy to cultivate as the hybrids.

Dr. Carolyn J. Male, who has raised more than a thousand heirloom tomatoes, here presents 100 consistently top-performing varieties for North American gardeners. There are red tomatoes, yellow tomatoes, green, orange, purple, and even black tomatoes--like Black from Tula, with green shoulders and a dusky rose-black coloring. There are cherry tomatoes, too--try Martino's Roma, a paste with spectacular yield and built-in tolerance of blossom end rot. For every gardener, no matter how experienced, here's everything you need to know to grow and harvest tomatoes with real taste.

Customer Reviews:

Will inspire you to grow tomatoes.......2007-06-13

I received this book as a gift, after my small 4-plant tomato plot fared disastrously last summer. 1 of the 4 plants produced decent tomatoes, while the rest died unceremoniously. This year, following the recommendations in this book, my 4 plants are all doing great, and I already have little tomatoes-to-be on 3 of the 4. For that reason alone I would recommend this book. I wish some of the planting and tending suggestions were a little clearer; you have to piece some of them together for yourself. Nevertheless, just two of the express recommendations on their own have made a world of difference for me.

The photographs and descriptions of the different heirloom varieties are fantastic, and will inspire you to pick out some different and unusual tomatoes for your garden. You don't have to be a tomato fanatic to enjoy and learn from this book.

100 Heirloom Tomatoes.......2007-05-27

Wonderful book written by Dr Carolyn Male. If you don't own or have not read this book, then you really are found lacking in life!

Great Book.......2006-08-20

Enjoyed the book enough to buy another to give to my tomato-growing son. Also hooked me to the point of buying three other tomato books from Amazon. The author posts regularly on various tomato websites. Great photographs. For the price that Amazon sells this book - you cannot go wrong.

Emily White knows "snob" quite well.......2006-01-15

After reading Miss Emily Whites "editorial" comments...it would seem that "snob" is a term that Miss White throws about because of close association with the same.
If you've ever wasted a summer growing crappy tomatoes, or would like to avoid wasting a summer growing crappy tomatoes, BUY AND READ this book.

100 is not enough!.......2005-09-12

This is a great book. I especially love the pictures with cross-sections of each tomato so you can see the meatiness before you buy. I also appriciate that the taste of each one is described in detail. My only complaint is that a lot of great tomatoes are missing from this book. I hope the next volume has about 500 varieties to truley reflect the unique color, taste and shape variations in heirloom tomatoes.

Average customer rating:

purchased 5 times!
This book will have you learning about local southern plants!
PASSALONG PLANTS
Sharing God's Beauty!
The Way to Write

Passalong Plants
Steve Bender
Manufacturer: The University of North Carolina Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Ornamental Plants | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Reference | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0807844187

Book Description

Passalongs are plants that have survived in gardens for decades by being handed from one person to another. These botanical heirlooms, such as flowering almond, blackberry lily, and night-blooming cereus, usually can't be found in neighborhood garden centers; about the only way to obtain a passalong plant is to beg a cutting from the fortunate gardener who has one.

In this lively and sometimes irreverent book (don't miss the chapter on yard art), Steve Bender and Felder Rushing describe 117 such plants, giving particulars on hardiness, size, uses in the garden, and horticultural requirements. They present this information in the informal, chatty, and sometimes humorous manner that your next-door neighbor might use when giving you a cutting of her treasured Confederate rose. And, of course, because they are discussing passalong plants, they note the best method of sharing each plant with other gardeners.

Because you might not spy a banana shrub or sweet pea in your neighborhood, the authors list mail-order sources for the heirloom plants described. They also give tips on how to organize your own plant swap. Although the authors live in and write about the South, many of the plants they discuss will grow elsewhere. from the book Amid the clamor of press releases touting the newest, improved versions of this bulb or that perennial, what keeps people interested in old-fashioned plants? Nostalgia, for one thing. It's hard not to feel a special fondness for that Confederate rose, night-blooming cereus, or alstroemeria lovingly tended by your grandmother when you were a child. Such heirloom plants evoke memories of your first garden, of relatives and neighbors that have since passed on, of prized bushes you accidentally annihilated with your bicycle. Recall the time you first received a particular plant, and you'll recall the person who gave it to you.

