joene's garden » On the Bookshelf

On The Bookshelf: The Green Garden: A New England Guide

joenesgarden — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 18:24:22 +0000

Are you a New England gardener seeking a good gardening book in which to lose yourself during cold winter months? Look no further than Ellen Sousa's book The Green Garden: A New England Guide to Planning, Planting & Maintaining the Eco-Friendly Habitat Garden.

Sousa is a fellow garden coach and a natural gardening instructor. She holds a certificate in Native Plant Horticulture & Design from the New England Wild Flower Society and has written about habitat gardening for National Wildlife Federation and other magazines. Sousa writes for a few blogs, including Native Plants & Wildlife Gardens, and the Massachusetts farm she shares with her husband is a Certified Wildlife Habitat and Monarch Waystation.

She walks the walk and talks the talk.

Now she has compiled an extensive and comprehensive guide for other New England landowners interested in making their property more user-friendly for non-human naturally-residing creatures and, ultimately, more enjoyable for human residents as well.

Sousa explains the what, why, and wherefore of habitat gardening in rural, suburban and urban areas in addition to forests, fields, fresh and saltwater shorelines, and wetlands.

She explains how to replace lawns – or most of a lawn - with diverse plantings needing less human input.

She describes how to begin transforming a patch or a property to a wildlife habitat - perhaps as simply as insuring a fresh water source for birds or planting nectar sources for butterflies and moths- and how continue the multi-year process.

Sousa separates plants as:

· New England natives - growing in New England prior to European settlement. Think violets, goldenrod, hemlock and oak;

· naturalized non-natives - plants that native creatures have adapted to and count on. Think Queen Anne's lace;

· introduced non-natives - cosmos, peonies and nasturtiums - brought to New England as ornamentals or edibles. These provide some nectar, pollen or seed benefits to native wildlife;

· and to be avoided and controlled invasive non-natives like Asiatic bittersweet vines that overpower and destroy trees and the purple loosestrife overtaking many New England wetlands.

Then, so readers are not left guessing, she offers more than 40 pages of specific tree, shrub and plant recommendations keyed for their habitat value (attractive to birds, butterflies and moths, amphibians or mammals) and growth characteristics (light and water requirements, deer resistance, ease of growth, etc.).

Sousa further provides lists and links to more information, source nurseries, public habitat gardens, and wildlife gardening organizations, just in case readers crave even more guidance and learning.

The Green Garden: A New England Guide to Planning, Planting & Maintaining the Eco-friendly Habitat Garden is a wonderful primer for those just learning about natural habitat gardening, but it's also a valuable educational resource for seasoned gardeners seeking to hone their habitat gardening knowledge.

It is one of the books I'll reach for time and again as I care for my property and continue to urge others to garden thoughtfully.

Want to read another great book about habitats and native plant gardening? Check out my review of Bringing Nature Home by Doug Tallamy.

Disclaimer: Ellen Sousa provided this book, free of charge, for me to review. I know Ellen only through her blog and through our mutual membership in a Facebook group. If I did not like her book you would not be reading about it here.

Categories: Gardening, On the Bookshelf, Techniques.
Tags: Bringing Nature Home, habitat gardening, native plants, Native Plants & Wildlife Gardens, Planting & Maintaining the Eco-Friendly Habitat Garden, The Green Garden: A New England Guide to Planning.

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Books for Gardeners–Holiday 2011

joenesgarden — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 14:13:42 +0000

It's easy to become overwhelmed trying to decide on just the right book for the gardener or plant lover on your gift list. There are so many wonderful gardening-related books from which to choose, so here's a few suggestions.

Gardeners or homeowners looking to re-do an existing garden or add a new one might appreciate having the winter months to read The Perennial Gardener's Design Primer. Co-authors Stephanie Cohen and Nancy J. Ondra delve into the ins and outs of gardening with perennials in all types of conditions – soggy, shady, sunny, dry, small, and large. These two life-long gardeners and plant aficionados share their wisdom, which they have a ton of, and offer suggestions for gardens in various color themes and for creating year-round interest. They give step-by-step instructions for creating a new border, expanding an existing garden, and reworking old gardens. This is one of those books an active gardener will reach for whenever germinating ideas for new plantings. Published by Storey Publishing.

An aging gardener who finds it more and more difficult to keep up with gardening tasks will surely enjoy Gardening for a Lifetime: How to Garden Wiser as You Grow Older. Sydney Eddison, one of Connecticut's garden-world treasures, shares her experiences transforming some of her extensive perennial beds to easier-care shrub borders as she realizes she just cannot maintain her gardens as she did while younger. But she doesn't just share her own wisdom, she draws from experiences of other local gardeners who downsized. Published by Timber Press.

