Horticulture Books

The Unlikely Lavender Queen: A Memoir of Unexpected Blossoming

Jeannie Ralston

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 34 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

“I couldn’t help but question how I’d gotten to this strange spot in my life, so far from what I’d expected for myself. Yes, there had been a heady romance a few years back. Then a slew of subsequent decisions, fueled by love and yearnings I didn’t even know I had. But I never, ever would have suspected that this was where the sum total of them would bring me. That afternoon a new doubt dripped into my mind. When do you know, I wondered, whether the choices you’ve made were the right ones?”

In 1990, Jeannie Ralston was a successful magazine writer and bona fide city girl—the type of woman who couldn't imagine living on soil not shaded by skyscrapers. By 1994, she had called off an engagement, married Robb, a National Geographic photographer, and was living in Blanco Texas, population 1600.

The Unlikely Lavender Queen is the intimate story of a woman who gives up a lot for the man she loves – her beloved blue state, bagels and all-night bodegas—only to have to wonder: Was it too much? Ralston offers a lively chronicle of her life as a wife, new mother and an urban settler in rural Texas. As she labors to convert a dilapidated barn into a livable home, deal with scorpions and unbearably hot summers, raise two young children while Robb is frequently away on assignment, she realizes her ultimate struggle is to reconcile her life plans and goals with her husband’s without coming out the proverbial loser. And just when it seems like she might be losing that fight--and herself-- a little purple bloom changes her life.

For centuries lavender has been a mystical herb, so valuable to ancient Romans that a bushel would cost nearly a month’s wages. But when Robb returns from a trip to Provence with a plan for growing lavender on their land, Ralston is not convinced—in fact the last thing she needed or wanted was to take up farming on top of everything else. Then, much to her surprise, she slowly but surely falls in love with lavender, and in the course of growing and selling blooms, hosting the public at the farm, and creating lavender products, she discovers a new side of herself. A few short years later, Ralston had built Hill Country Lavender, a thriving commercial enterprise that transforms both her little corner of Texas and her life.

The Unlikely Lavender Queen will resonate with all women who have faced the tough choices that come with “having it all” and secretly (or not so secretly) hoped for great adventure to come along and surprise them. Ralston’s honest, funny, and poignant memoir is a testament to the fact that such adventures await us around every bend in life.

Where Our Food Comes From: Retracing Nikolay Vavilov's Quest to End Famine

Gary Paul Nabhan

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Subjects -> Outdoors & Nature -> Conservation -> General AAS

Editorial Review:

The future of our food depends on tiny seeds in orchards and fields the world over. In 1943, one of the first to recognize this fact, the great botanist Nikolay Vavilov, lay dying of starvation in a Soviet prison. But in the years before Stalin jailed him as a scapegoat for the country’s famines, Vavilov had traveled over five continents, collecting hundreds of thousands of seeds in an effort to outline the ancient centers of agricultural diversity and guard against widespread hunger. Now, another remarkable scientist—and vivid storyteller—has retraced his footsteps. In Where Our Food Comes From, Gary Paul Nabhan weaves together Vavilov’s extraordinary story with his own expeditions to Earth’s richest agricultural landscapes and the cultures that tend them. Retracing Vavilov’s path from Mexico and the Colombian Amazon to the glaciers of the Pamirs in Tajikistan, he draws a vibrant portrait of changes that have occurred since Vavilov’s time and why they matter. In his travels, Nabhan shows how climate change, free trade policies, genetic engineering, and loss of traditional knowledge are threatening our food supply. Through discussions with local farmers, visits to local outdoor markets, and comparison of his own observations in eleven countries to those recorded in Vavilov’s journals and photos, Nabhan reveals just how much diversity has
already been lost. But he also shows what resilient farmers and scientists in many regions are doing to save the remaining living riches of our world. It is a cruel irony that Vavilov, a man who spent his life working to foster nutrition, ultimately died from lack of it. In telling his story, Where Our Food Comes From brings to life the intricate relationships among culture, politics, the land, and the future of the world’s food.

