The Curious Gardener's Almanac: Centuries of Practical Garden Wisdom [Hardcover]

Niall Edworthy (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 6, 2007

A delightful anthology of curiosities that honors the gardening life.

Celebrating the garden in all its splendid diversity and rich history, this collection of facts, ancient wisdom and customs, tips, and recipes features more than 1,000 entries-remarkable information about flowers, vegetables, fruits, trees, herbs, insects, birds, water, soil, tools, composts, climate, gardens and gardeners, myths, superstitions, and biodynamics.

Woven into this wealth of knowledge are famous quotations, anecdotes, traditional sayings, lines of verse, and words of rural wisdom. It's a wonderful gift for any gardener, whether they're tending a window box or a full-fledged farm.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Niall Edworthy is the author of over a dozen books published in England, covering subjects from biography to outdoor survival. Gardening is his most recent obsession.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Perigee Trade (November 6, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 039953377X
• ISBN-13: 978-0399533778
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #448,929 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gotta Garden Loves It!, November 11, 2007

By 

Catherine G. Cook "Gotta Garden" (Stafford, Virginia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Curious Gardener's Almanac: Centuries of Practical Garden Wisdom (Hardcover)

This is such a delightful book! If you collect garden books, as I do, then I know you'll want to add this one. Full of tidbits, lists, advice, recipes, quotes and all sorts of gardening information arranged by season...you're sure to find bits that will also make you laugh! I'm so glad Mr. Edworthy moved to the country and became so curious! You'll be glad you bought it!

12 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A lovely little book -- well worth the money, November 15, 2007

By 

P. OBRIEN "knitnut" (Northern CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Curious Gardener's Almanac: Centuries of Practical Garden Wisdom (Hardcover)

I bought this as a gift for a friend, and have been reading it myself, and I love it. I might just keep it :-) or order another one. Any gardener would love this book on their shelf. And it's pretty too, and has a ribbon bookmark in it.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Nice Little Read, May 8, 2011

By 

Spencer Schankel (Island County) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Curious Gardener's Almanac: Centuries of Practical Garden Wisdom (Hardcover)

First, please let me get a peeve out of the way. "The Curious Gardener's Almanac" is not an almanac at all, and thus, for me a bit of a disappointment. It does not contain anything like planting times, phases of the planets, weather forecasts, or data about the tides, and so should have been titled something else. Niall Edworthy, the author, might have called it an "Omnibus of Gardening" or perhaps "Gardening Vignettes and Recipes" or something entirely more original, but not an almanac.

That said I found this little book charming, amusing, interesting, engaging and informative. For example I didn't know that carrots and zucchini are both suitable for container growing. Who'd have thought? Or, that raspberry leaf tea is effective to treat sore throat and diarrhea? Or, that Americans consume thirty pounds of potatoes annually and a quarter of that is French fries. (Since I don't eat French fries, someone is getting a good deal more.) I didn't know that Prince Charles is paid one daffodil a year as rent on unattended lands on the Scilly Isles. Here's one that's really scary: if there were no bees 100,000 plant species would vanish.

And so it goes with little wise sayings and recipes for pesto sauce or six ways to use parsley. This is the kind of book one can leave on the nightstand and open like the Bible in the middle of the night when an owl has awakened you and then go back to sleep in a while and not have bad dreams.

For that I thank the author.