People with Dirty Hands: The Passion for Gardening (Hardcover)

by Robin Chotzinoff (Author) "It's very, very hot..." (more)
Key Phrases: hybrid teas, old roses, Miz Daniel, New Mexico, New York (more...)

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.

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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 (11 customer reviews) Amazon.com Sales Rank: #315,057 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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First Sentence:
It's very, very hot. Read the first page

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
hybrid teas, old roses

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Miz Daniel, New Mexico, New York, Long Island, Bob Howard, Renee Shepherd, Uncle Herb, Hannah House, Gordon Graham, Liz Christy, Alex Perez, Hardy Plant Society, Margaret Sharpe, New Jersey, Pine Ridge, Willy Martinez, Elizabeth Haile, Hampton Bays, Lois Hayna, North Carolina, Seeds By Design, Sierra Nevada, South Dakota, Thomas Jefferson, Antique Rose Emporium

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Citations (learn more)

5 books cite this book:

• China Bayles' Book of Days by Susan Wittig Albert on page 55
• People Who Sweat: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Pursuits by Robin Chotzinoff in Front Matter
• Shovel It: Nature's Health Plan by Eva Shaw Ph.D. in Back Matter
• Everyday Spiritual Practice: Simple Pathways for Enriching Your Life by Scott W. Alexander in Back Matter
• Apprentice to a Garden by Evelyn J. Hadden on page 122

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	62% buy the item featured on this page: People with Dirty Hands: The Passion for Gardening 4.5 out of 5 stars (11) $22.36
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Customer Reviews

11 Reviews 5 star:  (7) 4 star:  (3) 3 star:    (0) 2 star:  (1) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review 4.5 out of 5 stars (11 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews 12 of 12 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 (My Deer Garden, Pomona NY) - 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." 6 of 6 people found the following review helpful: 4.0 out of 5 stars A rose by any other name....., July 1, 2000 By  Dianne Foster "Di" (USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    Some gardening books are about particular gardens, others about favorite plants. Some writers look back over lives of gardening and living and write reflective passages. Others travel to beautiful gardens that have stood the test of time and share what they find. This little book does a bit of all these things. Gardeners will appreciate "People With Dirty Hands." While it does not describe the elementary aspects of gardening, it does take a new angle -- describing some of the action behind the scene at the local plant nursery. In the past few years, Rosarians have noticed an explosion in the quality, kind, and appearance of roses. In a day when hybridizers are splicing genes and bringing all kinds of mutants into the commercial world, a number of naturalists, gardeners, and botanists are saying, "Look what we're leaving behind!" Once lost, the past can never be recovered. "People With Dirty Hands" follows the adventures of those concerned with saving the past. The 'Rose Rustlers" are my favorites. These plant collectors drive all over the old rural areas, particularly in the plains states (Texsas) looking for old, abandoned but still thriving roses. The roses can be found in cemetaries, on fences along the road, and covering the collapsed timbers of old houses, barns, or pig stys. The 'Rose Rustlers' take grafts from the old plants and start new plants and pass them along to caring gardeners. The idea is to propagate the old roses and keep them going. Some biologists do this for scientific reasons, but many ordinary gardeners are joining hands across the nation to keep the old plants alive. They are saving the past for the future generations. 4 of 4 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Freaky gardeners grow the best crops, December 22, 2001 By  Bonnie Burton (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    This review is from: People with Dirty Hands: The Passion for Gardening (Paperback) What drives some people to obsess about their tomato plants so much that you wonder if they need a straightjacket as much as a nice gardening hat? Author Robin Chotzinoff went in search of eccentric gardeners who do more than grow veggies, flowers and herbs - they show us how magical a patch of dirt can be. In People With Dirty Hands, read about the Texas Rose Rustlers who find old roses growing in the oddest places (like graveyards), propagate them and then sell the flowers to people who aren't interested in raising genetically-altered blossoms. This book also has tales about ladybug farmers, big city manure delivery folks and more. (...)		Ad feedback   Most Recent Customer Reviews 4.0 out of 5 stars Travel of Spontaneous Purpose During a place in time when the world seems to offer little comfort to those of us who are in touch with our environs daily, this book offered a much needed vacation of the... Read more Published 9 months ago by Zentropa 2.0 out of 5 stars Doesn't know what it wants to be Some cute, quirky people featured in here. Shows the emotional need that gardening can often fulfill. Read more Published on July 9, 2004 by Ahh! 5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite garden book More chatty and narative, less like a botony text, more like a chat with an old gardener style wise, well many old gardeners, young gardeners, heck just happy gardeners of every... Read more Published on June 27, 2000 5.0 out of 5 stars A delightful book, NOT just for gardeners This wonderful book is fast reading and humerous. It is full of stories about growing whatever is your passion. Great for all gardeners and those who aren't. Read more Published on July 1, 1999 5.0 out of 5 stars you will need to speed to the nursery 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. Read more Published on June 1, 1999 4.0 out of 5 stars An entertaining look at the why and who of gardening mania Most gardening books are targeted for the avid gardener--and rapidly lapse into the 'how' and 'what' of gardening. Read more Published on May 17, 1999 5.0 out of 5 stars Delightful reading for anyone who ever planted a "pony-pack" It was a joy to read about others that perceive gardening to be a spiritual experience.Funny,delightful,heart-warming. One destination...many paths.Enrich yourself. Published on March 1, 1999 5.0 out of 5 stars A most for all gardeners This book is a most for anyone who gardens or knows someone who gardens. Funny, down to earth, and full of interesting stories from across the country. Read more Published on July 7, 1998 Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews

