Gardening Wisdom

By Douglas Green
$2.99 Rating: Not yet rated.
Published: Oct. 09, 2012
Words: 53,555 (approximate)
Language: English
ISBN: 9781897395295

Short description

Gardening Wisdom won the Best Writing Award from the Garden Writers Association in 2001 and author Doug Green brings these long-dead authors and their advice alive on the pages of this book. The book, a work of love from Doug illustrates some of the great garden writing and practical advice from our gardening ancestors.

Extended description

Gardening Wisdom won the Best Writing Award from the Garden Writers Association in 2001 and author Doug Green has just had the rights reverted to him to bring it to you in an ebook.

The book, a work of love from Doug illustrates some of the great garden writing and advice from our gardening ancestors. Using numerous quotes from his extensive old garden book collection, he brings these long-dead authors and their advice alive on the pages of this book.

For example, Peter Henderson (Gardening for Profit, 1866) writes, "I hope it is no egotism to state that in both the Floral and Vegetable departments of Horticulture, in which I have been engaged for the past eighteen years, I have been entirely successful." From this standpoint, I claim the right to attempt the instruction of the student of horticulture in the tactics in the field." (Read more) Gardening Wisdom won the Best Writing Award from the Garden Writers Association in 2001 and author Doug Green has just had the rights reverted to him to bring it to you in an ebook.

The book, a work of love from Doug illustrates some of the great garden writing and advice from our gardening ancestors. Using numerous quotes from his extensive old garden book collection, he brings these long-dead authors and their advice alive on the pages of this book.

For example, Peter Henderson (Gardening for Profit, 1866) writes, "I hope it is no egotism to state that in both the Floral and Vegetable departments of Horticulture, in which I have been engaged for the past eighteen years, I have been entirely successful." From this standpoint, I claim the right to attempt the instruction of the student of horticulture in the tactics in the field."

There's no mealy-mouth statements allowed in this book and Henderson sets the tone early and often with his advice in the vegetable chapter.

Karel Kapek has an entirely different view, ""There are several different ways in which to lay out a little garden; the best way is to get a gardener." The Gardener's Year, 1951

Sample Quotes Include

Container Gardening,

"Where the architecture of a house is dull and featureless, or the surroundings leave much to be desired, the use of window boxes not only brings cheer to the rooms behind, but imparts an air of gaiety to the whole street." Frances Perry Woman Gardener

Soils:

"You must understand, You must understand, that the lesse rich or more baren that your ground is, there needeth the more care, labour and cost to bee bestowed thereon, both to order it rightly, & so to preserve it from time to time: for no artificiall or forc't ground can endure good any long time, but that within a few years it must be refreshed more or lesse, according as it dothe require." John Parkinson Garden of Pleasant Flowers, 1629

Yes, that means use compost as the Botanicus Regius Primarius (King's Head Gardener) to King Charles I of England so interestingly puts it.

"The primary rule in bulb-culture is, grow the foliage well." Rand Bulbs, 1866

Some things never change and never will, this is one of them.

Perennial Flowers

"It is indeed astonishing that the asters, helianthus, rudbeckias, silphiums, and numberless other fine North American plants, all so easily grown and so handsome, should be entirely neglected in English gardens, and this in favour of carpets, hearthrugs, and ribbons, forming patterns of violent colours, which, though admired for being the fashion on the lawn and borders of our gardens and grounds, would not be tolerated on the floor of a drawing-room or boudoir." Robinson, The English Flower Garden

Vegetable Gardening

"The careless and unthinking cultivator will, in the end, be driven from the field by the man who uses his brains and makes himself informed upon the best modes of culture, and studies the requirements of his soil and of the plants he cultivates."
Beadle Canadian Fruit Flower and Vegetable Garden, 1872

Roses

If we free our minds from the incubus of those usual teachings and practices, may beautiful things may be done with roses for garden adornment." William Robinson, English Flower Garden.

Lawns

"The season after weeding many persons are discouraged by the luxuriance of the weeds, and the apparent faint-heartedness of the grass. They must keep on mowing and rolling patiently. Most of these forward weeds are of sorts that do not survive having their heads cut off half a dozen times; while good lawn grasses fairly laugh and grow fat with decapitation." F.J.Scott Beautiful Homes 1866
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Tags

gardening, landscaping, gardens, perennials, organic gardening, garden design, gardening advice, perennial flowers, gardening history

Available ebook reading formats

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Plain Text (download) (flexible, but lacks much formatting)	Buy
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