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The Root of It: 8 Gardening Books
Fresh titles dig into the Earth's bounty with works from BBC expert Monty Don, American novelist Jamaica Kincaid and Governor General's Award-winning Canadian writer Jessica J. Lee / BY Nathalie Atkinson / April 19th, 2024
Gardeners have been shovel-ready since the first thaw, planning plants and plots throughout the winter. From the fundamentals by British garden superstar Monty Don to the historical roots of seeds and global floriculture, as well as meditations on community, these new titles offer practical advice and inspiration to remind us how rewarding gardening can be.
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1The Gardening BookThe annual return of the BBC’s cult seasonal show Gardeners’ World, exclusively on BritBox, is the true herald of spring. The beloved, laidback horticulturist, and lead host for more than 20 years, broadcasts from Longmeadow, his Herefordshire garden. Don’s knowledgeable but no-nonsense manner (and the utilitarian blue chore jacket that makes him, at 68, an unwitting style icon) appeals to generations of amateur and longtime gardeners alike; even his dogs are Instagram stars. This comprehensive primer is a showcase of his pragmatic attitude and advice.
The annual return of the BBC’s cult seasonal show Gardeners’ World, exclusively on BritBox, is the true herald of spring. The beloved, laidback horticulturist, and lead host for more than 20 years, broadcasts from Longmeadow, his Herefordshire garden. Don’s knowledgeable but no-nonsense manner (and the utilitarian blue chore jacket that makes him, at 68, an unwitting style icon) appeals to generations of amateur and longtime gardeners alike; even his dogs are Instagram stars. This comprehensive primer is a showcase of his pragmatic attitude and advice.
2A Short History of FlowersThe engaging garden landscape and social historian (and a popular presenter on Gardeners’ World) brings the origin stories of 60 common and lesser-known flowering plants to life in this lovely book. She covers their “discovery” by explorers, transcontinental transport by scholars and scientists and how – like the flowering shrub, protea – some were gifts to European royalty. Richmond brings a modern lens to fascinating research that will entice both casual readers and green thumbs, with beautiful illustrations by Royal Horticultural Society gold medal winner Sarah Jane Humphrey.
The engaging garden landscape and social historian (and a popular presenter on Gardeners’ World) brings the origin stories of 60 common and lesser-known flowering plants to life in this lovely book. She covers their “discovery” by explorers, transcontinental transport by scholars and scientists and how – like the flowering shrub, protea – some were gifts to European royalty. Richmond brings a modern lens to fascinating research that will entice both casual readers and green thumbs, with beautiful illustrations by Royal Horticultural Society gold medal winner Sarah Jane Humphrey.
3DispersalsLee, the Berlin-based, Ontario-raised PhD in environmental history – and bestselling author of Two Trees Made a Forest – offers meditations on belonging through the historical diaspora of flora. It is coupled with details from her own life, such as her mother’s 1970s immigration story from Taiwan. The essays in Dispersals chart botanical journeys, even dissecting the language adopted when plant species moved from one locale to another. For example, she details how the mango of Florida, originally from India, was among the earliest fruit species to benefit from domestication and cultivation, whereas the carpet-like heath star moss from Sussex is one of the world’s most notorious invasive species.
Lee, the Berlin-based, Ontario-raised PhD in environmental history – and bestselling author of Two Trees Made a Forest – offers meditations on belonging through the historical diaspora of flora. It is coupled with details from her own life, such as her mother’s 1970s immigration story from Taiwan. The essays in Dispersals chart botanical journeys, even dissecting the language adopted when plant species moved from one locale to another. For example, she details how the mango of Florida, originally from India, was among the earliest fruit species to benefit from domestication and cultivation, whereas the carpet-like heath star moss from Sussex is one of the world’s most notorious invasive species.
