Customer Reviews

The Year in Bloom

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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A how-to book broken down month by month. Advice from a Seattle native on how to add color to your garden. The book is fun and takes you beyond the usual Northwest gardenscape. Did you know that the winter foliage of azaleas can be as spectacular as their Spring blooms?

When this book first came out in 1987, it transformed the idea of "gardening" (previously in my mind the purview of elderly aunts and cranky bachelors) to something that I, myself, could play at -- "play" being a most important word when other responsibilities pressed fast and hard. Ann Lovejoy's light-hearted reporting on happenstance in her little (35 foot wide by 60 foot deep) lot stirred me to think that something beautiful could happen just outside my own front door. In this little book, organized helpfully (for maritime Pacific Northwest readers) by month, one chases the heady scent of the possible.

We have long since moved from our capacious lots in the Northwest to an unpromising tiny scrap of land in Zone 5 (if we're lucky) at about 5,000 feet (the altitude being something that can contribute to bad luck for gardeners). Surprisingly, I find myself turning again to this first book of Ann Lovejoy's, even though much of the specific data does not pertain. Here's what is so engaging. First, you will not find a more practical book about the vagaries of gardening on a postage stamp lot shared with cats, children, and the inevitable surprises of urban life. Second, some of the information translates beautifully across zones; see, for instance, her lovely idea about moonlight on white roses. Besides which, her homage to "Just Joey" pre-dated its award as favorite by many years. Finally, her enthusiasm infects the reader, sends her students out in search of their own tiny scrap of gardening paradise.

Here is a durable and informative guide to finding fulfillment on the tiniest plot, against what you thought were the odds of finding success in the garden.

I picked up a copy of this book, never having read anything by ann lovejoy before. I must say reading it has really been a sweet surprise. After having read many a boring and pretentious how-to book on gardening, reading Ann was a breath of fresh air. This book is like having a friend to answer your questions about gardening in the Pacific Northwest. Extremely helpful for those of us who are transplants and have no idea what we're doing in Zone 8. I would recommend it, but get it used if you can. That way, it's doubly sweet!