Books: A Potpourri of Titles

Most anyone in their 50's or 60's knows the drill on gardening:  it doesn't get any easier with age.  And though all the work helps keep your body and mind in shape, it helps to have a guide to keep you. (and your garden) going.

In The Lifelong Gardener: Garden with Ease and Joy at Any Age, (Timber Press, 2019) author Toni Gattone offers loads of tips to make gardening part of your life at any age. She shows you how to downsize the garden, how to design for easy maintenance, and how to use ergonomic tools that will make. every task a bit easier. If you want to keep your garden growing and keep your body prospering, this is the book for you (or for your aging friends and relatives).

 

I once went on a tour of a moss garden in Virginia, and although I can't remember exactly where it was, this book reminds me of its calming atmosphere and ethereal beauty.

In Moss: From Forest to Garden: A Guide to the Hidden World of Moss, (Countryman Press, 2019) Swedish author and moss fanatic Ulrica Nordstrom takes you through the anatomy and culture of mosses, and then leads you on a worldwide tour of amazing moss gardens and the horticulturists that practice true artistry with an amazing palette of mosses.

You may not have the space or shade for a moss garden, but even if you don't, Nordstrom shows you how to create indoor moss gardens and miniature landscapes that will leave you in a higher state of mind at any time of year.

 Lots of us have gardens with plenty of flowers, but if you're like me, you don't exactly know what's best when you try to bring them indoors.  That's why you might want to have a copy of In Bloom: Growing, Harvesting, and Arranging Homegrown Flowers All Year Round (Companion House Books, (Fox Chapel Publishing) 2019).  British author Clare Nolan illustrates how to furnish your residence with scent, joy, color, and yes, days and days of happiness.  As Nolan says in the introduction, "Flowers are an emotional marker through our lives, a symbolic gesture to mark our rights of passage -- moments of joy, sadness, passion, and love.  It's unbelievably special to honor these with your garden-gathered blooms."

She profiles all of her favorites, and tells you how to grow them and how to preserve them once you bring them inside. The book is filled with gorgeous photos that will inspire you to try some of these simple arrangements yourself.  I haven't seen a better resource on flower gardening and arranging.

And finally, for those who have no choice but to garden indoors, author and blogger Enid Svymbersky (acharmingproject.com), creates modern terrariums to bring the outdoors indoors and bring in life and oxygen to almost any room or space, no matter how small.  In Creative Terrariums: 33 Modern Mini-Gardens for Your Home (Fox Chapel Publishing) Step-by-Step Cutting-Edge, Contemporary Designs to Add a Decorative Organic Presence to Even the Smallest Room (Fox Chapel Publishing, 2019), Svymbersky writes about 33 projects in creative containers, and includes step by step instructions for creating them and keeping them alive!   Try your hand at gardening on a tray, inside a lantern or a seashell, or inside a hanging glass globe.