The Zen Of Gardening In the High & Arid West: Tips, Tools, and Techniques (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Drawing from his own considerable gardening experience and expertise, as well as leaning on the wisdom of the people he calls "The Zen Masters of the Western Garden," David Wann gathers a mix of stories, how-to advice, and simple, doable projects that are ideal for gardeners in the high and arid landscapes of the West. The Zen of Gardening in the High and Arid West is a friendly and invaluable guide to such topics as strategic gardening (how to coax fruits and vegetables from a sun-parched garden), pest-proof planting (how to protect those disappearing bulbs), choosing the right varieties of edibles for the region (apples, snow peas, tomatoes, etc.), how to become a seed-starting maniac, a Farmer's Almanac approach to gardening (plant peas when the first cottonwood leaves appear!), as well as profiles of colorful local gardens and gardeners.

For gardeners of the high plains and mountains who are "meteorologically and topographically challenged," who routinely grapple with wild weather swings, high elevations, and scarcity of water, Wann offers inspiration and invaluable practical advice for success in the garden. Wann also shows how gardening can offer "a Zen exercise in mindfulness, discipline, and the joy of being right in the moment."

From the Publisher

From the best-selling co-author of Affluenza comes a wealth of knowledge on how to grow everything from peanuts to poppies in the high and arid West.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Fulcrum Publishing (April 3, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1555914578
• ISBN-13: 978-1555914578
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #245,139 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun, entertaining, and full of useful acvice, May 15, 2003

By	Daniel Chiras (Author of The Solar House, Superbia!, and EcoKids, Evergreen, CO USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This delightful and captivating book on gardening reads like a best-selling novel. The writing is creative and often uproariously funny. I often found myself laughing out loud, even on airplanes, as I turned the pages of this wonderful book.

Although highly entertaining -- and worth reading on that basis alone -- the book is also jam packed with good, practical information. I've learned an enormous amount about gardening in high and arid West -- and I've been gardening here for well over 15 years. This book will also inspire those who have become frustrated with gardening in this sometimes capricious region!
I can't wait to put many of Dave's ideas into practice.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Opened My Eyes About Gardening in the West, May 5, 2003

By	Susan L. Keen (Golden, CO United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

In a world so filled with stress, poor health, and daily activities that lack meaning, it's great to have places of refuge, and David Wann's The Zen of Gardening is such a place. Filled with passion, "dry" humor, and hard-won gardening wisdom, the book makes even black thumbs like myself want to dig up a space in my backyard.

Not only does he draw on his own 25 years of gardening, but also taps the experience of some of "the fastest trowels in the west," which he estimates to be a collective 500 years of growing. The reader learns about the life teeming in a shovel full of organic soil, about the chemical signals transmitted between various species in a garden, and about the best varieties of vegetables, flowers, trees and shrubs to plant in a "meteorologically challenged" region.

I had a hard time putting the book down, because the writing is so lively, and I found myself absorbing information effortlessly, the way a plant soaks up water!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gardening, Memoirs, Humor, and more, January 5, 2004

By	R. A. Price (Genesee, CO United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Although the title of the book includes "in the High and Arid West," this delightful book would amuse and impress any gardener. Although I live in the geographic region covered, many of the gardening tips and techniques simply don't apply to me since I live over 2,000 feet higher than does David Wann, plus his down home methods simply wouldn't fly with my homeowner's association. Nonetheless, I thouroughly enjoyed this book for its infectious attitude. I picked it up expecting to thumb through it and then read straight through. Quite a unique offering in the world of garden literature and highly recommended.