I read this book in Pilar NM pretty wordy. it was just ok ( )

This is probably the most introspective gardening book I've ever read. It's the author's musings about her garden and lavish descriptions of it, arranged mostly by seasons. Her main passion is roses. Some parts of the book are just a delight to read- Ackerman is a poet, and a lot of the prose just sings to the beauty of the natural world. But- it feels really uneven and there were many occasions where I had to sit back and read a line several times, or even skip a few pages. She interjects freely ideas on other subjects, and it's sometimes not clear at first how they relate to the plants or natural processes she's discussing. Also there were times where her phrasing or word choice really threw me off... . She goes on for pages about John Muir, and Thomas Jefferson, and later Gertrude Jekyll- but I'd rather read a separate book about those admirable people, myself. Mostly, she goes on and on about the roses. How lovely her garden sounds, but she talks little about tending to it so the reader cannot learn much, only look on with envy... . I did really enjoy the passages she wrote about observing birds in her garden, and was full of curiosity when she described live-trapping squirrels to tag them for a scientific study- but then no mention was made of the study's purpose or the results. I guess that's in another book somewhere else... . I am keeping this one on my shelf regardless, maybe I will like it better at another time further on.

more at the Dogear Diary ( )

Lovely ramble through a year in her garden, with side trips into wildlife observations and wonderful literary quotes. The story of catching and tagging squirrels is particularly good. ( )

Yearly progress of a northern garden. Stories of plantings, visitors, history; deer... ( )

Along with delight, Diane Ackerman cultivates annuals, perennials, shrubs, groundcovers, vegetables, a water garden, shade gardens, a woodland garden & gardens that give pleasure year 'round. In this book, Ms. Ackerman takes us on a tour of the seasons, adding bits of garden lore, science & poetry. The advice she gives to her readers is both useful & delightful. ( )