Books for Gardeners for Christmas

I’m really treading on thin ice here because I’m no literary genius, as readers of this column already know. However, I have come across two books in the past few weeks that I like and I want to tell you about them. Neither book is one of those glossy "coffee table" books with pretty pictures of English gardens, but if you are a gardener, you’ll enjoy reading them. If you don’t garden, but need another gift idea for a garden nut, then either of these books would be a good bet.

Over the past twenty years or so, I have attended the annual convention of the Perennial Plant Association and listened to many lectures and talks about flowers and gardens. Nearly all the speakers talk about new exciting varieties or techniques of garden design. Caring for plants and gardens, once planted, is usually given short shrift, or just mentioned in passing. A couple times, however, a landscape designer and gardener, Tracy DiSabato-Aust, gave presentations specifically about garden maintenance- soil preparation, plant pruning and dividing, deadheading, -all the little details that make a perennial border beautiful. In her work designing, installing and maintaining gardens for her clients, she began to document techniques and methods that worked.

Now she has put these ideas together in a book, The Well-Tended Perennial Garden, from Timber Press. Think of it as an operator’s manual for the perennial garden. In plain English, she explains proper soil preparation and amendment, as well as plant care and maintenance. Her information is specific and detailed. In the last part of the book, plant by plant, she tells you when and how to prune and divide. Perennial gardeners can turn to this section of the book, look up a particular plant, and know exactly how to care for it. This is the only book I have seen that gives such information on individual plant care. A gardener will read this book through once, and then keep it handy for reference throughout the growing seasons.

I received the other book, Second Nature, by Michael Pollan, as a birthday gift from my daughter, Kathryn. I enjoyed this book immensely. Pollan is executive editor of Harper’s Magazine and his articles on gardening appear in several publications. In Second Nature, he describes his experiences as he learned to garden from his grandfather and how he came to appreciate the art and science of gardening on his farm in Connecticut. As he tells his story with wit and humor, he offers his thoughts on environmentalism, social history, seed catalogs, and America’s love affair with lawns. I particularly enjoyed his thoughts about a rose garden as he relates the history of the rose to social history and even to human sexuality. After reading this essay, I’ll look at roses in a whole new way.

Second Nature, from Dell Publishing, will appeal not only to gardeners, but also to readers who appreciate fine writing and literary skill. Pollan’s elegant literary style makes the book a true pleasure to read and a fine gift for anyone on your Christmas list.