Two self-proclaimed "crotchety old horticulture professors," Ed O'Rourke and Leon Standifer share an immense love of gardening, a vast knowledge of all things horticultural, and a hearty sense of humor. In Gardening in the Humid South, they combine all of these traits to provide a practical and entertaining guide to gardening in the region they know best, the humid subtropics of the lower South.
In chapters with titles like "Bulbs and Things That Act Like Bulbs" and "Weeds: Telling Good Guys from Bad Guys," Ed and Leon offer friendly how-to advice on a broad array of issues, including choosing and preparing a cultivation site, raising fruit, growing in containers, using fertilizer, and preparing for cold weather.
Regardless of your gardening style, Ed and Leon can help. Are you a weekend warrior who enjoys leisurely Saturday mornings in the yard? Ed and Leon will show you ways to improve your garden while cutting back on your total effort. Is your yard large enough to keep you busy all day, every day? Ed and Leon know some short cuts that you probably haven't tried. Are you an apartment gardener with only a window sill and a few old pots to cultivate? Ed and Leon have some tips just for you. Even armchair gardeners will delight in living vicariously through the agricultural antics of these witty and wise old hands.
In Gardening in the Humid South, two old friends share their contagious enthusiasm for their avocation and show that despite the hard work, gardening is, above all, fun.
Both former holticulture professors at Louisiana State University, O'Rourke and Standifer present a lively and comprehensive treatment of gardening in the humid subtropics of the lower South. These seasoned horticulturists approach their subject with a mix of scientific pragmatism and loving reverence. The book, in fact, reads like a lively discussion sprinkled with humorous stories, old-timers' advice on diagnostics and maintenance, and "homegrown" solutions to gardening problems. Despite its casual tone, the guide is indispensable to any Southern home gardener. The authors succeed in taking the confusion out of the scientific aspects of horticulture and provide readers with a helpful monthly calendar of timely opportunities and requisite chores and hassles. This exceptional book is highly recommended for both public and academic libraries, especially in the "Sunny South." Deborah A. Broocker, Georgia Perimeter Coll., Dunwoody
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.
"Finally, here's a complete guide that takes all the idiosyncrasies of the Southern climate into account. . . . From choosing the site to selecting proper trees, shrubs, annuals or perennials, raising fruit, applying fertilizers and dealing with insects and diseases, Gardening in the Humid South offers a wheelbarrow full of useful information and easily understood advice."
Two self-proclaimed "crotchety old horticulture professors," Ed O'Rourke and Leon Standifer share an immense love of gardening, a vast knowledge of all things horticultural, and a hearty sense of humor. In Gardening in the Humid South, they combine all of these traits to provide a practical and entertaining guide to gardening in the region they know best, the humid subtropics of the lower South.
Professor emeritus of horticulture at Louisiana State University, Edmund N. O'Rourke Jr. lives in Baton Rouge.
Leon C. Standifer is professor emeritus of horticulture at Louisiana State University and the author of Not in Vain and Binding Up the Wounds, memoirs of his World War II army days.
