The Informed Gardener Blooms Again [Paperback]

Linda Chalker-Scott (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 8, 2010

"The Informed Gardener Blooms Again" picks up where "The Informed Gardener" left off, using scientific literature to debunk a new set of common gardening myths. Once again, Linda Chalker-Scott investigates the science behind each myth, reminding us that urban and suburban landscapes are ecosystems requiring their own particular set of management practices. "The Informed Gardener Blooms Again" provides answers to questions such as: Does using drought-tolerant plants reduce water consumption? Is it more effective to spray fertilizers on the leaves of trees and shrubs than to apply it to the soil? Will cedar wood chips kill landscape plants? Should I use ladybugs in my garden as a form of pest control? Does aerobically brewed compost tea suppress disease? Every year Chalker-Scott receives hundreds of e-mails from around the world on these and related topics. Her advice, based on more than twenty years of experience in the field of plant physiology, has helped home gardeners, landscape architects, and nursery and landscape professionals to develop scientifically based sustainable landscaping practices. Linda Chalker-Scott is an urban horticulturist and associate professor at Puyallup Research and Extension Center, Washington State University. She is the author of "The Informed Gardener", winner of the Best Book Prize from the Garden Writers Association. She is the editor and co-author of "Sustainable Landscapes and Gardens", the Washington State editor of "MasterGardener" magazine, and author of the online column "Horticultural Myths." She also has a new blog.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for The Informed Gardener: "Buy this book and I guarantee you'll save money. Linda Chalker-Scott prunes the advertising hype behind many garden additives -- Epsom salts, peat mulch, gypsum, water crystals, compost tea, and more. Her commonsense approach, heralding scientific rigor and challenging 'junk science' is a must read for every serious gardener." Suzy Bales, author of Garden Bouquets and Beyond "An essential tool in deciphering both eco-myths and advertising copy. It helped me to distinguish the greenwashing from the truly 'green.' And to be guided by actual research findings? What a concept! One that advertising copy writers and eco-advocates alike don't want us to follow." Susan Harris, author of Sustainable-Gardening.com and GardenRant.com "Linda Chalker-Scott is a scientist with a mission -- evidence-based gardening. Happily she is also the most interesting, entertaining, knowledgeable, and useful garden writer I've come across. Home gardeners will learn practices that are more effective, safer, and -- believe me, this is no small thing -- cheaper." Constance Casey, former New York City Parks Department gardener and regular gardening and natural history contributor to Slate.com "A no-nonsense, no-hype, nothing-to-sell-but-the-truth voice that straddles an important line between hearsay gardening and scientific fact in ornamental horticulture." Ketzel Levine "This enjoyable book should find its way into the hands of almost every gardener. Highly recommended for public libraries with gardeners ready to tackle the literature, as well as academic and special libraries with interests in horticulture and gardening." Library Journal "A succinct and easy-to-navigate resource ... Chalker-Scott's instructions are clear enough for even a first-time gardener to follow." The Bloomsbury Review "Chalker-Scott's approach is unique in that she speaks about gardening as a genuine expert-with academic credentials-who debunks numerous myths... in a manner that is easy for us laypeople to understand and absorb...Her conclusions are good advice for all of us to follow." Washington State Grange News "In her first book she takes on common garden myths about fertilizer, mulch, transplanting, staking, compost tea, watering and many more potentially confusing topics. She skillfully debunks them with current research as well as her experience in extension horticulture." Seattle Times "An informative, helpful guide to sustainable landscaping, with valuable emphasis on cutting through many of the myths and misunderstandings that now surround this increasingly hot topic." Seattle Post-Intelligencer "[Linda Chalker-Scott's] book does great service in helping the urban gardener move past common practices that hinder instead of help, looking to nature itself as the ultimate teacher of truths." Cascadia Weekly "Linda Chalker-Scott is gardening's version of television's MythBusters. Ok, so she isn't so keen on blowing things up, but she does use scientific research to explain why many traditional horticultural practices aren't suitable for urban landscapes." Tacoma News Tribune

From the Inside Flap

The Informed Gardener Blooms Again picks up where The Informed Gardener left off, using scientific literature to debunk a new set of common gardening myths. Once again, Linda Chalker-Scott reminds us that urban and suburban landscapes are ecosystems requiring their own particular set of management practices. --"A no-nonsense, no-hype, nothing-to-sell-but-the-truth voice that straddles an important line between hearsay gardening and scientific fact in ornamental horticulture."--Ketzel Levine--

Product Details

• Paperback: 248 pages
• Publisher: University of Washington Press (January 8, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0295990015
• ISBN-13: 978-0295990019
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #135,631 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dr. Linda Chalker-Scott has a Ph.D. in Horticulture from Oregon State University and is an ISA certified arborist. She is WSU's Extension Urban Horticulturist and an Associate Professor in the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture. In her position, she develops educational materials for home gardeners, certified arborists, restoration ecologists, pesticide applicators, and the nursery and landscape industry. She is also a regular contributor and science editor for Master Gardener Magazine, a Washington-based quarterly publication that presents scientifically valid information to a popular gardening audience. Her first book, The Informed Gardener (2008, University of Washington Press), is an examination of some common horticultural myths and was awarded a Silver Medal of Achievement from the Garden Writers Association in 2009.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Myth-Buster in the Garden!, February 1, 2010

By 

allanbecker-gardenguru (Montreal, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Informed Gardener Blooms Again (Paperback)

Those of us who have learned to garden from the experience of others, have also been the recipients of gardening advice delivered in an oral tradition. If that guidance came from a university-educated horticulturalist, probably the knowledge transmitted is accurate. However, a lot of information, handed down from one gardening generation to another, is folklore that does not stand up to empirical scrutiny.