Customer Reviews:

purchased 5 times!.......2007-03-31

This is the best gardening book I own. It's so good, I've bought it for gifts over and over and over again. All of the plants listed are fabulous, the profiles are just plain funny, and all in all, the book is inspiring. Steve Bender and Felder Rushing are a great team- their essays on the plants feel like sitting down with a good gardening friend. They teach a lot, but not in a pedantic way. I can't recommend this book enough- I'd give it ten stars if I could.

This book will have you learning about local southern plants!.......2005-11-28

Unlike other members of my family. I have not inherited the green thumb. This book is fabulous if you live in the south. This book lets you know which plants can be started from others. Propagating plants either from cuttings or seeds can help you have a good deal of money.

This book is mostly geared for those of us who live in the south. While there are other plants mentioned, I think you would be better served if you live in the south. I like that this book broke plants down into types, and areas that they typically do best in. This way your not having to play any guessing games about what may grow best in your area.

If you are fond of of heirloom plants, this book is ideal for you, as it has many plants that are of older stock. It also gives you ideas for sources as well as sources for these older variety of plants. This book also tells you how to propigate the plants and make more!

This is a great resource. My only personal drawback is that while their are pictures for 80% or more of what is mentioned in the book. I am not plant savvy and when their isn't a picture, I have no idea what plant they are talking about. Do not let that stop you though, this is a great resource, and my garden will benefit from this book greatly!

PASSALONG PLANTS.......2005-09-14

A wonderful book that I will use over and over through the years!

Sharing God's Beauty!.......2005-07-09

This book was delightful in many respects. I learned alot about plants that have been around forever and "shared" with other plant lovers! I will keep this book to read and re-read. Also liked the pictures and especially the stories.

The Way to Write.......2003-07-25

Wrote with Southern charm, Felder Rushing's and Steve Bender's "Passalong Plants" is chocked full of humor and downhome anecdotes on how and why all gardeners should "share the fun and joy" of passing along a favorite flower or plant. That boils down to mean giving to others what the soil has gave to you! A fine book that will add lots of useful and practical gardening information to any home gardener's bookshelf.

Restoring American Gardens: An Encyclopedia of Heirloom Ornamental Plants, 1640-1940

Average customer rating:

A treasure trove of information on heirloom ornamentals
Amazing piece of research, well presented

Restoring American Gardens: An Encyclopedia of Heirloom Ornamental Plants, 1640-1940
Denise Wiles Adams
Manufacturer: Timber Press, Incorporated
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Garden Design | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

General | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Ornamental Plants | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Gardening | Encyclopedias | Reference | Subjects | Books

History | Encyclopedias | Reference | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0881926191

Book Description

Today's gardeners have more plants and design ideas to choose from than ever before. But is there something missing in their gardens if they ignore their ties to the past? Denise Wiles Adams has written a remarkable book of history and horticulture that documents the changing plant palette of American gardens. From the colonial era to the pre-World War II period, no region of the country is neglected and no major plant group unrepresented. From a database of more than 25,000 plants and hundreds of antique nursery catalogs, she has distilled a unique survey of American ornamental gardens. Nobody concerned with historic homes and properties can afford to be without it. An important resource that will be consulted for generations, Restoring American Gardens is a vital link between gardeners and their predecessors throughout history.

Customer Reviews:

A treasure trove of information on heirloom ornamentals.......2004-05-03

Gardeners who enjoy a healthy dose of gardening history in their guides will find Denise Wiles Adams' Restoring American Gardens a treasure trove of information on heirloom ornamentals from 1640-1940. Small color photos of each plant abound, but it's the paragraphs of description for each, including garden design notes and special remarks, which sets this apart from competitors.

Amazing piece of research, well presented.......2004-04-16

This is an amazing piece of research and one of the few books whose appendices are a "must read".

The bok is about American ornamental plant history - the story of garden plants from their introduction, usually from Europe, or from the local fields and forests. It answers questions such as "Who first cultivated it in America?", "How was it used?", "Who propagated or sold it?" and "Why was it popular?".

The writer consulted over 300 seed and nursery catalogues from all over the US and ended up with a data base of over 25,000 different taxa.

