#Commission earned on book sales
Roses have been around for centuries, but the first reference to domesticated roses dates back to 2200BC in Sumeria, and the plant then spread westward, to Greece and Rome, and eventually to the rest of the world. In By Any Other Name: A Cultural History of the Rose, (Oneworld Publications, 2021), art historian Simon Morley takes us through the history of the rose and its cultural significance, from Shakespeare's sonnets to the phrase "bread and Roses," to famous roses and rose gardens, the rose business, the rose of today and the rose of tomorrow. You'll learn everything you ever wanted to know about roses in this lovely book. Morley writes in his conclusion: "...I like to think that this book has been a history of the awesome cultural 'power' of one particular flower.The rose has given arrestingly tangible form to our most important and tender emotions and experiences. It has helped us to communicate the ineffable, all that cannot be observed with the naked eye, or comprehended with the head through rational analysis."
The Secret Garden is one of the most treasured children's books, and the book's author, Frances Hodgson Burnett, was obviously very fond of flowers and gardens, although her life was marked by poor health and personal tragedy.
In Unearthing The Secret Garden: The Plants and Places That Inspired Frances Hodgson Burnett (Timber Press, 2021), writer and garden historian Marta McDowell profiles Burnett, with a focus on her development as a gardener and writer. McDowell writes about three of Burnett's gardens: in England, in Bermuda, and on Long Island. The book is filled with photos (old and new), drawings, and more. And in the back of the book, an annotated list of plants that appear in The Secret Garden. There's a particularly nice afterword by Burnett's great-great-granddaughter. "Whether we can keep a houseplant alive or not," she says, "the seeds we plant with our words and actions have the power to make things come alive in generations to come." She later adds, "...tend consistently to your garden and life so they will grow into something that can inspire and uplift generations to come." As did her great great grandmother.
This is a book about all the things in your garden that help it flourish: bugs, good and bad; microscopic organisms that live in the soil; all the hidden things that contribute to a healthy garden. In Garden Allies: The Insects, Birds, and Other Animals That Keep Your Garden Beautiful and Thriving (Timber Press, 2021), writer and biologist Frédérique Lavoipierre writes about the insects, bacteria, beetles, bees, birds, bats, mammals and reptiles that help keep the bad garden actors in check, and act as allies to keep our gardens in balance and thriving.
There are lovely drawings to help you identify what everything is ... so you'll know what to leave alone and why. Lavoipierre tells you that bugs with big eyes "are important garden predators of mites, flea beetles, whiteflies, aphids, small caterpillars and insect eggs." She adds that they "consume dozens of prey daily and show great potential for biological control in agriculture." Even snails and slugs get a good shout out because they are food for reptiles, birds, amphibians and arthropods. It's an important book to have on your bookshelf... filled with info and fun to read, too.
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