The Shaker Herb and Garden Book [Hardcover]

Rita Buchanan (Author), Paul Rocheleau (Photographer), David Larkin (Designer)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 9, 1996

Simplicity, efficiency, and beauty are all qualities that today's gardener strives for, and all are exemplified by the nineteenth-century Shaker gardeners. Although less well known today than the Shaker furniture makers, these gardeners ran successful businesses and earned a lasting reputation for the high quality of their vegetable seeds and herbal remedies. Written by Rita Buchanan, an expert on herbs, designed by David Larkin, and with color photographs of present-day Shaker gardens, this book will appeal to the thousands of people who visit Shaker villages each year and to all gardeners who want to grow vegetables and herbs while caring for the earth and the human condition. Quotes from the Shakers' original gardening manual and from individual journals give the book historical as well as horticultural appeal. And the detailed discussions of medicinal and culinary herbs are of particular interest today.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

In a brief history, Buchanan posits that to many people, Shaker refers to a style of furniture, but that Shakerism was first a religion and then a way of life. The Shakers were especially successful as gardeners; not only did they produce their own food, they developed a major business selling vegetable seeds and medicinal herbs. Quoting extensively from The Gardener's Manual, published in 1635, the author describes their approach to gardening as one that "combines science, religion, and inspiration." They placed an emphasis on meticulous weeding, neatness, proper tools, fertile soil, written records, and growing only essential crops (not ornamental plants). Buchanan applies these ideas for today's gardeners with chapters on growing vegetables (and producing vegetable seeds) and herbs (with an overview of the Shaker medicinal herb industry and a sampler of Shaker herbs). A charming book combining history and gardening and filled with color photographs. George Cohen

About the Author

Larkin is the editor-designer of the best-selling Barn and Shaker and the author of Farm, among many other books published here and abroad. He currently lives in Cherry Plain, New York.

Rita Buchanan is the coeditor and co-author of TAYLOR'S MASTER GUIDE TO GARDENING as well as many other books. A botanist, horticulturist, and passionate gardener and designer, she turned a featureless cow pasture into a glorious garden landscape surrounding her home. She resides in Connecticut.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin (October 9, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395733251
• ISBN-13: 978-0395733257
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,477,459 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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