Taming the Truffle: The History, Lore, and Science of the Ultimate Mushroom

Ian R. Hall, Gordon Brown, Alessandra Zambonelli

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Whether the world's best truffles are found in Piedmont or Perigord inspires impassioned debate, but the effects of dwindling supply and insatiable demand for the elusive, ultimate mushroom are unquestionable: prices through the roof, intrigue and deception, and ever more intensive efforts to cultivate.

The secrets of when, how, and where to collect truffles have benn passed from generation to generation since ancient times, but artificial cultivation remains the holy grail. Here in the most comprehensive practical treatment of the gastronomic treasure to date, the art and science of the high-stakes pursuit come together.

Their enthusiasm and expertise leavened with wry humor, the authors explore the newest techniques; they describe the commercial species in detail along with their host plants, natural habitats, cultivation and mintenance, pests and diseases, and harvesting with pigs, dogs, truffle flies, and even the electronic nose.

Pursuit of the fungus that costs more than gold is not for the faint of heart nor for those in a hurry, as under ideal conditions, truffle production in artificial truffieres can begin after three years but results may not be seen until a decade after planting, and maximum yields not for another decade still. So there is time to read and prepare, and no better source than this one.

Chia: Rediscovering a Forgotten Crop of the Aztecs

Ricardo Ayerza, Wayne Coates

Amazon Price: $10.85 List Price: $15.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: University of Arizona Press Amazon Marketplace: 31 new & used starting at $9.44

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Subjects -> Health, Mind & Body -> Nutrition -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

One of the four main Aztec crops at the time of Columbus’s arrival in the New World, chia is now a forgotten food of the Americas. Chia seed oil offers the highest omega-3 fatty acid content available from plants, but today this species is known only for its use in "chia pets." Yet pre-Columbian civilizations used chia as a raw material for medicines and nutritional compounds, while chia flour could be stored for years as a food reserve and was valued as a source of energy on long journeys.

In this book, agronomist Ricardo Ayerza and agricultural engineer Wayne Coates trace the long and fascinating history of chia’s use, then reveal the scientific story of the plant and its modern potential. They compare fatty acid profiles of chia with our other major sources—fish oil, flaxseed, and marine algae—and provide evidence that chia is superior in many ways.

Here are just some of the benefits that chia provides:
- chia has the highest known percentage of alpha-linolenic acid, and the highest combined alpha-linolenic and linoleic fatty acid percentage of all crops
- chia has more protein, lipids, energy, and fiber—but fewer carbs—than rice, barley, oats, wheat, or corn—and its protein is gluten-free
- chia is an excellent source of calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, iron, zinc, and copper
- chia is low in sodium: salmon has 78 times as much, tuna 237 times as much
- chia exhibits no evidence of allergic response, even in individuals with peanut and tree-nut allergies
- chia doesn’t give off a “fishy flavor,” unlike some other sources of omega-3 fatty acid

The need to balance the essential fatty acid content of the human diet, combined with the need for a safe, renewable, omega-3 fatty acid source, positions chia to become one of the world’s important crops. As this insightful study shows, current nutritional understanding provides an excellent opportunity to reintroduce this important food to the world.

Native Alternatives to Invasive Plants (Brooklyn Botanic Garden All-Region Guide)

C. Colston Burrell

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

One to buy 5 out of 5 stars.
36 of 36 people found this review helpful.

I typically take books like this out of the local library when I need them, but I've bought this one, because of a combination of factors: low price, great readability, good pictures, good comprehensive overview of the plants. It is not really useful to me in quite the way the authors might have intended, that is, "Don't buy plant X, buy plants Y or Z or W instead..." One's likes/dislikes for plants can be so finessed, that I don't think anyone else could choose substitutes like that for what I might like.