Speaking of aging, grandparent gardeners are sure to find fun outdoor and gardening-related activities for grandchildren in Toad Cottages & Shooting Stars. Author Sharon Lovejoy describes hundreds of ways to entice a child's interest in the outdoors. I know I will reach for this book many times for ideas to encourage my granddaughter's curiosity of nature. She already loves eating sun-warmed cherry tomatoes she picked from the vine. Lovejoy offers a lot of ideas for cross-generational outdoor activities. Published by Workman Publishing, available through Storey Publishing.

Another go-to reference book is What's Wrong With My Plant? (And How Do I Fix It?). David Deardorff and Kathryn Wadsworth take readers through plant symptoms, what causes them and how to remedy them, and organic methods to deal with plant problems. The book goes into basic botany then illustrates the meaning and potential culprit of different types of leaf munches and which flower or leaf spots equate to specific diseases. It even has photos of common plant problems. This book is sure to make at least one trip outside to help diagnose a gardening problem each season. Published by Timber Press as is the authors' newer book, What's Wrong With My Vegetable Garden? which I have yet to read but expect is a similarly great resource.

Timber Press also has available what they refer to Michael A. Dirr's 'most comprehensive visual training yet.' It's Dirr's Encyclopedia of Trees and Shrubs. This is not on my bookshelf but I wouldn't mind adding it to my copies of Dirr's Hardy Trees & Shrubs and Dirr's Manual of Woody Landscape Plants … both fantastic reference books for serious gardeners.

A book I'm in the midst of reading and enjoying is Energy-Wise Landscape Design. Author Sue Reed is a landscape architect who provides practical planting and landscape ideas to beautify outdoor spaces while reducing energy costs. Want to reduce or eliminate a lawn, plant trees to block the summer sun or winter's winds, or manage rainwater? This book has answers. Published by New Society Publishers.

When it comes to book suggestions I could go on and on. If these ideas don't meet your gift needs then visit the publisher's websites … that's where I'm headed to add to my reading wish list.

Categories: On the Bookshelf.
Tags: Dirr's Encyclopedia of Trees and Shribs, Energy-Wise Landscape Design by Sue Reed, Gardening for a Lifetime by Sydney Eddison, New Society Publishers, Storey Publishing, The Perennial Gardener's Design Primer by Stephanie Cohen and Nancy J. Ondra, Timber Press, Toad Cottages & Shooting Stars by Sharon Lovejoy, What's Wrong With My Plant by David Deardorff and Kathryn Wadsworth.

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Leaf Magazine Giveaway. Don’t Wait!

joenesgarden — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 13:46:28 +0000

leaf is one of the magazines I mentioned in my Gifts Gardeners Dig post. You really should check out their inaugural issue … filled with wonderful photos, interesting ideas and informative articles. Liking leaf on Facebook opens the chance to enter the daily giveaway drawing they are running.

Don't wait. The contest only runs four more days, including today, December 6, 2011. It's really, really easy to enter. Just like Leaf's daily giveaway post and share it on your wall.

I rarely enter contests but I found this one intriguing. It paid off. I'm the winner of the Day 6 drawing.

Leaf Magazine

Day 6 Leaf Magazine Giveaway - http://bit.ly/uv8bJb
Our Day 5 Winner is Joene Hendry!
Don't miss out today! Anyone who has a small space or loves container gardens will want this prize - a frost proof Italian terra cotta planter from Seibert and Rice http://www.seibert-rice.com/ and a 2012 The Garden Conservancy + 6 tickets to visit gardens.

Now I get to enjoy the anticipation of receiving a frost-proof terra cotta Seibert and Rice planter – very useful in my zone 6a region – and Garden Conservancy tickets.

What a great surprize!

Head to leaf on Facebook and you, too, could win one of the remaining daily giveaways.

Categories: On the Bookshelf.
Tags: Leaf Magazine.

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Gifts Gardeners Dig - 2011

joenesgarden — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 18:39:40 +0000

I'm in an anti-large-chain-retail mood. It's not even December yet and I'm already overloaded by the constant barrage of buy-me ads littering my mail (both snail and e-), the Sunday paper, and the airwaves.

Not trying to offend anyone here but ... I'm repulsed by television visions of early shoppers shoving, fighting, pepper-spraying, mauling and even shooting each other to get a bargain. I suppose this would be an appropriate spot to insert a video of such antics, but why?

I don't appreciate pre-Thanksgiving Christmas music and holiday decorations and I fail to see why intruding on Thanksgiving is worth a low-priced TV, video game, hot toy or cell phone. Thanksgiving and the following weekend is my time for relaxed reflection on life's treasures, to relish family, and to tend to autumn tasks - managing leaves, installing deer fencing, splitting and stacking firewood.

I acknowledge my views may differ from the mainstream … I don't start holiday decorating until December is fully entrenched on the calendar … but because I don't want to miss the gifts for gardeners idea boat, here's my suggestions for plant lovers on your gift list.

