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December 3, 2019 · Leave a Comment

Art, Moles and Why We Need Plants: Three Book Reviews

Books/Writing· Uncategorized

I had a heck of a time coming up with a title for this post because none of the three books I’m reviewing exactly fall in the same category, even the category of garden books. What they have in common is the value (no, necessity) of experiencing and appreciating nature.

Let’s take them in reverse order.

How to Make a Plant Love You by Summer Rayne Oakes (Optimism Press 2019)

This book from the founder of the Homestead Brooklyn blog and Plant One on Me youtube channel might be confused with the avalanche of plant parenting, houseplant care books that are flooding the market this year. But, it is so much more than that. I had a chance to talk with Summer during the annual garden writers meeting in September, and she said she thinks of the book as a “relationship guide.”

An entomologist by training, she wants readers to understand why we crave plants in our environment—and it’s not just because of all the pretty plant pictures on Instagram. The book begins with her growing up years during which she had the freedom to explore the woods around her family’s home in Pennsylvania, learning about the plants, insects and amphibians that lived there. A move to New York City left Summer longing for plants, so she began collecting them, eventually caring for 1,000 plants from several hundred species in her apartment in Brooklyn. Her work has taken her around the world, where she has encountered other plant lovers, who are attuned to plants, their needs and their affect on us.

A lot of what she is encouraging is the slowing down that is essential in plant care. You have to notice the plant, know what it is and what it needs, observe how it responds to the environment you share and watch it— watch for too much water or too little, too much sun or too little. Plant care is a practice of paying attention. It is, as Summer says, a practice that can bring “spiritual and emotional clarity that I take with me wherever I go.”

The book does include some basic information on plant care, but do not buy this for someone seeking a “how-to” manual. This is a “why-to” book, and an excellent one.

How to Catch a Mole (and Find Yourself in Nature) by Mark Hamer (Greystone Books, 2019)

When I was offered a review copy of this book, I took it because, like a lot of gardeners, I have a history with moles. I spent the better part of three years stomping down mole tunnels in my Northfield garden, repeating the mantra “moles will move on eventually,” which I had been told by a pest guy. He was right — they did move on, eventually.

Mark Hamer’s relationship with moles evolved over decades and he eventually quit mole catching as a profession. “Molecatching is a traditional skill that has given me a good life,” he says in the introduction to this memoir, “but I am old now and tired of hunting, trapping and killing, and it has taught me what I needed to learn.”

In straightforward, yet lyrical prose, Hamer describes his life, from his days as a young man tramping around England, sleeping in hedgerows and working sporadically for food and cash. He fell into the mole catching profession, which allowed him to be outdoors and to observe the behavior of moles, and over time, come to appreciate these much maligned creatures. You will learn a lot about moles in this book: types of moles, their living and mating habits, how to trap them cleanly and fairly, and the ways they can be tortured by human intervention. But moles aren’t the point. Hamer, like Oakes, is addressing our modern divorce from nature. The writing in this book is plain, precise and evocative; occasionally there is a poem. It’s a short book and one that will get you thinking about how we define pests and what we could learn from them.

The Artist’s Garden: The Secret Spaces that Inspired Great Art by Jackie Bennett (White Lion Publishing, 2019)

This new coffee-table book examines the gardens that inspired artists from Leonardo da Vinci to Salvador Dali. It focuses on both home gardens kept by individual artists as well as gardens located at artists colonies, such as the colony at Old Lyme, CT., or Celia Thaxter’s island home in Maine. Each section is beautifully illustrated with photos of the gardens as well as paintings that were made of the gardens. It also includes drawings of the garden layouts, which are fun, because who doesn’t want to know that Frida Kahlo had apricot trees and roses or that German impressionist Max Liebermann had a front-yard vegetable garden.

The prose is informative and offers insights into painting, art history and gardening. Many of the artists were serious gardeners, as well. A brief section on paints and how difficult it was to paint outdoors was especially interesting.

I love a good garden book, and you can find other recommendations for older titles around the blog. Here are a few of my favorites:

  • Three Books for Beginning Vegetable Gardeners
  • A Quartet of Garden Memoirs
  • A Pattern Language
  • The Wildlife Friendly Vegetable Gardener

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What’s a northern gardener to do all winter? In What’s a northern gardener to do all winter? In these pandemic times, I’ve been having fun making quilts. Small, easy, no stress quilts. And, these garden themed fabrics on discount through Etsy were irresistible. 