Rather, I just use it to read about the native plants (which is 98% of the book anyway -- it gives very little or no description of the "bad invasive" plants, doesn't explain why or how they're invasive... you must take on faith that those plants are bad.) The book is primarily an inexpensive, well-written description of native plants you should like to use, rather than describing invasives. Very, very good descriptions of the plants, from authors who not only know the plants well, but can pick out the very specific things about each plant that a gardener will like to know when cultivating them. E.g. "can't tolerate extreme heat" or "goes dormant if no moisture" or "has a long taproot so once established shouldn't be moved" -- these are the specifics about plants you've really got to know, and this book seems to tell me much more of those details than others like it.

It's another of many great books from the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

Incidently, it's not just for east coasters... seems to cover the entire country and all zones fairly well.

Editorial Review:

The biggest enemy of any garden is not a pest, disease, or poison—it’s any plant with tougher survival skills than the plants it competes with. The best way to weed out the invaders is with this fiendishly clever guide to native plants that can seek and destroy the top 100 most unwelcome perennials, grasses, vines, shrubs, and trees. While replacing the invaders, the beautiful, hardy native plants described here also attract native birds and butterflies, while turning away their own enemy invaders. Word-and-picture guides provide tips on care and maintenance, while helpful “at a glance” boxes depict shapes, sizes, best locations, and most attractive features of each native alternative.

General Viticulture

A. J. Winkler, James A. Cook, W. M. Kliewer, Lloyd A. Lider

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Subjects -> Home & Garden -> Gardening & Horticulture -> By Plant -> Grapes

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Wherever grapevines are cultivated, this book will be welcome because it fills a long-standing need for a clear, concise treatment of modern viticulture. During the past fifty years, more progress has been made in the science and art of growing grapes for table use and raisin or wine production than in any previous century.
This new edition has been revised throughout. The chapters on vine structure, vine physiology, the grape flower and berry set, development and composition of grapes, and means of improving grape quality add to our knowledge of the vine and its functions. The text is designed to enable those concerned with either vine or fruit problems to arrive at considered diagnoses. The student will find the text and the cited references a comprehensive source of information.
The grape and allied industries should welcome the updating of the major portion of the book. Here the emphasis is on modern practices in vineyard management in arid and semi-arid regions--with special reference to California. Full and detailed treatment is provided or propagation, supports, training young vines, pruning, cultivation and chemical weed control, irrigation, soil management, diseases and pests, and harvesting, packing and storage.
The practices recommended in the book are based on the extensive research conducted in California and elsewhere by the authors and their distinguished colleagues. Examples of practices based on experiments are: methods of propagation which by-pass the usual one-year-in-the-vine-nursery; pruning as related to leaf area and time of leaf functioning, and its effect on berry set and fruit development; virus disease control through thermotherapy and soil fumigation; pests held in check by sanitary, chemical, and biological procedures; irrigation practices as related to soil texture. Tissue analyses are employed as guidelines indicating the mineral deficiencies or excesses of vines. Machine harvesting of raisins (with cane cutting) and some wine grape varieties with problems are described.
The regional recommendations for table and raisin varieties are based on log years of observations, while those for wine grapes are the results of studies of the interrelation of variety and the heat summation of the different climatic areas.
No one concerned with the cultivation of grapes can afford to be without this book.

From Seed to Pumpkin (Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science, Stage 1) (Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science 1)

Wendy Pfeffer

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Great preschool resource for learning and fun 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I purchased this book for my three year old in the fall. He loves reading it, just like any of his story books and he is learning important lessons at the same time!

Editorial Review:

Pumpkins can be baked in a pie.

Pumpkins can be carved into jack-o'-lanterns.

Pumpkin seeds can be roasted for a healthy snack.

But how does a tiny seed turn into a big pumpkin?

Read and find out what a pumpkin seed needs to help it grow!