Gift certificates to a local nursery.
I don't know a gardener who does not appreciate the opportunity to stroll through their local greenhouse during cold winter months or a garden center in spring. Trust me. Do some sleuthing to learn your gardener's local greenhouse of choice and get the gift certificate from there. If your gardener has physical limitations, offer to accompany him/her on the shopping trip and help plant the new greenery. Your time will be appreciated as much as the gift certificate.

Subscriptions to gardening publications.

For Nutmeg State gardeners I recommend two bi-monthly publications, Connecticut Gardener and the Home and Garden Newsletter.

Connecticut Gardener is written by and for ... you guessed it ... Connecticut gardeners. I've subscribed to Connecticut Gardener for years and, in 2012, I'm slated to be one of their contributors.

The Home and Garden Newsletter contains research, updates and expertise of the University of Connecticut and it's eight Cooperative Extension Centers.

There are a few national magazines I find consistently packed with good gardening information. Fine Gardening is published by The Taunton Press which also publishes many fine gardening books.

Then there's a new online magazine, Leaf. It's inaugural issue, Autumn 2011, hints Leaf will be interesting, humorous and trendy. Purchase a print copy to wrap and be sure to suggest the gift recipient sign up for future issues online

Organic Gardening is ideal for food gardeners, Mother Earth News fits do-it-yourself types, and The Herb Companion is a thoughtful choice for those who love cooking with and growing herbs.

A gift membership.
The Connecticut Horticultural Society offers educational programs, garden tours and trips (read more in my next GOOPs post on December 1, 2011). Membership to The Connecticut Botanical Society – they focus on plants in the wild – brings a newsletter, notice of the group's walking tours, and events and access to the society's dried plant library of more than 36,000 entries.

The American Horticultural Society, a national educational version of state-based hort education groups, sends their print magazine, The American Gardener,to every member. It, alone, is worth the membership fee . Members can also take advantage of discounted entry to many botanical gardens and to some flower shows.

This idea list is mostly tallied from personal experience. It should get your creative gift-giving juices flowing but if you need more ideas read my Gifts Gardeners Dig article from last year or stay tuned for my upcoming post, Books for Gardeners.

Categories: Gifts Gardeners Dig, Horticulture Groups, On the Bookshelf.
Tags: American Horticultural Society, Connecticut Gardener, Fine Gardening, gardening in Connecticut, gifts for gardeners, Leaf, Mother Earth News, Organic Gardening, The Connecticut Botanical Society, The Connecticut Horticulture Society, The Herb Companion, UConn's Home and Garden Newsletter.

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Eat CT

joenesgarden — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 14:00:51 +0000

Common autumn outings in Connecticut include going apple picking and wandering through a pumpkin patch for the perfect Halloween decorations. Breathing in the sweet ripe-fruit aroma that wafts from apple-heavy trees is one autumn joy that should be on everyone's bucket list and … how can you not smile while watching a child's delight when they find their pumpkin.

It's easy to locate the Connecticut farms nearest your home or those specializing in the type of product or produce you seek. Just go to http://www.buyctgrown.com/ and type your zip code and how far you want to travel, or the product or specific farm you're looking for. You can even search the in season link for specific vegetables, fruits, dairy and egg products, herbs, meat, seafood or fish, specialty foods and other state-grown products like nursery plants, fiber products, livestock, handicrafts, liquor and energy. It's a pretty impressive list for such a small state.

Looking for those cute little white pumpkins? Click on Baby Poo Pumpkins and up pops a map of CT filled with markers linking to the farms selling Baby Poos.

Want a specific type of apple for pies, sauce or just plain eating? You can search these too, then follow each farms link to learn more.

But if you want a behind-the-scene look at the people who produce the produce, check out the book Connecticut Farmer & Feast: Harvesting Local Bounty. Author and chef Emily Brooks visited more than 40 of Connecticut's farms and talked to the farmers running them. In the book, she shares her experiences and the recipes she developed using products from each farm.

Readers can peruse the book's Middlesex County chapter to learn about beef and dairy products at Deerfield Farm, the ongoing events and produce (including pick-your-own) of Lyman Orchards, the history behind the greenhouses, fruits and vegetables and Christmas trees available at Staehly Farms, and how Starlight Gardens came to be the late-life career and love of its owners.

Individual chapters highlight farms in each of Connecticut's other counties – Fairfield, Hartford, Litchfield, New Haven, New London, Tolland, and Windham.

Each story is unique, intriguing and brings to light the diverse backgrounds of just a few of Connecticut's farmers … a group that certainly deserves our respect and support.

So before frost bites Connecticut's apples and diminishes outdoor production of locally-grown produce, take some time to get to know a local farmer and eat a bit of CT.

Categories: CT Grown, On the Bookshelf, Seasons.
Tags: Buy CT Grown, Connecticut Farmer & Feast, Connecticut grown, Deerfield Farm, Emily Brooks, Lyman Orchards, Staehly Farms, Starlight Gardens.

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