Showing posts with label spring gardens. Show all posts
Showing posts with label spring gardens. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Irish Garden Book Reviews to make you & your Garden Green with Envy




Irish Garden Books Review

Spring is here and that means the cool, sweet, hopeful green season is back.  
“Green” seems to be everywhere. 

Emerald Green is the Pantone "Color of the Year."
The color arbiter claims it's rejuvenating, multi-faceted, harmonious, and lush. 








You can’t help but register that everybody – from corporations to government to media – are keen to profess their new green initiatives. 
Why even the newly-appointed Pope Francis is named for St. Francis - patron saint of animals and the environment.

This green style sparked a green review on my part.
When I think green – real honest-to-goodness, wearin’ of the green – I think of Ireland. 
The Emerald Isle.

So the books for this garden visit will demonstrate why this island is truly a gardener’s green paradise. 
And St. Patrick's Day was fleeting. I was too busy planting my peas, after all. 

Gardens of Ireland, by Marianne Heron and photography by Seven Wooster takes the reader on an Irish garden tour organized by region: The South and South East; Central, South West, and the North, followed by a two-page index of “Where to Visit,” that includes the hours of visitation, travel directions, and contact information.



Ireland’s rain and temperate climate is ideal for growing the widest range of plants in its latitude -- not to mention the Gulf Stream that allows sub-tropical plants to thrive along the coasts.  And you thought the Irish green thumb was the magic sprinkled in the garden by all those fairies and leprechauns! 

Ireland boasts many private gardens whose owners are happy to show off their horticulture triumphs. 
Today there are also more than 100 gardens that are open the public. 

The book is richly illustrated with luscious photographs – some are full-page illustrations of the gardens that are punctuated with bright, sharp colors or misty landscapes along with the home, folly, or castle.  Others are whimsical notations that truly provide a sense of place such as the willow dragon of Ballymaloe or the flock of hens there, or the peacocks at Kilmokea, or the feline-looking stone creature on the Dodo Terrace at the Mount Stewart garden.

The text is just the right mix of garden history and a description or inventory of the plants in the garden – it reads as if you are walking through the site. The author writes, “Drifts of white willow herb waving beyond precision-clipped box hedges…” or “Bonet’s plan features two long ponds stretching a dramatic 550 feet towards a distant avenue of limes, beyond them are the Cascades, a series of tumbling water features or stops, hidden by a ha-ha…”  

You get the idea of how intriguing and fun this is to read!  The famous Irish sense of humor that is everywhere evident.  
The overview of Larchhill reads, “A rural Arcadia where extraordinary follies and rare pigs in palaces feature in Ireland’s only ferme ornee or ornamental farm: a unique survivor of gardening history.”  

How can you not be taken in by that?

Down to Earth with Helen Dillon is a little over 200 pages and is chock full of sage wisdom about how to achieve magnificent gardens.   

This is a beautifully illustrated full color photographs gardener’s “how-to” written in a witty, practical – and well, down to earth prose that supports the cover jacket’s   “Advice and inspiration from one of the world’s great gardeners.”  

You’ll be hooked by Dillon from the start. 

The Introduction begins with the heading: “Shouldn’t Have.”  
And she begins her frothy tirade confessing bad gardening decisions from wrong plants to tacky garden accessories like the loopy swan fountain.  

Right off the bat, you can relate.  

Helen is determined that we can all learn from her mistakes.  She triumphed through the evolution of her Irish gardens and the book guides us through the journey. The chapter headings tell us this will be a process – a fun one too—from Part 1 Beginners Stuff (sub heads include Why did it die, Collapse of the late summer garden, to Ten trees for a small garden, and The one-hour a week garden.  

Part 2 is the Middle Ground and includes “Hiding the neighbors,” Five shrubs with good leaves,” and “Questionable plants.”  

And who could resist Part 3 Fancy Stuff? 
Helen concludes the garden journey with topics such as “No plants,” “Unsettling remarks,” “As light as air,” and “Dog in the garden.” (she advises to get a short dog like a daschund who can’t lift their legs high!)

The writing is witty, if not hilarious.  

We will all recognize ourselves in the humble pursuit of producing a fabulous garden.  

Beautiful gardens take a lot of work and no small amount of some magic. 

The speciallness of this book is that while we can see ourselves in the garden foibles the author describes, she provides more than a lucky charm or horticulture hocus-pocus.  This is a fun, helpful garden guide that you will turn to over and over for a been-there/done that experienced gardener.



 Do you have any Irish Garden book favorites to recommend?

Happy Spring!



Thursday, June 2, 2011

It's Gettin' Hot in Here: Summer-Like Temperature Rocks the Spring Garden

From Seed to Salad in a New York Minute
Or
Does Climate Change Impact the Dinner Plate?

With the August heat withering just-planted annuals in the northeast, gardeners can be forgiven for mistaking Memorial Weekend with Independence Day holiday.  
In fact, it was just a little more than month or so ago when the seed catalogs were enticing us to dream of the soon to be sunnier days ahead with glamorous, runway horticulture stars of the season.

I perused the Renee’s Seeds http://www.reneesgarden.com
list like the Bergdorf catalog. 
The offerings would make gilt.com blush.
Colors! Texture! Taste! Style!
Plus Renee’s Seeds are the real deal – Not genetically treated or modified.
I was undeniably difficult to select from the exciting variety of seed offerings. 
The seed packets’ art design alone is enough to send Rodarte-induced bliss.  