The first chapter of the book looks at the historical detail of the garden landscape and it is illustrated with well-selected photographs, many taken from postcards. The second chapter links the gardens to the architectural styles from different time periods and the third chapter looks at the way garden styles evolved in different regions of the country. The largest part of the book is a catalogue of over 1000 heirloom plants - trees, shrubs, vines, perennials and roses that were offered for sale between 1719 - 1939. For each plant there is given common names, family, date of introduction, earliest American citation, zones and description, taken from the garden writers of history.

This book presents a vast amount of material and it's a treasure trove for the garden historian. Even the most casual reader will enjoy the historical and botanical illustrations. It really is a treat to find such a well-organized work of scholarship that is so readable and attractively presented.

Average customer rating:

Excellent and relaxed introduction to heirlooms

The Edible Heirloom Garden (Edible Garden)
Rosalind Creasy
Manufacturer: Periplus Editions
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Vegetables | Vegetables & Vegetarian | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
Fruit | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
General | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Vegetables | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
General | Techniques | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Edible French Garden (Edible Garden Series, 3)

The Edible Italian Garden (Edible Garden Series)

The Edible Rainbow Garden (Edible Garden)

The Edible Herb Garden (Edible Garden Series)

The Edible Salad Garden (Edible Garden Series)

ASIN: 9625932941

Customer Reviews:

Excellent and relaxed introduction to heirlooms.......2007-07-06

Well illustrated. Brief desciptions about different varieties,
including planting, preparation, and history. Simply yet beautifully
layed out. An engaging and laid back introduction to the important art
of genetic preservation and appreciation of nature's delicious diversity.

100 Old Roses For The American Garden (Smith & Hawken)

Average customer rating:

100 Old Roses For the American Garden
I keep grabbing this book
Excellent resource for gardeners
There is a fine line between hobby and obsession......
With details on the rose's growing needs

100 Old Roses For The American Garden (Smith & Hawken)
Clair G. Martin
Manufacturer: Workman Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 076111341X

Amazon.com

While gardeners often start out with hybrid tea roses, they most often end up growing the healthier and supremely fragrant old roses. Who can resist their crumpled petals in soft watercolor shades and their penetrating fragrance of baby powder and cold cream, let alone their lengthy and flamboyant histories? 100 Old Roses for the American Garden has pulled together a selected hundred of the best, with stunning color photographs and cultural information.

And the names--who could resist 'Alister Stella Gray' (a golden rambler), or 'Enfant de France' (a rose-pink hybrid perpetual dating from 1860)? You might want to track down 'Sydonie,' a shell-pink damask described as having deep, pervasive perfume and generous rebloom. This task will be made easier by the appendices at the back of the book listing mail-order sources for old roses, and public gardens that display them.

One reason so many gardeners end up enamored with old roses is that they don't need to be grown in a "rose ghetto" as do hybrid teas, but rather enjoy being mixed into borders with other plants. A chapter on companion plantings suggests perennials that work well as skirting for old roses, enabling the gardener to mix roses seamlessly into the garden picture. --Valerie Easton

Book Description

Grow a rose once praised by Virgil, known today as 'Autumn Damask.' Or the ancient 'Apothecary's Rose,' which Count Thibaut brought back from the Crusades. Or 'Empress Josephine,' enjoyed by the lady herself.

Treasured for their mixture of toughness and charm, versatility in the garden, and glorious scent, Old Roses are a revelation to gardeners accustomed to fussy modern hybrids. Suddenly roses don't come in one shape but in a dozen, and don't require a scientific approach but thrive with the basics of sun, water, and soil. Clair Martin, who has over 2,000 different roses under his care, offers enthusiasts a perfect introduction to growing Old Roses, followed by a focused list of 100 cultivars ideal for gardens across America.

From 'Alba Semi-plena' an excellent cold-climate survivor and one of the oldest forms of the white rose, to the popular 'Zephrine Drouhin,' with her deep, rich cerise tones--each rose is photographed in sumptuous color and accompanied by history, parentage, culture, and at-a-glance information on availability, stature and habit, hardiness, and time of bloom.

