Tuesday, February 15, 2011

"Plants for Atlantic Gardens"





“Plants for Atlantic Gardens
                    Jodi DeLong

We were privileged to receive an advance copy of Jodi's lovely new book to peruse and enjoy.
Bill and I have read the entire book.
We both agree it is exceedingly well done. Jodi should be very proud of her effort. 
Being fairly experienced gardeners, for us it was a bit like meeting many old friends.
The layout of the book is very pleasing. The design gives very consistent information for each plant category. We personally appreciate putting each plant “in its place”, botanically speaking.
Each entry has one or more images attached, so the visual aspect is very nice.
The plants chosen in both the Shrubs and Trees and the Perennial sections include both very familiar plants and quite a few uncommon ones.Choosing the "candidates" must have been quite a daunting task.
The Appendices give good bits of information in addition to that included with each plant.
If we were to use one word to describe the book overall it would be “personable”. We think Jodi’s personal style comes across quite effectively. Her appreciation of the people who have shaped her as a gardener is very apparent from beginning to end.
We chuckled to think Jodi actually remembered and took to heart the fact that we consider azaleas to be "idiot proof".
I expect my favourite page is the Lavandula one. To quote a snippet...." lavender, pure and wholesome and soothing, quells the turmoil of our souls at all kinds of levels"....just the thing to beat back the ravishes of winter.
There are a variety of book launches and signings on Jodi's schedule in the coming weeks. More information can be found on her blog or from Nimbus Publishing

We hope that it gets into the hands of all gardeners, not just those from Atlantic Canada.

Friday, February 4, 2011

A mid winter break



I have been rearranging pictures at Photobucket. I thought this slideshow of Daylilies might brighten the day.