Parsleys, Fennels, and Queen Anne's Lace: Herbs and Ornamentals from the Umbel Family [Illustrated] [Hardcover]

Barbara Perry Lawton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 15, 2007

Parsleys, Fennels, and Queen Anne's Lace is the gardener's introduction to the characteristics, cultivation, and history of one of the most distinctive families of the plant kingdom. These plants were well known to the Greeks and Romans — it was the juice of a member of the umbel family that Socrates was forced to drink — and the family was the first to be studied as such botanically, by Robert Morison in 1672. Yet even today the many herbs and ornamentals of this family are not as well known or appreciated as they should be. Parsleys, Fennels, and Queen Anne's Lace is for anyone interested in herbs, whether for their culinary value or as ornamentals.

Editorial Reviews

Review

This book is for anyone interested in herbs, whether for their culinary value or as ornamentals. Quill and Trowel 20070601 [Will] help homeowners and gardeners decide which plants in [the Umbrel] family are best for herb gardens and flower beds. -- Jill Sell Cleveland Plain Dealer 20070721 Will earn [an] arm's-reach position on many bookshelves. -- Mary Ann Fink St. Louis Post-Dispatch 20070901 Lawton has honed a style that provides succinct, straightforward, no-nonsense information with a mastery of the language that makes readers enjoy reading about the subject at hand. St. Louis Gateway Gardener 20071201

Book Description

Parsleys, Fennels, and Queen Anne’s Lace is the gardener’s introduction to one of the most distinctive families of the plant kingdom— the Umbelliferae, commonly known as umbels. It is the particular arrangement of flowers that distinguishes umbels, but in spite of this basic similarity the hundreds of genera and thousands of species of the family display a rich variety of forms and are put to many uses. Umbel-bearing plants have aromatic oils in their foliage and fruits, and many are used as herbs, spices, and foods—anise, caraway, carrot, celery, coriander, cumin, dill, lovage, and of course, parsley and fennel, to name a few. Many umbels are valued additions to the ornamental garden, too. For example, Miss Willmott’s ghost, Eryngium giganteum, is a strikingly architectural perennial—and one with a fascinating history, as its common name suggests. Parsleys, Fennels, and Queen Anne’s Lace is for anyone interested in herbs, whether for their culinary value or as ornamentals.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Timber Press; First Edition edition (May 15, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0881928224
• ISBN-13: 978-0881928228
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 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: #1,538,467 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Needed Addition, July 17, 2007

By 

K. D. Cutler "VT gardener" (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Parsleys, Fennels, and Queen Anne's Lace: Herbs and Ornamentals from the Umbel Family (Hardcover)

What a delight--an authoritive but altogether readable book about an understudied, underpublicized, underappreciated, and undercultivated plant family. Lawton does it all, but perhaps most helpful is her identification of Umbel family plants that will flourish in and embellish any garden. Kudos to Timber Press for publishing this book, and to Lawton for writing it.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The definitive book on umbels, September 17, 2007

By 

Dr. Richard L. Bitner (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Parsleys, Fennels, and Queen Anne's Lace: Herbs and Ornamentals from the Umbel Family (Hardcover)

One can't help but make more notice of plants in the umbel family after reading Barbara Perry Lawton's book. I dipped into it after finding it on the shelf at my local botanic garden's shop. In no time I was drawn into the world of parsley and its relatives by her engaging and conversational writing style. I had no idea previously of the relationship of the Apiacea to humankind. Or that carrots are x-rated (check out Daucus carota var. sativa).

The usefulness of Apiaceae to me as a home gardener and horticultural educator is in the many colors, textures and forms they add to our borders. Less desirable are the weedy species and those "black sheep" (goutweed is the worst!) are given needed attention as well. Others readers will appreciate the umbel's usefulness in table arrangements and, of course, cooking. One can also stir up a poisonous stew from this group of plants as one learns from the many interesting tales Mrs. Lawton weaves into her discussions. The book discusses endangered plants within these species and the many species that draw beneficial insects to the garden. The illustrations from treasured old herbals are as revealing as the modern-day photos in the book.

This book is fun to read as well as being an important and detailed reference work.