People with Dirty Hands: The Passion for Gardening [Hardcover]

Robin Chotzinoff (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0028609905 | ISBN-13: 978-0028609904 | Publication Date: January 8, 1996 | Edition: 1

There was a wooden picnic table under the grape arbor, where Zelma sat all day when she wasn't actively gardening. She shelled peas, wrote letters, and mended clothes there. The older she got, she said, the less she wanted to be inside. Following Zelma's model, I will age ungracefully until I become an old woman in a small garden, doing whatever the hell I want. There was a time when this would have sounded unfulfilled to me, if not downright depressing, but now I look forward to it. Robin Chotzinoff From the Introduction

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

There's no better antidote to the dreary non-gardening months than a great read, and in this gallery of colorful portraits, Chotzinoff, a columnist for Garden Design, delivers one of the most amusing, eclectic gardening books in recent memory. Curiosity led her to some unusual corners of the U.S.-locales as different as a Louisiana bayou, a New Mexico chile farm, an elegant Virginia estate and Manhattan's wild underbelly to name just a few-where she met with diverse and offbeat gardeners to find out what makes them tick. The result is a series of lively and highly entertaining interviews. Her subjects, sensing a kindred spirit in Chotzinoff, prove a winningly chatty group, and the author makes the most of their willingness to run on about their individual passions-be they rustling roses in Texas, collecting heirloom seeds or growing prize-winning giant tomatoes with names like "Radiator Charlie's Mortgage Lifter." Pull the chair up closer to the fire, sit back and enjoy the company. This group is sheer delight.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"She's got a little Dave Barry, a little Ellen Goodman, a little Marion Winik."-Los Angeles Times Book Review
"Surprisingly, the most interesting parts of the book are not the 'sweaty people' themselves, but Chotzinoff's observations about their pursuits and her own quest."-Rocky Mountain News

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (January 8, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0028609905
• ISBN-13: 978-0028609904
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #714,481 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It is the perfect gift for the gardening fanatic!!, November 12, 2000

By 

Rebecca Green - See all my reviews

This review is from: People with Dirty Hands: The Passion for Gardening (Paperback)

I absolutely loved this book! It is the perfect gift for the gardening fanatic!!

The author, Robin Chotzinoff, decided to tour the country in search of understanding why some people become obsessed with gardening. What she found was a collection of people, as colorful as the plants they grow. A man who grows 450 tomato plants in his backyard, because "You can't buy a tomato." The Texas Rose Rustlers, who propagate old-fashioned roses they find in cemeteries, because "tea roses are impossible!" Then there is the man who earns a living by selling thousands of gallons of ladybugs. Oh, and we must not forget the Green Guerrilla who delivers manure to New York City gardeners.

Like many obsessive gardeners, I use to wonder:

"Am I alone? Why wasn't everyone an obsessive gardener? How could they not be?"

Fear not obsessive gardeners! You are not alone! Robin Chotzinoff says she likes writing about gardeners because they are much more interesting than real people. As I always say, "Anyone can be normal."

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars you will need to speed to the nursery, June 1, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: People with Dirty Hands: The Passion for Gardening (Paperback)

This is a very fun book. I have a big stack of gardening reading, and this one stayed at the top until it was done. If you manage to get through this book not wanting to plant roses or peppers or some new plant for you, then you are stronger than I am. It brings humanity into gardening in well told stories.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An entertaining look at the why and who of gardening mania, May 17, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: People with Dirty Hands: The Passion for Gardening (Paperback)

Most gardening books are targeted for the avid gardener--and rapidly lapse into the 'how' and 'what' of gardening. This book comes firmly down on the side of the fence labeled "why"--and explores the whimsical and unpredictable roads that lead to planting a garden--and maintaining it. This is a book for the random gardener who may not follow all the rules, but gardens because they love dirt and the stuff it produces. Great gift book for the haphazard garden lover.