Article 18701 of rec.gardens:
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From: ceci@lysator.liu.se (Cecilia Henningsson)
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
Subject: Re: Encyclopaedia for gardening
Message-ID: <C8s1Fp.CFz@lysator.liu.se>
Date: 17 Jun 93 17:47:45 GMT
References: <richardg.740142456@nofssrv.syssup.tds.philips.nl> <C8o6IA.M08@boi.hp.com>
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The Royal Horticultural Society (of Great Britain) has published two
encyclopedias; one about ornamental plants, and one about gardening
methods. I have their plant dictionary, and it's a treasure trove with
4000 colour pictures and 8000 plant descriptions. It isn't for any
specific climate, but rather lists which growing conditions the plants
appreciate. Now if I could just lay my hands on the methods book too,
everything would be fine. :)

--Ceci
--
=====ceci@lysator.liu.se===========================================
"There is no one true path. I always try to follow three or four to
 maximize my odds of picking the right one."              Paul Bort
===================================================================


Article 19689 of rec.gardens:
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
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From: fox@graphics.cs.nyu.edu (David Fox)
Subject: Re: Seed supplier
In-Reply-To: envy.reed.edu!drenner's message of 11 Jul 1993 06:26:59 GMT
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Date: Sun, 11 Jul 1993 13:47:21 GMT
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In article <21obrj$in1@scratchy.reed.edu> envy.reed.edu!drenner (Hopi) writes:

   Does anybody know of a good mail order seed or seedling supplier for  
   exotic plants.  ie both foreign and domestic flora, supplies for herb  
   gardens, ornamental shrubs, and gardening.

You can get this info from the book "Gardening By Mail: A Source Book."
It is by Barbara J. Barton, published by Houghton Mifflin in Boston.
ISBN 0-395-52280-3.


Article 19717 of rec.gardens:
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
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From: fox@graphics.cs.nyu.edu (David Fox)
Subject: "Noah's Garden", by Sara Stein
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Date: Mon, 12 Jul 1993 15:30:17 GMT
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Forgive me for jumping in as a newcomer, but I want to
start a discussion about a book I've just read.  I've
gardened some but not much in the past, so I'm not trying
to sound like an expert, its just that I read this book
that impressed me greatly and I'd like to hear the opinions
of others.

I've just finished reading a new book by Sara Stein called
"Noah's Garden".  I found it very inspiring; I always felt
there was something missing for me from gardening and this
book finally showed me what it is.  Instead of trying to
create a visual tableau the aim could be to create a richer
and healthier community of plant and wildlife, appropriate
to the local environment.

To this end, she advocates and discourages many things
contrary to the usual advice, and even some advice I've read
on this newsgroup.  For example, lawns are a monoculture
which can only exist unaided in cool, rainy climates like
the U.K., and they provide little nourishment or cover for
wildlife.  For these reasons, their use should be minimized.
She advocates native berrying shrubs and ponds with mud
bottoms.  In a chapter about soil structure she discourages
excessive tilling and weed control -- the soil is a system,
and turning it upside down disturbs its working.  She
discourages most forms of pest control, on the grounds that
there are natural checks and balances which should come into
play, and if they don't the community needs to be enriched.

Each chapter is an analysis of a different system in the
garden - forest, hedgerow, soil, ponds, lawn, prarie (or
meadow), etc.  She is not pedantic about natural methods,
she uses a herbicide at one point, and she advocates deer
hunting (especially doe hunting.)

After reading this book I have come to see much of what we
call landscaping today to be quite barran.  A huge expanse
of lawn looks like a desert, a forest with the understory
cleared away is no longer a forest, it can only be called
a tree collection.  Best of all, the writing is wonderful.
This is not a reference book, it is really a personal point
of view.  I recommend it highly, and would be interested
in hearing what others thing about it.

-david

P.S.  This book was reviewed in the New York Times book
review about a month ago.

P.P.S. The neighbor's cat attacked our Cardinal yesterday.
I wonder if we have any recourse?


