The Roots of My Obsession

July 16, 2012
This slim book of short essays by 30 top gardeners is as varied as any garden, with something for every taste and style. It’s a bit like getting a letter (or e-mail) from your favorite gardener. The tone is informal, even if the gardener’s style is not. The reader comes to understand the English accent to Sydney Eddison’s gardening, the surprising Turkish heritage of Fergus Garrett, the yummy crunch behind Rosalind Creasy’s edibles. The essays are bite-sized and intelligent; these gardener-writers are both pithy and reflective, as befits people who know truth and beauty, but also need to weed and mulch. This charming, simple book makes a great gift for gardening friends, who can curl up with it on a rainy day and reflect on their own obsession.

July 1, 2012
Any book that introduces the term yardening into the horticultural lexicon, as Ken Druse does in his inimitable essay, Island Life, is one that deserves library shelf space. Celebrating the chaos and tranquility, splendor and delight that come from exuberant gardens as opposed to sterile lawns, 30 of the garden world's superstars reflect upon the role gardens, gardening, and gardeners have played in their lives. For Helen Dillon, gardening is her answer to Zoloft, a surefire way to keep the worries at bay, while for Anna Pavord, gardening is an insurance policy, a way of getting the most out of every day. Thomas Hobbs can trace his earliest memories of garden bliss almost to infancy, and Fergus Garrett can recall his childhood garden of Turkish delights in the piquant aroma of a lime tree. In revealing, deeply personal, and highly reflective essays, the joys, challenges, and rewards of gardens are limned by the finest hands in the field.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)