From the Reading Room...

Summer Reading from The Barbara A. Margolis Library

For the novice...
Compost Stew: An A-Z Recipe for the Earth By Mary Siddals (juvenile book)



Paradise under Glass: An Amateur Creates a Conservatory Garden by Ruth Kassinger
This is a memoir by a non-gardener who creates a verdant, private sanctuary for herself. She includes a brief history of glass houses based non her research for the project that consumed and rewarded her. The author was recently interviewed in the New York Times.


Talking Dirt: The Dirt Diva's Down-to-Earth Guide to Organic Gardening by Annie Spiegelman


For the urban naturalist...
Wild Urban Plants of the Northeast: A Field Guide by Peter Del Tredici
(Save the date! Peter will be speaking at the Hort on Nov 1)

Need a crash course in urban weeds? This is it! The author, a senior research scientist at the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, takes a hard look at the tough plants that thrive in our cities. His solid descriptions and color photos will help you identify these green survivors, and his inclusion of their cultural significance may get you thinking differently. The dandelion, for example, is listed in Joselyn's New England's Rarities from 1672. An early visitor to Central Park, completed in 1878, describes the lawn studded with dandelions as "green lakes reflecting a heaven sown with stars." Today's homeowners see stars too, but that's because they spend millions trying to eradicate the tenacious plant.


For foodies...
Edible Estates: Attack on the Front Lawn, 2nd ed. by Fritz Haeg



Public Produce by Darrin Nordahl

Both books address the private/public initiatives to bring food production to cities in the 21st century. Haeg champions the warriors in the trenches; Nordahl examines the broader issues.


For rose lovers...
The Sustainable Rose Garden
Though we all love them, roses have a reputation for being fussy and requiring toxic garden practices. This booklet published by The Manhattan Rose Society explores a more environmental approach. A revised and expanded edition will be available in September, but until then let the experts introduce you to 21st century rose growing.


For travelers, romantics and dreamers...
The Garden Visitors Companion by Louisa Jones
The author, ,who has lived in France for over 30 years, has written several books on gardens, each like this one beautifully illustrated. In this novel guide, she uses ten different types of gardens to help visitors develop an informed approach providing questions to consider and suggestions for things to look for and think about.


Ninfa: The Most Romantic Garden in the World by Charles Quest-Ritson



Paradise of Exiles: The Anglo-American Gardens of Florence by Katie Campbell
(The author will present an illustrated lecture at the Hort on June 10)



Sissinghurst, An Unfinished History: The Quest to Restore a Working Farm at Vita Sackville-West's Legendary Garden by Adam Nicolson



Article by Katherine Powis, HSNY Librarian