An Encyclopedia of Cultivated Palms

Robert Lee Riffle, Paul Craft

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Subjects -> Home & Garden -> Gardening & Horticulture -> Trees

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 23 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Not was I was hoping for 3 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

What I was looking for:
A book with lots of detailed pictures of palm trees and cultivation tips.

What I got:
An exhaustive list of palm trees with a short text accompanying each and a set of pictures that look amateurish and are not enough representative of each species.

Editorial Review:

Cowritten by the author of the award-winning The Tropical Look, An Encyclopedia of Cultivated Palms offers a definitive account of palms that may be grown in the garden and landscape. Because palms are often underutilized as a result of their unfamiliarity --- even to tropical gardeners --- Robert Lee Riffle and Paul Craft have exhaustively documented every genus in the palm family. Approximately 890 species are described in detail, including cold hardiness, water needs, height, and any special requirements. Generously illustrated with more than 900 photos, this volume is as valuable as an identification guide as it is a practical handbook. It even contains photos of several palm species that have never before appeared in a general encyclopedia. Interesting snippets of history, ethnobotany, and biology inform the text and make this a lively catalog of these remarkable plants.

Edible: An Illustrated Guide to the World's Food Plants

National Geographic

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Subjects -> Health, Mind & Body -> Nutrition -> General AAS

Editorial Review:

A natural choice for the millions of people turning to a healthier lifestyle, this book invites readers on a sumptuously illustrated walk through the world garden to discover the story of some 250 food plants from field to table. Illustrated with more than 500 images and written by top international horticultural and culinary experts, the sumptuous Edible explores the origins, history, and contemporary cultural and culinary uses of fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains, beverage plants, herbs, and spices. A rich introduction begins the book, revealing early agriculture and our "green" future. Then an eight-chapter "Food Directory" cameos individual plants, with reader friendly layouts framing each entry’s biography, botanical description, culinary role, and healing powers. In addition to the lively and authoritative narrative, Edible intrigues readers with layers of information: literary quotes, boxes on ancient origins of exotic foods, political underpinnings, nutritional values, longstanding remedies, and more. Tantalizing anecdotes dip into such diverse topics as the Japanese Cherry Festival; cacao, Mayan "food of the gods;" and the 17th-century Nutmeg Wars, which determined New York’s future. A glossary and index complete the book.

The National Geographic Desk Reference to Nature’s Medicine has proven itself a steady sales record. With huge appeal for both the health-conscious and the legions of devotees who follow today’s chefs in the media, Edible is a recipe for success.

Christmas Trees: Growing and Selling Trees, Wreaths, and Greens

Lewis Hill

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

The BEST book on this subject! 5 out of 5 stars.
9 of 9 people found this review helpful.

Although this book seems more designed to educate the novice at growing Christmas trees, I believe everyone, even people currently in this business, can learn something valuable from it. It is well written and enjoyable to read, plus informative in that it describes all sorts of trees used, planting methods, protection and care of seedlings and transplants, recommendations for planting locations, and a whole host of other information. I attribute this book to getting me interested in this field as a hobby. Recommend it very highly!

Editorial Review:

Money does grow on trees, and Christmas Trees by Lewis Hill is the essential equipment for anyone who wishes to gain the pleasure and profit of growing and selling trees, wreaths, and greens. Hill, an experienced and skilled tree grower himself, begins with the very basics, providing valuable insights on how to choose the best land and the best species of trees to grow on that land. Here you will learn how to ; Plan for continuous, efficient growth, including interplanting, natural seeding, and stump culture ; Care for your crop throughout the growing cycle, from planting and pruning, right through harvesting ; Propagate your own plants and collect wild seedlings ; Select the proper equipment for the nature and scope of your planting ; Handle problems dealt by weather, pests and diseases, and animals ; Find wholesale and retail markets, maintain a steady supply, deal with tree buyers, advertise and price, and maintain records and plan for taxes An attractive and lucrative side busin