No comments about Royal Horticultural Soc. Treasury of Garden Verse (Rhs).

No comments about A Walk Through My Garden.

No comments about Flowers and Gardens.

2 comments about The Curious Gardener.

1. The Curious Gardener is most definitely a read from the beginning to the end. Reading this book is like reading a letter from a gardening friend or sitting down for tea with him. Dahl connects the garden with the mind by telling stories that will make you look deeper into the art of gardening.
   Dahl ranges in discussions from why you should grow bad smelling plants to, how to eat a lily, making this book a truly enjoyable read. After finishing this book, you will look at your garden in a whole new light. It connects us back to some of the pleasures we sometimes miss in our rush to get things done.
   From rambles and rants, to carful observations, this book is a delight to read on a rainy or cold wintery day.



2. A good book takes time to read and progresses in a slow and orderly fashion, much like the garden itself. Such is the case with The Curious Garden by Jürgen Dahl
   
   The Curious Garden is a collection of Dahl's previous 3 books, much of which were originally created as weekly gardening columns. The 3 books include How to Eat a Lily (1995), The Stinking Garden (1997) and The Curious Gardener (1998). Each book is divided into easy-to-read sections, probably due to their origin as columns.
   
   According to my library record, I have renewed this book twice, each time for 3 weeks and it is rapidly approaching time to renew it again. This means a total of 6-7 weeks to read one book. How could it possibly take so long to work through 250 pages? The fact is, this book was perfect for dipping into whenever I needed a change of pace. Its short section invited a few moments spent in the joys of gardening before returning to more mundane work. It was a gentle friend in the evenings when no more thoughts of computers or email or web pages could be processed.
   
   It seems to happen more frequently than I would like, but I often find myself wanting to meet authors who have already passed from this world. From his writing, Dahl would have been an interesting gardening pen pal. It would have been a joy to read his columns as they were created, rather than in this final collection of his best. Still, I can enjoy the fact that his work was deemed important enough to collect and translate into English.
   
   The Curious Gardener would be a great book for the reading chair and night stand as Fall approaches and quickly turns to Winter. You could lose yourself in the pages as snow flies and your own garden sleeps and wake with new ideas, new thoughts and a new garden come the Springtime.

No comments about Hedges and Walls (Living Landscapes).

No comments about Great American Gardens.

No comments about On Gardens: Two Essays.

5 comments about Maggie's Heart and Other Stories.

1. This great little book brought smiles, a couple of laughs and a few tears. My favorite was The Last Amaryllis. It still brings a tear.



2. The stories in Maggie's Heart are short, but each is moving in its own way. The book can be read in sequence or kept as a quick pick-me-up for those times when you need something to read, but don't want to delve into a novel. There is a gentle love of people and goodness that comes through in each story. You are left with a catch in the throat and / or a smile on your lips. In a word the stories are wonderful.



3. I know that I cannot write a good review but I loved the book. I am not fond of reading too many books but I started to read this when I was bored and now I have read it eight times! Mr. Flynn was my English teacher and I will never forget him!



4. I know that I cannot write a good review but I loved the book. I am not fond of reading too many books but I started to read this when I was bored and now I have read it eight times! Mr. Flynn was my English teacher and I will never forget him!



5. George, known to me and the rest of his students as Mr.Flynn, is an amazing person and this is a wonderful book. Parts of it made me cry and others made me smile. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves to read about true love.

No comments about Down to Earth.

3 comments about A Garden of Weedin': A Collection of Poetry, Essays, and Garden Lore for the Greenthumb Philosopher.

1. Some of my favorite flowers bloom on weeds. "A Garden of Weedin" by Georgia Jones extols both gardening and weeds. Through original poetry and prose, quotes, recipes, and artistic photography A Garden of Weedn' testifies to gardening which she calls "blood sport." This books tells stories of flowers and the tiny creatures who share our gardens with us. But it includes a lovely poem called "Weeds", a humorous prose piece on the definitions and dangers of weeds, a short history of weeds and a practical collection of recipes using weeds. Thus even if the weeds are removed from your garden, they can become useful kitchen fare. My garden I love and enjoy, but, as Georgia says, "It is the weeds I know intimately."



2. A beautiful collection of poems, recipes and insights into nature and the true nature of mankind. A collection that connects us to the earth in a special way.

   A perfect gift for anyone who loves gardening.




3. The poems are beautiful, the recipes (I tried a few) are tasty and the philosophy is inspirational. This book is all about women, love, gardens and personal growth. I truly enjoyed it!