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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 (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #315,057 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 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 (My Deer Garden, Pomona NY) - 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."

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A rose by any other name....., July 1, 2000

By	Dianne Foster "Di" (USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

Some gardening books are about particular gardens, others about favorite plants. Some writers look back over lives of gardening and living and write reflective passages. Others travel to beautiful gardens that have stood the test of time and share what they find. This little book does a bit of all these things.

Gardeners will appreciate "People With Dirty Hands." While it does not describe the elementary aspects of gardening, it does take a new angle -- describing some of the action behind the scene at the local plant nursery.

In the past few years, Rosarians have noticed an explosion in the quality, kind, and appearance of roses. In a day when hybridizers are splicing genes and bringing all kinds of mutants into the commercial world, a number of naturalists, gardeners, and botanists are saying, "Look what we're leaving behind!" Once lost, the past can never be recovered.

"People With Dirty Hands" follows the adventures of those concerned with saving the past. The 'Rose Rustlers" are my favorites. These plant collectors drive all over the old rural areas, particularly in the plains states (Texsas) looking for old, abandoned but still thriving roses. The roses can be found in cemetaries, on fences along the road, and covering the collapsed timbers of old houses, barns, or pig stys. The 'Rose Rustlers' take grafts from the old plants and start new plants and pass them along to caring gardeners. The idea is to propagate the old roses and keep them going. Some biologists do this for scientific reasons, but many ordinary gardeners are joining hands across the nation to keep the old plants alive. They are saving the past for the future generations.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Freaky gardeners grow the best crops, December 22, 2001

By	Bonnie Burton (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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

What drives some people to obsess about their tomato plants so much that you wonder if they need a straightjacket as much as
a nice gardening hat? Author Robin Chotzinoff went in search of eccentric gardeners who do more than grow veggies, flowers
and herbs - they show us how magical a patch of dirt can be. In People With Dirty Hands, read about the Texas Rose
Rustlers who find old roses growing in the oddest places (like graveyards), propagate them and then sell the flowers to people
who aren't interested in raising genetically-altered blossoms. This book also has tales about ladybug farmers, big city manure
delivery folks and more. (...)