Customer Reviews:

100 Old Roses For the American Garden.......2003-07-10

This book is fabulous. I am a beginner and it covers each rose in depth. At the front of the book is fascinating history on roses. Especially how roses were such a commodity in the 1600-1700 & 1800's. They even stopped a ship blockade to let the roses in.

I keep grabbing this book.......2003-04-25

Although this book isn't all-inclusive (after all, the title is 100 old roses), this is the book I reach for first. It's great when I'm trying to find out more information on a rose in a catalog, or looking for an old rose for a specific spot. First of all, I can't resist the pictures (but they may be slightly misleading as in the case of Blanc Double de Coubert which I've never seen growing with the great cutting stem as shown). Second, the text makes for amusing reading. It's oppinionated, and I like that. Third, there's the handy Index of Old Garden Roses by Color in the back. It's actually a little summary: flower style, plant type, and class e.g. Madame Isaac Pereire: cupped, tall, Bourbon. Very handy. The only thing that would make this better is if it had scratch and sniff (unfortunately not realistic)...since scent is such a subjective thing (I was so hot for Louise Odier until I smelled her and was surprised to find that I didn't like the fragrance).

Excellent resource for gardeners.......2002-06-27

If you are interested in growing roses and want to try some that are not just your basic Hybrid Teas, this is a wonderful book to get. You will drool over the pictures and the text is excellent. The pictures take one page and are a gorgeous shots of the bloom with a long stem and leaves. On the opposite page is text which goes into great detail about the rose characteristics, growth patterns, habits, vigor, etc. It is an invaluable book when trying to decide what old garden roses to introduce to your garden.

This format is so beautful and so useful, that I have purchased all of the gardening books in this "series" by this publisher. It is rare to get such excellent photos in combination with such useful text.

I started growing roses about five years ago and became frustrated with Hybrid Teas because of blackspot and their generally fussy behavior and stiff, formal flowers. This book and Liz Druitt's book were instrumental in getting me to try old garden roses, and am I glad I did! I would highly recommend this to both beginning gardeners and experienced, alike.

There is a fine line between hobby and obsession.............2001-07-11

As others have previously mentioned, this is by no means the "authority" on the old roses, but what a wonderful little book it is! You don't have to work out twice a week in order to lift it and thumb through it, and it will fit in the back pocket of your overalls. The field guide is the area of the book I use most- the pictures are of a rose branch, often including buds, partly opened flowers and plenty of leaves, so you get a good idea of what the flowers, leaves and cane colors look like together, and that is not something many books offer. The pictures are taken on a clean white background and show the true form of the rose bloom. I like the author's style of writing and the fact that he often gives his opinion of the rose and the nature of it's scent, as well as the facts of it's growth habit. He also lists the roses by color in the back of the book, and that is a nice reference touch.

This is is a great reference book to take to the nurseries or on garden expeditions because it is so portable and offers so much information on each rose. We all know how vague some of those nursery tags can be, and if you don't have a photographic memory the easily found details quickly let you know if the rose you are considering will grow 4X4 or 10X10 in your area and whether or not it *really is* the rose that you want to plant beside the steps going to the back door! (I know- it would be just lovely there, wouldn't it....)

I have this book as well as the "100 English Roses" by the same author. They are not the books I reach for on a rainy day when I am looking for design inspiration, but they *are* the ones that I constantly reach for when I am doing the actual planning and planting and need the facts, and also the ones that my friends love to borrow. These are not expensive books, and it will be money well spent.

With details on the rose's growing needs.......2001-02-21

Saxon Holt's color photos embellish nearly every page of this gardener's guide to old rose varieties. Unlike many rose books which assume prior knowledge, this advises a range of gardeners with details on the rose's growing needs and methods accompanying the full-page color photo of its flower. Highly recommended: 'the' pick if only one or two rose books were to be included in a home gardening collection.

The Heirloom Flower Gardens: Rediscovering and Designing With Classic Ornamentals

Average customer rating:

The Heirloom Flower Gardens: Rediscovering and Designing With Classic Ornamentals
Jo Ann Gardner
Manufacturer: Chelsea Green Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Landscape | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Ornamental Plants | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 1890132624

Book Description

Favorite old varieties of plants are a lot like old friends: easy-going, dependable, and enduring. Even with all of the dazzling new flowers that appear every spring in catalogs and garden centers, most gardeners still treasure those time-honored plants that have proven their worth over many years and earned an abiding place in our hearts.

