Gotta Garden

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Garden Reading: Married to my Garden

You'll never guess what the mail brought me today! If you like guessing games and you've been reading along here, your first guess is probably a plant. A good guess, but it would be incorrect. (A gold star for you, however, if you thought daylily.) Maybe you think I ordered some of those clever garden shoes (I did, but that's for another post). Perhaps a signed book contract?? (Hahahaha...I think one actually has to submit something, but I could be wrong.) So, enough already.... It was a signed copy of Married to My Garden, a stupendous, entertaining, soul satisfying, look-in-the-mirror, endlessly readable garden book! (Do you think I like it a little??!)



There are garden books and then there are garden books...if you know what I mean. Now, I like and appreciate the how-to type of books and the books that give the necessary and informative plant information but what I really want, what I crave, is good garden writing. Describe your garden to me, tell me why you garden, explain to me how you lose yourself in your garden and especially entertain me and inspire me. I want to sigh with you when nature gets the upper hand and exclaim with delight when that moment (or moments) in your garden is so magical and special that you would burst if you didn't share it. Your book should so grab my attention that I 1) either can't put it down and/or 2) savor each reading, sometimes reading it again immediately, bending the page down to remind myself to come back or even underlining something you've written that resonates with me. It should end up on my nightstand or at least on the bookshelf close to my bed.

You know where I'm going here. There aren't many books like that and while there are many garden writers out there (very good ones), let's face it...in the Henry Mitchell category there are, well...not many. I herewith nominate another. From the moment I came across the title to this book (Married to my Garden), I knew I would like this book! What I didn't know was that I would love it and that it would jump to the top of the pile. (You've noticed, right, that it is the only garden book in my profile under Favorite Books? I did mean to add a few others, but never got around to it...it's telling, isn't it, that this was the one that my brain pulled up immediately.)

Now, I'm not going to quote the book to you (you gotta read it for yourself!), but if you like genuine writing and have such a passion for gardening that you miss your garden while vacationing (hint!), then this is a book you need on your garden bookshelf. If gardening is not just something you enjoy, but something you couldn't imagine not doing...if your garden is where you go to make sense of things that don't make sense...or if you are someone who wants not just sunflowers, but one of every type of sunflower....well, you get the picture!

Here's the thing. Married to my Garden was out of print until just recently. Now, it's back out there and available. I found this book on the Powells website while browsing garden books (don't you??) some time ago. You can find it there or at Amazon or at your local bookstore (ask them to order it, if they don't, for some strange reason, have it). It's my nomination for the next or a Garden Bloggers Book Club selection...Click here for May Dreams Gardens, headquarters central of the GBBC.

If you'd like to learn more or simply enjoy garden columns, Barbara Blossom Ashmun has a regular column in the Portland Tribune...just put her name in the writer search box. She also has a website.

I hope you enjoy it...happy reading!

********

Disclosure: Ms. Ashmun's publisher saw that I had listed MTMG in my profile and emailed me. I also heard from Ms. Ashmun herself (!) and she actually thanked me for liking her book! Almost immediately, a signed copy was sent to me (as you read, it came today). They did not ask me to do this post. I am happy this book is back in print and available! They made my day! (Okay, my week...my month...my year!!)

11 comments:

Carol Michel said...

I gotta get this book! I'm looking for a book for August for the Garden Bloggers' Book Club (I hope you are going to post for Passalong Plants), and had almost picked one, but this one seems too good to pass up. And I'm addicted to garden books. I'll have this ordered up before the day is done.

Andrea's Garden said...

I have just looked at Amazon and this sounds like a great book (and such a fitting title *lol*). Thanks for the tip! Greetings from Germany, Andrea

Entangled said...

Thanks so much for posting this - it's exactly the kind of garden book I'm always searching for and hardly ever find. I'll probably have to hide it from my spouse though - he already thinks gardening takes up time I could be spending on him. ;-)

Annie in Austin said...

The title does make one's fingers twitch and want to grab it, Gotta Garden.
Garden experiences and philosophy somehow seem more universal than the how-to books... Henry Mitchell works in different zones and I'll bet this one does, too.

Annie at the Transplantable Rose

kate said...

So true that there are not that many delightfully enjoyable, passionate and at the same time, reflective books on gardening.

Thank you for posting about this book. I will get the library to order this one - at the moment, I am curbing my book buying since I think I went overboard on plants and dirt- imagine that GG!

Kylee Baumle said...

This is cool! I've ordered it!

Thanks for bringing it to our attention!

Knitters Notebook said...

Sounds like a great book! I just found your blog and I just Love it!
You take wonderful pictures.

Renee

Yolanda Elizabet Heuzen said...

I'm always on the look out for fun garden books like this one. I had a look at Amazon, not too expensive either, always good of course.:-)

BTW how nice that you got a signed book from the author! Your watering can runneth over! ;-)

Anonymous said...

Oh, goody! Another good book about gardening. Thanks for letting us know about it. Have you read Mirabel Osler? You might want to take a look at her books.

LostRoses said...

This sounds like a good one, thanks for the recommendation! If Carol picks this for the Book Club, I might actually participate!

I'm amazed that the publisher saw your post..ahh, the power of the Internet.

Gotta Garden said...

Hi Carol: I hope you like it...

Hi Andrea: True! You're welcome!

Hi Entangled: Mine thinks the same...if not in the garden, on the computer doing garden stuff! I do hope you like it.

Well, Annie, I think that is probably true. I'm lucky because Henry Mitchell's zone is/was my zone. I think the title is genius!

Good idea, Kate! I pretty much use the library for current fiction...I should think about that more for garden books...they need some new ones and I could certainly suggest some!

It's easy to do, isn't it! I hope the new plants bring you much pleasure!

Hi Kylee: I hope you like, too!

Hi Renee: Thank you for stopping by...I hope you'll come back!...and thanks!

Isn't that wild, YE! Some days it surely does (very cute expression...I must borrow it!)!

Thanks, Julia...I went over to Amazon to have a look...sounds great! I'm always on the lookout...one can never have too many garden books!

Who would have thought it, LostRoses! It would be great if you decided to...I know your post would be fun to read!

Thank you all!

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