As a counterbalance to misinformation, we can rely upon the dedication to truth demonstrated by an author who dismisses out rightly the myths that influence our gardening behavior. Linda Chalker-Scott is an Extension Urban Horticulturalist and associate professor at Puyallup Research and Extension Center, Washington State University. She is the editor and co-author of Sustainable Landscapes and Gardens, Washington State editor of MasterGardener Magazine, author of the online column Horticultural Myths and has a blog, gardenprofessors.com.

The author began her plant science career as a theoretical, laboratory-based plant physiologist and evolved into a practical, landscape-oriented urban horticulturalist. Her goal has been to transform relevant scientific information into readily understandable and applicable garden practices. This is her second book in making the science of gardening and landscaping accessible to the non-academic gardening community. The first book, similarly titled The Informed Gardener, was published in 2008.

Readers will be shocked to discover that some of what we hold to be true is either inaccurate or false. Hence, the titles of the chapters in this book begin with the phrase "The Myth of...". Each chapter contains an exposition of the myth the author has undertaken to crush, followed by the scientific information available to contradict the myth. This is, in turn, is followed by an exquisitely concise summary of the argument, i.e. what we need to know. Finally, the author includes a reference to scientific papers that support the facts.

One example of a defeated myth hits home. A respectable TV home improvement series, featured an episode on foundation landscaping with rose bushes. The renovator informed the viewing audience of the importance of using Epsom salts to create healthy roses. Not only did I follow that advice but I also passed along that information to all of my clients. The author reports that there is no scientific evidence to suggest that Epsom salts make roses grow bushier or more floriferous. Epsom salts, another name for magnesium sulphate, is as good as any other source of magnesium in treating a plant that suffers from leaf chlorosis. Such plants, because they are stressed, are unable to uptake other beneficial nutrients. Relieving the magnesium deficiency will improve chlorophyll production as well as nutrient uptake. However, feeding Epsom salts to plants that do not need magnesium will not make them healthier because plants only uptake the amount of magnesium that they need.

Some of the other topics covered in this book include the danger to humans who brew and apply compost tea because it may contain e-coli bacteria. Other myths dispelled cover garden-related issues such as companion planting, foliar feeding, and the myth of predicted growth that appears on plant labels. Another myth deals with drought tolerant plants used to create xeriscapes. The well-intentioned gardener will plant such perennials with the expectation that they will survive with little rainfall. However, during rainfall, drought tolerant plants absorb more precious water than other plants.

There are more widely held myths dispelled in this publication. I urge the serious gardener to read The Informed Gardener Blooms Again, and its companion The Informed Gardener. At best, we will become better-informed gardeners. At least, we will save a few hundred dollars a season, otherwise spent on nutrients that our gardens do not need. Special mention goes to Ashley Saleeba for the gem-like design of this publication and for the ingenious adaptation of artwork by Sarah Dixon on the book's cover.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun myth-busting in the garden, August 7, 2011

By 

Gen of North Coast Gardening (California) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Informed Gardener Blooms Again (Paperback)

Linda Chalker-Scott has a fun writing style and conversational way of explaining the science behind good gardening. She works for the University of Washington and is a columnist with Fine Gardening Magazine, and is known for interpreting studies done for agricultural purposes and applying the science to home garden situations.

This is a wonderfully helpful book, and should be required reading for anyone in a horticultural field, or gardeners with a scientific mind and a keen interest in choosing the best methods.

One of my favorite chapters in this book is about xeriscaping, where she gives a much-needed reality check to those people who believe that a well-designed garden should be able to withstand no supplemental watering without any negative effects. She shows that even plants that are well-adapted to drought conditions will likely look and perform better with some supplemental watering, and shares that people with low-water gardens should be ready to accept the good with the bad (uses less water, but also will have increased leaf shedding and a few other issues that can be managed and dealt with, but should definitely be expected).

I also loved the section on what to use to sterilize clippers so you don't pass on plant diseases. Clorox, it seems, is corrosive to clippers, while other solutions like rubbing alcohol and her favorite, lysol, were found to be safe for pruning tools.

You can see that the information she shares is meant to be put into practice and used. She doesn't mess around with theoretical questions that have no real-world application. All of these issues answer important questions that most gardeners have at some point.

My one quibble with both of these Informed Gardener books is that she'll sometimes say things like "there is no evidence that" a certain technique works. However, in some cases, she presents no evidence AGAINST the technique working, either. Often, the technique simply hasn't been studied adequately. Because of this, a few of her chapters read like opinion pieces instead of the strong scientific reasoning shown in her other chapters.

That said, maybe one or two chapters out of the whole book were insufficiently supported, and the rest was strong, practical-minded, evidence-based gardening information that home gardeners and professionals will find tremendously helpful.

If you're unfamiliar with Chalker-Scott's work, she has a podcast and a blog, The Garden Professors, so you can get familiar with her friendly, conversational tone before buying.

While science can be a heavy read with some authors, Chalker-Scott has given all gardeners a gift with her Informed Gardener books, by making the science of gardening accessible and fun to read for everyone.