A Gardener’s Reading, third of 30 By Richard Bird (Salamander Books, Ltd., 1998) You could garden for decades without knowing a word of botanical Latin, but understanding gardener’s Latin and plant nomenclature gives you insight into plant behavior and just plain makes you feel smarter. The naming rules now used for plants were developed in the 1750s, thanks to Swedish…
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A Gardener’s Reading, second of 30 By Christopher Alexander, Sarah Ishikawa, Murray Silverstein (Center for Environmental Structure, 1977) I discovered A Pattern Language several years ago, and immediately resonated with its message that design speaks to our psyches, in and out of the garden – that some spaces can feel welcoming and relaxed, while others are awe-inspiring, imposing or just…
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A Gardener’s Reading: First of 30 By Michael Pollan (Grove Press, 1991) Before The Botany of Desire, before The Omnivore’s Dilemma and Food Rules, Michael Pollan wrote this book of essays on his experiences as a new gardener. This is the book that got me hooked on garden memoirs – and to some degree, gardening itself – back in the…
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A few things I’ve noticed about gardeners over the years: They can be opinionated, they love to learn, and many of them spend winter curled up with a book. I’m among the winter readers – and garden books, with their mix of science, art and the occasional oddball fact are my favorite kind of books to cozy up with on…
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Every year, Minnesota’s Governor’s Residence boasts a beautiful holiday wreath, big and bountiful to compliment the governor’s official home. I was fortunate to observe Diane Lee, who made the governor’s holiday wreath several times during the terms of Gov. Mark Dayton. , Diane has some great ideas for anyone who wants to make an original wreath for their home this…
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