4An Encyclopedia of Gardening for Colored ChildrenThe latest from Kincaid, the acclaimed Antiguan-American novelist and avid gardener, is a satire presented in the form of a children’s book. Text excavates the hidden history of the plant world and the surprising colonialist roots of some of its varieties, while provocative watercolour illustrations by contemporary visual artist Kara Walker add to the power of what gardens reveal about the truth of history. For a companion of sorts, pick up the new re-issue of Kincaid’s 1998 anthology My Favourite Plant, featuring contemporary writers and gardeners passionate about the plants they love. (Think: Michael Pollan on castor beans, Tony Avent on hostas.)
The latest from Kincaid, the acclaimed Antiguan-American novelist and avid gardener, is a satire presented in the form of a children’s book. Text excavates the hidden history of the plant world and the surprising colonialist roots of some of its varieties, while provocative watercolour illustrations by contemporary visual artist Kara Walker add to the power of what gardens reveal about the truth of history. For a companion of sorts, pick up the new re-issue of Kincaid’s 1998 anthology My Favourite Plant, featuring contemporary writers and gardeners passionate about the plants they love. (Think: Michael Pollan on castor beans, Tony Avent on hostas.)
5What We SowThe California-based syndicated NPR host of Cultivating Place, a program and podcast about nature and the human impulse to garden, looks at the history of seed banks and conservation through her own life to inspire us to be actively connected to the natural world. In her preface, Jewell urges readers to understand the essential importance and power of seed: for food, medicine and the vast interconnected web we include in the concept of biodiversity and planetary health, on micro and macro levels. Befitting the circularity of seed life, Jewell divides the book into months and seasons, beginning and ending with October.
The California-based syndicated NPR host of Cultivating Place, a program and podcast about nature and the human impulse to garden, looks at the history of seed banks and conservation through her own life to inspire us to be actively connected to the natural world. In her preface, Jewell urges readers to understand the essential importance and power of seed: for food, medicine and the vast interconnected web we include in the concept of biodiversity and planetary health, on micro and macro levels. Befitting the circularity of seed life, Jewell divides the book into months and seasons, beginning and ending with October.
6A Gardener at the End of the WorldThe Maine journalist and community advocate’s evocative memoir revolves around planting and tending a garden during the early pandemic lockdowns. The garden not only becomes a personal refuge, but also a source of curiosity that inspires this thoughtful reflection about the historical journey of gardening (both as a hobby and wellspring of nourishment) and humanity’s relationship to the natural world throughout history.
The Maine journalist and community advocate’s evocative memoir revolves around planting and tending a garden during the early pandemic lockdowns. The garden not only becomes a personal refuge, but also a source of curiosity that inspires this thoughtful reflection about the historical journey of gardening (both as a hobby and wellspring of nourishment) and humanity’s relationship to the natural world throughout history.
7Second NatureWhite, a lifelong garden and travel writer in Northumberland, England, who advocates a free-flowing planting style, shares the transformative effect of an outdoor sanctuary developed with her husband, friends and community. She chronicles its planning and construction, as well as the consideration of creating an oasis for both humans and wildlife species to enjoy. The tips and rewards may inspire you to undertake a similar project. (May 10)
White, a lifelong garden and travel writer in Northumberland, England, who advocates a free-flowing planting style, shares the transformative effect of an outdoor sanctuary developed with her husband, friends and community. She chronicles its planning and construction, as well as the consideration of creating an oasis for both humans and wildlife species to enjoy. The tips and rewards may inspire you to undertake a similar project. (May 10)
8Edible GardenWhether you’ve got an enormous back garden that can be transformed into what Chown calls a “food forest” or a modest array of patio planters – or even just one small window box – she imparts the basics on healthy soil, seeds, feeding crops and harvesting. It’s all accessible, because it follows the low-intensity, do-less approach of the London-based professional forager who teaches urban food growing.
Whether you’ve got an enormous back garden that can be transformed into what Chown calls a “food forest” or a modest array of patio planters – or even just one small window box – she imparts the basics on healthy soil, seeds, feeding crops and harvesting. It’s all accessible, because it follows the low-intensity, do-less approach of the London-based professional forager who teaches urban food growing.