To Make A Spotless Orange-Biological Control in California by Richard C. Sawyer, from Iowa State University Press, will appeal to organic growers. California led the nation in biological control, and this book tells how it all began with Australian ladybugs in 1880. Both citrus growers and scientists wanted spotless oranges, and this well-written book tells how they succeeded.
Pomona Britannica from Taschen is everything you would want in a book at a very reasonable price. It has beautiful art work, recipes, nutritional content, and history. Originally published in England in 1812 by George Brookshaw, it contained color plates of 256 varieties of fifteen species of fruits. Text is in English, German, and French.
Americans have developed a keen appreciation in native plants. Thoreau's Garden-Native Plants for the American Landscape from Stackpole Books, by Peter Loewer features portions of Thoreau's journals along with explanations of how and where Thoreau found the plants. Some fruits, such as the serviceberry and bearberry, are represented in this volume, illustrated with the author's drawings.
John Baer's Sons has numerous titles that would be of particular interest to gardeners. Their newest title is Bird Words by Gerald S. Lestz, who also edits the Baer's Agricultural Almanac & Gardener's Guide (the 2003 edition is now available). Lestz chose different expressions that show the role birds and bird lore plays in our language and lives. He devotes an entire section to birds in literature.
The bristlecone pines are among the oldest trees in America. A Garden of Bristlecones-Tales of Change in the Great Basin is by award-winning author Michael P. Cohen. From the University of Nevada Press, it tells the story of how these unique trees came to mean so much to Americans. Cohen combined cultural and natural history to create a thoroughly interesting book.
Firefly has released a groundbreaking series, The Woody Plant, Trees and Shrubs for Fragrance, Trees and Shrubs for Foliage, and Trees and Shrubs for Flowers, by Glyn Church with exquisite color photos. Over 400 species and cultivars are presented in each volume. These books are easy to read and use. Measurements are in both metric and foot/inches.
For vegetable gardeners and seed-savers there's a wonderful volume from Chelsea Green. Breed Your Own Vegetable Varieties-The Gardener's and Farmer's Guide to Plant Breeding and Seed Saving by Carol Deppe is written so the average reader can understand germplasm and other terms. With her step-by-step instructions, any gardener can become a plant breeder.
Go To Page: 1 2
| Here's the follow-up discussion on this article: | View all related messages |
For a complete listing of article comments, questions, and other discussions related to Connie Krochmal's Fruit Gardens topic, please visit the Discussions page.