Wednesday, May 25, 2022

A Place All Our Own and Grow—two books I think you'll enjoy

There are couple of books I've read recently that I want to recommend. The first—which I read as part of a book club—is: A Place All Our Own; Lives Entwined in a Desert Garden, by Mary Irish. I read it in an electronic format, which worked wonderfully. It's a garden book, but without photos—except a handful of grainy black and whites.  

I wish there had been photos, in fact that's my main gripe about this book. I wanted to see photos of the plants and garden spaces she was describing! It was fun book to dip in and out of though, reading a little whenever the mood struck. It is the story of Mary and her husband Gary making a garden in the desert, Scottsdale, AZ, to be exact. This is not a new book, it was published in 2012.

Here's a favorite bit: "Once I got over the disappointment, I realized that I had learned a lot even in failure. It became crystal clear that what makes a garden zing is the fruition of a single, personal dream; it might take in the ideas of others, but rejects their prejudices, personal dislikes, and unruly ideas. A garden, in short, feels most successful when it is the expression of the ideas, attitudes, and interests of whoever built it. That may be why so many public gardens are wonderful collections of plants but too often lack soul and verve, and why so many beautiful professionally designed private gardens are predictable and dull, chock full as they often are with overused popular concepts. I am convinced that all of us are instinctively drawn to any garden—whether we realize it or not—that has at its root someone’s vision, where the backbone is personal and a gardener’s interests, enthusiasm, and attention is evident."

I read A Place All Our Own after I wrote Fearless Gardening, but I felt like I heard my own thoughts and words ("the best gardens reflect the taste of the gardener") repeated in what Mary Irish wrote.

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The second book I want to share with you is Grow: A Family Guide to Plants and How to Grow Them by Riz Reyes and Sara Boccaccini Meadows. This book is without photographs too, but it doesn't need them thanks to the beautiful illustrations of Sara Boccaccini Meadows. 

The author of Grow, my friend Riz Reyes, writes text for this book that is engaging and educational. It's written for a young audience but is in no way "dumbed down", in fact most adult gardeners will learn a thing or three reading this book. 

Riz begins by writing: "Each chapter of this book celebrates the heroic efforts of a few "plant heros" that have sustained our communities and shaped many cultures around the world. From the wild species to the domesticated selections, each plant and its relatives offer us unique ways of better understanding various fruits, vegetables, and flowers, and the vital roles they play."

Those plant heros...

The page spread on pineapple...
Turning the page you come to a section called "Meet the Family" which includes information on the plant's family, in this case bromeliads and tillandsia...

Aren't the illustrations fantastic?

I was thrilled to see Riz included an agave...

There's lots of info on plants families can grow and eat (mint, lettuce, tomatoes, apple, carrots...). If you have little people in your life this is an excellent book for introducing them to the amazing world of plants and will get them thinking about how plants are related. 

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All material © 2009-2022 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

14 comments:

  1. Two books that have nothing to do with each other, yet reflect the love of plants and nature of each author.

    I'm glad Mary Irish's book resonated with you the way it did. It's so sad that she died far too young; I would have loved to eavesdrop on a conversation between the two of you.

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    1. Truth be told I still haven't finished it all. But it's the kind of book that doesn't matter... which is a good thing.

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  2. The lack of photos in Irish's book was my main complaint too - and unfortunately an internet search was unable to fill in the blanks. Reyes's book looks to be beautifully illustrated and well organized to fit a young audience.

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    1. We've been spoiled by the era of easy photo taking and publishing.

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  3. Love the quote from the first book. It's why I read your blog.

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  4. AnonymousMay 25, 2022

    I really enjoyed Mary Irish's book. She's such a wonderful writer that she conjures up the emotion of a garden, even if pics are lacking. And Riz's book looks utterly charming. What a great gift it would make for young would-be gardeners.

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    1. I originally thought I would gift Riz' book to a youngster, but I am enjoying it so much myself that I don't think that's gonna happen.

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  5. That anonymous comment was me, btw. I accidentally published it before adding my name. :)

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  6. Alyse LansingMay 25, 2022

    I really enjoyed Riz's book! Indeed an adult CAN learn from it. There was something so sweet about the book's voice. "Meet the family" for each plant, and introducing them as "heroes"...it gives the NON-anthropomorphized plants (i.e. real plants) a FRIEND quality. You don't need to be a child to know they are friends. You just need to pay attention.

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  7. Mary Irish's book is essential reading for every gardener no matter where you live. At the time she lived in Phoenix and she talks about creating the couple's garden here. But so much of it is true no matter where you garden. Mary was a wonderful speaker too. I went every time I could when she lived here. She and her husband moved to Texas, I believe, to be near family in her last years. But I believe her Phoenix garden was her crown jewel.

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    1. Lucky you to have been able to attend her lectures!

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