BOOKreviews
The Modern Gardener: A practical Guide to Gardening Creatively, Productively, and Sustainably Author: Frances Tophill Publisher: Octopus Publishing List Price: $26.99 Order Links: https://amzn.to/3jKHOd3 and https://bookshop.org/ a/79479/9780857839435 Reviewer: Hojung Ryu The Modern Gardener is a British book that offers progressive ways to prepare and cultivate your garden. It introduces readers to new concepts in the gardening world through environmentalfriendly ways. The author Frances Tophill guides the readers through the recipes for modern gardeners to be smart and efficient with reducing water and chemical use, while keeping the pests away and attracting beneficial wildlife to their gardens. In Chapter 1, Tophill discusses wildlife and eco-friendly gardening. Factors that should be considered, such as breeding and feeding sites, are explained in detail for planting in wild areas. Types of plants that are appropriate for the environments are introduced as well. Steps to achieve ecofriendly gardening are carefully listed and explained to guide even beginners through. In Chapter 2, Tophill provides tips on garden designs, landscapes, and methods to maintain plants successfully. This is not as simple as you may think it is, because the weather and climate play a big role in plant health and fertility. Plenty of images and pictures are 18
WASHINGTON GARDENER
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included for the readers to visualize the gardens they want. An introduction to houseplants follows in Chapter 3 and provides a comparison of “domestic” plants to outdoor plants. The amount of shade and sun the plants receive indoors is vital to domestic plants. Tophill provides different methods to care for these plants are provided for the readers. Chapter 4 is all about growing, eating, and preserving plants from the gardens, with ways to successfully grow plants both individually and together. Recipes that can be used from a variety of garden crops are provided as well. A lot of delicious information is densely packed into this chapter. Chapter 5 covers how to propagate plants, from sowing in soil to cutting, dividing, and layering the plants. The methods provided by Tophill are ecofriendly and organic, so the plants and the environment can thrive together. Chapter 6 focuses primarily on flowers. Because flowers are appealing in terms of visual effect and scent, the way to handle them and arrange them matters significantly in the gardens. Tophill touches on various aspects to cultivate a beautiful, healthy garden with flowers. The following chapter broadens the scope and focuses on apothecary gardens filled with various herbs and flowers. Tophill presents different ways to grow these plants and use parts of the plants in creating vegan, organic products. The two final chapters explore using plants beyond traditional ways. Tophill shows fun, creative ways to use plants in dyes, fabric, and drinks, with plenty of images. The Modern Gardener is a visual book with contemporary and ecological knowledge to guide beginner to intermediate gardeners. Tophill walks readers through a progressive world of gardening in creative, productive, and sustainable ways. o Hojung Ryu is a junior journalism and criminal justice double major at the University of Maryland, College Park, MD. She is an intern this semester with Washington Gardener and is from Mahwah, NJ.
Four-Season Food Gardening: How to Grow Vegetables, Fruits, and Herbs Year-round Author: Misilla dela Llana Publisher: Cool Springs Press List Price: $26.99 Order Links: https://amzn.to/37tmu9g and https://bookshop.org/ a/79479/9780760372739 Reviewer: Dorvall Bedford Growing your own food can seem like a daunting task. Not only do you have to give your plants ample sunlight and water, but you also have to protect them from pests, provide nutritious soil, and grow them in the right season. Even though it can seem like a lot to handle for a beginner, Misilla dela Llana provides a resource to help people start their own food gardens. Her book, Four-Season Food Gardening, is about how and what to grow in a garden year-round. The book is split into two halves. The first section covers all the important and basic steps for food gardening, including how to set up your garden, improve your soil, and create microclimates for your plants. The second section is dedicated to the four seasons. In those chapters, dela Llana discusses what to grow during each season and what challenges to be prepared for. At the end of the book are several profiles of dela Llana’s favorite crops. This book goes into great detail about how to start a food garden and is accessible to someone who has no experience. Whenever the book mentions anything like a tool or a specific plant, it always follows up with a quick step-by-step guide about how to use