Heirloom Flower Gardens celebrates more than 300 classic ornamental plants, and explores their uses in the landscape and the home. This charming and influential book is now back in print, and even better than before. It features more than 25 additional plant portraits, as well as expanded information on growing, landscaping, and preserving flowers and herbs for culinary and craft use. Other new sections provide information on creating period plantings and designing specialty or theme gardens.

Author JoAnn Gardner defines the word "heirloom" broadly, and includes a wide variety of plants—flowers, herbs, shrubs, and vines—that were introduced to North America between 1600 and the 1950s. All of them have a simplicity and elegance that make them valuable additions to the home landscape. Most are also known for their hardiness and undemanding natures. Sections on growing under each plant portrait give specific instructions that will ensure success.

Customer Reviews:

A beautiful book............2001-05-21

I love PERENNIALS:ENDURING CLASSICS FOR THE CONTEMPORARY GARDEN, by Rob Proctor. Pretty books of this sort are a means to solace the soul on a dreary day. The photographs by Rob Gray lead me to daydream --first I'm looking at the picture of the garden, then I'm in that garden in my mind. For some, daydreams may be the only way to garden but for those with access to dirt and a little ambition, all things are possible.

Recently, various authors have produced a spate of books on antique roses but what about antique perennials? These are the perennials people used to grow, and in some cases still do because they are so tough. While the modern growers offer hybrids of every persuasion, some folks want to restore an older garden, or create a garden with an "older look." If so, this book is filled with ideas for "antique" gardening -- in plots and in pots.

Proctor's book contains an overview of the story of perennials: antique perennials, the written history of flowers, and the history of the perennial gardening style. He then provides a portfolio of antique perennials, laid out A-Z. Each entry covers one or more pages. Various garden shots as well as close-ups of plants, in many cases in floral arrangements (in vases, pots, or other containers, for example Gooseneck Loosestrife in a tuba) are provided.

The photographs in the front section show various old-style gardens from garden parterres (literally parted earth) expansions of the French knot gardens of the Middle Ages to fields of flowers such as Goldenrod or Solidago growing in England (introduced from America). Further along the book contains the separate plant listings that range from Acanthus Mollis grown in the Middle Ages and Achillea grown in 19th Century Romantic Gardens to Zantedeschia aethiopia the Calla Lily from Ethiopia.

Customer Reviews:

Great Book.......2000-12-19

This is a really great book. I loved the essays on each plant. Greg Grant is very humorous. This is not just a coffee table book, although the pictures are beautiful. It offers advise and inspiration to those of us who will never have the "Southern Living Landscape" look.

Excellent presentation on traditional Southern plants.......1999-05-24

In these days of trying the "Western grass garden" or the "English perennial border" it's particularly refreshing to study a book devoted to plants that happily grow in the Southern humidity and heat. While the opening chapters on historical gardens in the new world (French, Spanish, etc.) were interesting, the later chapters on plants were the most informative. When reading I could hear my Grandmother using the same commonplace names, like "paw-paw" and how to make jelly from the fruit. The challenge will now be to find some of these plants. (The authors admit some plants are only available from old gardens in the South). It remains one of my favorite garden books for its affectionate commentary on one of the oldest southern pastimes - our gardens and the talking and sharing of plants with loved ones.

Rich and instructive........1998-10-29

"The Southern Heirloom Garden" is a rich and instructive work.

At the start of the book, William C. Welch and Greg Grant tell us that "gardening is one of the oldest, and richest, of our Southern folk arts."

The authors divide the book into two sections. The first section refreshingly explores French, German, Spanish, Native American, and African-American contributions to Southern gardening.

The Spanish, for instance, intensely developed and utilized small garden spaces, while African-Americans used brightly-colored flowers in the front yard as a sign of welcome.

This section also has a commendable essay on historic garden restoration in the South.

The second section addresses the plants "our ancestors used to build and enrich their gardens."

There are nearly 200 full-color photographs here, along with dozens of rare vintage engravings. While some of the pictures are a bit small, they are still informative.

Southern gardeners and historians will particularly enjoy this fine volume.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books