Tag Archives: Garden

The Lavender Companion by Terry Barlin Vesci and Jessica Dunham – Beautiful, Helpful, and Informative

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I was excited to read The Lavender Companion by Terry Barlin Vesci and Jessica Dunham.  As a gardener, I love growing herbs and lavender is one of my favorites. 

This book is beautiful, informative, and helpful.  The authors go into detail about the benefits of growing lavender.  This herb has many uses in recipes for food and drinks, seasoning, herbal recipes for bath and skin care, decorating and making your home more enjoyable with lavender’s lovely fragrance. 

I appreciated learning about the history of lavender, the different varieties, and the best growing conditions for each type.  Knowing this information, will help me choose the plant that is most suitable for where I live.

The authors also share food and drink recipes as well as medicinal or botanical recipes for bath and body and so much more.  I also enjoyed learning about their lavender farm and how it has grown and developed over the years.  For those who enjoy visiting gardens and farms, you may want to visit Pine Lavender Farm in Arizona.  They have an online shop where you can purchase and enjoy their products.

I enjoyed reading The Lavender Companion – Enjoy the Aroma, Flavor, and Health Benefits of This Classic Herb by Terry Barlin Vesci and Jessica Dunham.  I recommend this book for gardeners, those who enjoy growing herbs, or enjoy trying new recipes with the herbs grown in their own garden.  The photographs are beautiful. 

I would like to thank Story Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a complimentary copy of The Lavender Companion by Terry Barlin Vesci and Jessica Dunham.  It was a helpful and enjoyable read and a great reference book. 

A Year Full of Pots by Sarah Raven – Filled with Helpful Garden Design Ideas, Information and Spectacular Photographs

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I listen and learn from Sarah Raven’s podcast and was eager to read her newest book A Year Full of Pots.  What a tremendous resource this book is for gardeners.

Sarah specifically focuses on plants in pots throughout the year, month by month.  She starts out by giving some rules of thumb for designing combinations of plants that work well together. 

Then month by month, Sarah shares what plants she puts in containers.  January and February bring color into the new year.  In March and transition from winter to spring and using bulbs.  In April learning to do a bulb lasagna and how to do it.  May is working with tender perennials.  June, summer begins with making plant supports and fertilizer.  July the garden flourishes.  August looks at flowering plants.  September when tender perennial climbers are at their peak performance.  As autumn comes having perennials and those plants that will perform late into the season.  In November and December there are still some hardy flowering plants to take center stage as wells as bulbs.  Worked into each chapter are tasks that need to be done.

I appreciated the helpful information and details about different varieties that Sarah uses in her garden pots, what she likes about the different plants.  The book is chock full of pictures, gorgeous photos that you will want to look back on for design ideas for your own garden, in pots or perhaps worked into landscape.

Even though I live in a very different area than Sarah, I can take the ideas and designs work them into our home garden.  I loved this book and was on sensory overload looking at the spectacular photographs.  So many beautiful photos, ideas and information to enjoy and learn from.

I highly recommend A Year Full of Pots by Sarah Raven.  I plan on purchasing a copy of this book when it is published on April 9, 2024.  I want to use it as a reference guide filled with helpful information and design inspiration.

I would like to thank Bloomsbury USA Publishers and NetGalley for an opportunity to read a complimentary copy of A Year Full of Pots by Sarah Raven. I was under no obligation to give a favorable review. 

All the Presidents’ Gardens by Marta McDowell – A Refreshing and Lovely Read

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Maybe it was the winter season that piqued my interest in reading Marta McDowell’s book All the Presidents’ Gardens.  With our garden at rest, it was a lovely time to read about the history of the Presidents’ gardens at the White House over the last 235 years.

I absolutely loved reading this book.  It was a combination of history, gardening, with a little bit of biographies mixed-together.  It was refreshing to see the love of gardening from our Presidents, their wives, and families, and how they enjoyed the fruits of the labor of those who executed design plans.  What a huge task for the men and women who designed the gardens over the years.  I found it interesting to learn how everyone’s background, education, and experience influenced the designs, selection of plants, and the additions of other elements to make the gardens what they wanted. 

As a gardener, I found I connected with the Presidents and their families that had a love for gardening.  I appreciated their desire for seed and plant preservation.  I came away from reading this book with a new appreciation for how gardening is passed down from one generation to another.

If you love gardening, history, biographies, or design, I highly recommend All the Presidents’ Gardens by Marta McDowell.  This was a lovely and refreshing book to read. 

I would like to thank Timber Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a complimentary copy of All the Presidents’ Gardens by Marta McDowell.  I was under no obligation to give a favorable review.