Annie Martin

I read this book at the same time as Schenk's "Moss Gardening".. They are both well illustrated with numerous photographs and are remarkably similar, as if there were some requirement that moss books first spend a lot of pages talking about existing moss gardens (probably necessary, since most people have never encountered a planned moss garden) and at some point discuss individual species or genera (Schenk discusses about 50 mosses & lichens, plus liverworts and club mosses while Martin highlights 25 with the liverworts, club mosses and other similar sized plants in an earlier chapter). Martin is well-grounded in North American gardening, while Schenk flits between Britain, Asia, Canada and beyond. I think a reader's final selection will depend on which style of writing you prefer. Martin writes in a fairly straightforward style, factually for the most part with a bit of her love of the plants shining in the first introductory chapter. Martin has several chapters on actual planting, tending, and troubleshooting, and is more organized and prescriptive while Schenk uses more of a narrative style . She includes a chapter on botany and moss reproduction, well illustrated with detailed close-up photos. She ends with a list of several dozen books for further reading and a number of websites. The book is well indexed.… (meer)