By and large, I followed my classic, modern design theme:  edible landscape plants. Accessorized by more than a few stunning ornamental beauties.  Like any hopeless romantic, I want all dates, er, my plant selections, to do at least double duty: i.e. look good and offer an intoxicating fragrance, or turn up the volume with texture and aural tones or light up the garden with soft soothing color or bold, luscious tones and patterns.  Never mind all that effort is to attract the pollinators. 
Garden-lovers are smitten. 
We believe it’s all about, me, me, me!

The day the chosen seed packets arrived in the mail the initial feeling was not unlike waiting for a first kiss.  Oh the anticipation…
I tenderly, eagerly, took out each artful packet, and like a museum patron, admired the botanical art image adorning the front of the packet.
The Two Color Fiesta Mexican Tomatillos – Heirloom, Purple and Toma Verde Green, feature a yellow blossom, two violet-centered tomatoes and a green one on a tender vine, for example. 
Another must-have was the Heirloom Watermelon Radishes. I first tasted these adorable, preppy-looking pink and green beauties last year at the Union Square Greenmarket.  So I didn’t hesitate when I saw the Renee’s Gardens featured seeds complete with still-life cover art. 
All the Renee’s Garden seed packets are floating in front of a greenish white garden gate with the tag line, “Set a table in the garden” – Renee Shepherd quote at the bottom.

I set the seed individual Renee’s Garden seed packets out in some kind of order: a fashion stylist laying out the design and look.

I also Love, love the Kitazawa Seed Company (http://www.kitazawaseed.com)
The quality of their products is supreme and the seed packets are works of art too.    








And who couldn't love Comstock Seeds? 

Next up was the seed preparation. Their spa-like makeover prior to the main event. Placed in cow pots, the seeds are rooted into the manure cups, lined up under the grow lights like beach queen hopefuls in their tanning beds.  





When Garden Supply Company (www.gardenerssupply.com) couldn’t meet the demand for their grow lights, we ordered from HTG.com.  (www.htgsupply.com)
In fact, the HTG grow-light turned out to be less expensive and a success.  
The seeds nestled in their cow pots, under the light where they stayed for a month or two getting gorgeous and healthy.  Did I say “spa?” J


Meanwhile, we prepared the planting beds like ladies in waiting getting ready for the noble visit.
We amended the compost with manure. Raked the garden – no turning.  We are following the advice of Barbara Damarosch, garden expert, garden columnist for the Washington Post: “A Cook’s Garden, (www.washingtonpost.com) and author of many books, including “The Garden Primer.”

I attended a lecture at the New York Botanical Garden  www.nybg.org last year where Barbara spoke her garden work with her esteemed husband and fellow garden expert, Eliot Coleman.  Together they have joined forces to produce garden books that have earned the status of “bible” garden guide or teacher, including “Four Season Farm,”  (www.fourseasonfarm.com)  
Both she and Eliot recommend as little disturbance of the soil as possible. 
So, OK, no double digging or turning the soil.
We couldn’t help rototilling a tad and putting Alaskan fish oil on the garden.  Perhaps when our soil is as lush and rich as Barbara’s and Eliot’s, we can mitigate the need to turn and amend.  Until such time, we are investing in the soil quality.




At the same time, the peas went in first, perfectly timed with the Ides of March.  Right before St. Patrick’s Day, the peas were placed near the lattice border and under the tuteurs patiently waiting for the peas’ tendril embrace. 
Then it snowed! 
“A-Peasingly Perfect! 


I wish most garden lovers would embrace the late winter and early spring for all its nuanced glory.  Think Cherry blossoms, magnolias. Plant more spring bulbs that can offer a succession of colorful bloom times.

However, most garden lovers wait impatiently for the weather to warm enough to plant.
I always advise waiting until Mother’s Day is past.  
After that, I say the Mother to celebrate is Mother Nature!

Soon enough, the potatoes and leeks and onions went in layers into big container pots.
The Greek oregano was peeking through the soil from last year.  The asparagus was waving its feathery, frothy plumes and dazzling with a few, Mont Blanc-pen-thin spears.

Shortly thereafter the cow pots with green shoots were placed in the garden according to the potager design.  The shisito peppers, tomatoes, kale, tomatillas, cilantro, peppers (hello, salsa!), spinach, eggplant, basil, parsley, radishes, zucchini and Rainbow carrots to start (Red, White, Purple, Yellow & Orange from the Seed of the Month Club, (www.seed-co.com) a gift from family: Jenny & Brian!  This is a perfect gift, FYI for anyone who loves fresh food and gardens). 
The grow cages went on the young tomato plants. 

We gaze lovingly at the grids leafing out, the birds’ frequent pit stops, and curse the baby groundhog that managed to scale the fence and eat all the broccoli before we could shoo him away. 
The last thing we’re sure we saw was his Olympian pole-vaulting sprint out of the garden.  He seemed to have a number pinned to his back… hmmm.  J

Mainly, we waited for the miracle of Mother Nature.

But all too soon, it’s really, really hot!  We need to supplement the watering.  Wasn’t it just so cool that we were wearing coats in early May??
Like Animal Kingdom coming from behind in the Kentucky Derby race of the roses, the heat of August is pressing upon us, roses are bursting out, the yarrow is in full color on the west side of the garden and the Labor Day heat breaks through Memorial weekend by more than a few lengths.

It’s salad time all too soon. 

Delicious, succulent and fresh.  But a little too soon for my taste.

Happy Spring, Darlings!