I’m a beginner quilter and learned the craft through YouTube! (My favorite tutorials are the scrap buster quilts from @justgetitdonequilts) This fabric bundle included 21 different half yard prints, so I’ll probably have fabric left over for next winter too. 

How are you keeping sane/busy this winter? 
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Sometimes amaryllis are just so extra—like extra Sometimes amaryllis are just so extra—like extra large! What I really like about this one (it’s called Magic Green) is that the blooms are just right. Showy but not excessive. So far, the color is more cream than green though there is a pale green undertone. Beautiful variety! 

And, for those who may notice those tell-tale yellow strips in the pots—yes, I am having an ongoing fungus gnat issue. Not out of control, but definitely irritating. 

How’s your indoor garden 🪴 growing? 
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We’re still a few weeks away from seed starting We’re still a few weeks away from seed starting time, but I’m looking forward to having baby plants in the house. 🌱My conversation with Meg from @seedtofork on the Grow it, Minnesota podcast got me thinking about how I might change my set up this year. I’ve never used heat mats for seed starting since I keep my seedlings in the heated part of the house. But maybe this is the year to try that for peppers and tomatoes? Meg swears by heating mats! 

She also got me thinking about LED lights vs. fluorescent. I’m not inclined to replace lights that are still good, but light technology is changing. A lot to learn! 

Link to the podcast in the bio. Also links to seed starting charts and tips in the show notes at growitminnesota.com. 
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Succulent Sunday. I bought this trio from the loca Succulent Sunday. I bought this trio from the local Boy Scout troop during the holidays. It came with  snowman decorations and Christmas glitter, but once that came off it has a subtle charm. Low maintenance too!
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Wondering about what garden zone you are in or wha Wondering about what garden zone you are in or what first and last frost dates mean for your vegetable garden? Here’s the zone info for Minnesota and Midwest gardeners. 

My latest blog post on MyNorthernGarden.com has the basics on zones and frost dates. (Link in bio.) Knowing a few simple things about your climate is a key to success in the garden. 

With the warm temps we have had this winter, it feels like we are gardening in about zone 6, but never fear, it will get cold again. Listening to the weather the other night, I was reminded that in early January of 2019, it hit 47 (!) in the Twin Cities. On January 29 that year, I recorded the coldest temp I’ve ever seen in my garden—minus 23. 🥶🥶🥶 
 If you haven’t listened to it yet, check out the latest episode of Grow it, Minnesota to find out how to beat the cold with hoops, cold frames and more. Link to that in bio, too. Stay warm! 
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Super excited about tomorrow’s episode of the Gr Super excited about tomorrow’s episode of the Grow it, Minnesota podcast. My guest is Niki Jabbour to talk about cold frames, mini hoops, poly tunnels and her new book, Growing Under Cover. The book is packed with information for northern gardeners who want to stretch our short growing season. The episode goes live tomorrow morning and you can subscribe in Apple, Google, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. 
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Top nine images from 2020! A bit surprised my tool Top nine images from 2020! A bit surprised my tools made it into the list 🤔 but the rest are plants I love. I’m looking forward to more gardening friends and fun in 2021. Happy New Year! 🎈 
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Yea! Look what came in today’s mail. The latest Yea! Look what came in today’s mail. The latest Northern Gardener is out with lots of great garden advice from @renegade_gardener @kopurdy @gbrownhudson (cover photo by Gail) and more. Just the thing for a long winter weekend. 
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I was listening to the @plantramapod podcast on my I was listening to the @plantramapod podcast on my walk and the hosts were waxing poetic about wax plant, aka Hoya. I could not agree more! It is a great house plant, and the first one I had success with. My two plants are offspring of a Hoya that my grandmother had, which was passed to my mom and now me. The original plant 🪴 was planted at least 60 years ago! Hoya are long lived, don’t need much watering or fuss and do well in many sun situations even in our dry Minnesota homes. 

My plants have bloomed in the past but not since we’ve been in our current house. Maybe 2021 will be the lucky year. Anyone have tips for getting them to bloom? 
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We snuck in a walk at Lebanon Hills park this morn We snuck in a walk at Lebanon Hills park this morning before the weather turned. This old tree seemed to be smiling at us. 
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Can’t imagine why my sister thought this would b Can’t imagine why my sister thought this would be a good shirt 👚 for me?  Thanks, @kelzenbergs ! 
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Keeping my spirits bright with this book on arrang Keeping my spirits bright with this book on arranging flowers. Inspiring and educational. Now, if I just had an acre or two of land for all the 🌻🌷🌺🌸.
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