Jennifer Bartley's "Designing the New Kitchen Garden: An American Potager Handbook" is a wonderful book, especially if you're interested in the history and layout of potagers. Sally Jean Cunningham's "Great Garden Companions" is my go to book, when it comes to companion planting and beneficial insects. Ann Reilly's "Gardening Naturally: Getting the Most From Your Organic Garden" is another favorite. I check this out from the library all the time, but should try to find my own copy :) Jennifer Bartley is supposed to have a new book coming out, so I'll be going to the bookstore soon!

bboy, I absolutely am not looking to the English gardeners for their plant selections but rather their plant types - just like I wouldn't look to you. hehe. More than that though I want to get their mindset and the whys and wherefores of their design aesthetic. It occurred to me that the parts of my garden that I like the best are those that were packed with plants, i.e., companions around the roses, and that is exactly what I am lacking in my back garden. I'd really like to get immersed in their thinking. For a long time I ignored the English garden style, disliking the unkempt nature of the tall grasses and (forgive me) weedy-looking flowering plants. They just looked like they needed mowing to me, but I think I know enough now to adapt their style with my own Florida-loving plants. In fact, I've fallen in love with Gaura which I think would really appeal to an English cottage gardener. The red stems in the fall are really lovely. Gean and ogrose, I saw the books you mentioned, and their on my wish list. Nancy, garden pics and plans are exactly what I'm looking for but with less emphasis on roses. The roses are where they are. I just want to build around them. Thanks everyone. Sherry

I was a bit of a fanatic for a few years when I finally got interested in cooking...I too haunted the library and bookstores for cookbooks. But then I ran across a marvelous book, "Impromptu Cooking" by Glenn Andrews. In it, she describes how she went from a strictly "follow the recipe" cook to one who can wing it. And best of all, encouraged me to try. I reread her book often...(she does include recipes and variations) but mostly for inspiration. First, you have to get all the basics of course, (and a favorite along those lines was, for me, Rene Verdon's "French Cooking for the American Table" for the "why" of things. I've still got quite a few cookbooks, but I've quit acquiring new ones ...or if I do succumb, pass it along after reading. Enjoy the Cooking Forum here and several other sites to get my "reading recipes" kicks nowadays. josh

I love the idea of a house that is 'fully lived in' as sister3 says! And 'human scaled'...so much empty space in really big houses. The guest conundrum is funny to listen to...we've been lamenting about not having room for our relatives to stay when they come (usually for at least a week) and I don't think they enjoy the idea of camping that long in a tent, so its always an issue. Last year it rained 9 out of the 10 days my sis and 2 children (who fit the previously mentioned category perfectly)were here! Cramped to say the least! I think I'll not worry so much about trying to make them comfortable in the house (there's talk this year of them borrowing a camper trailer! Hee hee!) Cleaning and maintenance is definately a bonus, but like amanda I find it gets cluttered and the floor gets dirty so darn fast! But a few minutes each morning (well, ideally every morning...)seems to keep things under control. Also, we dont have seperate kitchen, dining and living areas (all one room) so our computer sits amongst it all. We got a 19" monitor so we can watch movies on it, which keeps down the electronic clutter. We even have no trouble with one phone! And heating is a cinch...in fact, right now I'm baking a rhubarb crisp, and the oven is heating the cabin nicely on this rainy, cold day! Not to mention filling it with yummy aroma! The list of benifits just goes on and on...if only people just realized!