I've had some time to gather my thoughts and think abut garden books I have known and loved. There are two different ways garden books have impressed me. One is by sheer enchantment of the writing. Many of those have already been listed here. I won't waste anyone's time with a Me-Too list; suffice it to say that many of my most beloved garden books have already been listed here above by others with excellent (similar) taste. Another way, equally important to my evolution as a gardener, is by presenting to me ideas that excite and inspire me. Sometimes this is simply reading the right book at the right time. Read another time that same book might not have had the same impact. Then again, if the book was really a powerful presentation, it might inspire me at any time. So here is an annotated list. It is not all-inclusive. I'm sure I left out several books that knocked my garden shoes off my feet at one time or another. The White Witch by Elizabeth Goudge - this is actually a historical novel set in the English Civil War. The main character is an herb woman with a deep love of her garden. You could just feel her love of plants. I read it as a teenager, and was first introduced here to the concept of old roses, different from our modern roses. The Self-Sufficient Gardener by John Seymour - vegetables, not roses, but I have probably read this book four or five times and keep making lists whenever I read it. The Nature of Landscape Design by Nan Fairbrother - after reading this beautifully written and thoughtful book, I seriously considered a career in landscape architecture. Nature's Guide to Successful Gardening and Landscaping by William Flemer III - reading this book was the first time I encountered the concept of plant communities that belong in certain environments. Making Things Grow Outdoors by Thalassa Cruso - this was the first garden biography I ever read. I was fascinated at its concept of the evolution and development of a garden over time. Maybe other people just get it. I had to learn it. Undaunted Garden by Lauren Springer - a book about gardening when the climate isn't easy - full of joy and energy. The Fragrant Year by Helen Van Pelt Wilson and Leonie Bell - after reading this book, I could never again experience a garden with my eyes and ignore the nose. Lots of old rose information as well. I knew little about old roses when I read it, so lots of it passed over my head, but it was wonderfully rich and enticing nonetheless. The Grape Grower by Len Rombaugh - what can I say? After I read this book I planted grapes on my back patio arbor. I had to. The Compleat Squash by Amy Goldman - and after this one I began to grow pumpkins in my roses. I won't repeat that, but I will continue to grow pumpkins and squashes. Onward and Upward in the Garden by Katherine White - the ultimate book on the love of seed catalogs Last Whole Earth Catalog - I'm reaching back pretty far here, but this was inspirational reading when I planted my first rose garden. Through it I found Roses of Yesterday and Today, Will Tillotson's old nursery, and practically the only nursery in the United States that specialized in old roses at the time. Teaming with Microbes by Jeff Lowefels and Wayne Lewis - my latest garden book discovery, fueling a long interest in healthy soil. So there you have it, a mixture of the practical, the poetic, and the ridiculous. Rosefolly

There's a wonderful chapter on seed catalogs. Here is the author's comment on one of them: "Reading through the Shepherd's catalog inspires in me more than the simple urge to spend a lot of money and overplant. It makes me want to coddle something precious and unusual, like a Baby boo mimipumpkin or a crop of Dutch carrots with the nice Puerto Rican name of Caramba. If I did, it wouldn't be just for show, either. Every seed in this catalog is picked for taste -- the very reason Renee Shepherd started the company." Speaking of taste Ch. 2 titled 'Heat' is a fascinating and humorous account of how peppers are grown New Mexico. The flavors are different depending on where they are grown and the peppers are collected in pick-ups racing down dusty roads trying to beat everybody else to the punch. They are roasted, revered, and it is endlessly argued which land grows the best and hottest. Those with an affecton for pepper can tell by the taste on what farm the pepper was grown. They take their peppers very seriously. To them they are like fine wine and enjoyed for months to come. The chapter on 'Heat' begins with this: "'Try a chili with it, Miss Sharp," said Joseph, really interested. "Oh yes!" She thought a chili was something cool, as its name imported, and was served with some. 'How fresh and green they look," she said, and put one in her mouth. It was hotter than curry: flesh and blood could bear it no longer. She said down her fork. "Water, for Heaven's sake, water!' she cried." Unfortunately, I don't think water helped.

The basic information in Hortus III is sound, but it doesn't reflect currently used nomenclature. It also doesn't include the vast numbers of plants that have been introduced in the nearly 30 years since its publication. I check nomenclature for one garden book publisher and write for another, and they both use the American Horticultural Society A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants as their primary reference. The previous edition was in 1997; the more recent one was released last October. While it has some flaws (such as some questionable hardiness zone ratings), it is quite comprehensive and about as current as you can get. Good luck!

Now I just thought what a CLEVER person you were asking for the "write" words!! I like that poem a lot too. It's nice to share with someone who lost a loved one, even on the first or subsequent anniversary of their passing. There is another longer one which was written by William Randolph Hearst, and while it isn't about trees, it is nature related. Check link below. The Song of the River The snow melts on the mountain And the water runs down to the spring, And the spring in a turbulent fountain, With a song of youth to sing, Runs down to the riotous river, And the river flows to the sea, And the water again Goes back in rain To the hills where it used to be. And I wonder if life's deep mystery Isn't much like the rain and the snow Returning through all eternity To the places it used to know. For life was born on the lofty heights And flows in a laughing stream, To the river below Whose onward flow Ends in a peaceful dream. And so at last, When our life has passed And the river has run its course, It again goes back, O'er the selfsame track, To the mountain which was its source. So why prize life Or why fear death, Or dread what is to be? The river ran Its allotted span Till it reached the silent sea. Then the water harked back To the mountain-top To begin its course once more. So we shall run The course begun Till we reach the silent shore. Then revisit earth In a pure rebirth From the heart of the virgin snow. So don't ask why We live or die, Or whither, or when we go, Or wonder about the mysteries That only God may know. William Randolph Hearst Here's one more: Grieve Not Do not stand at my grave and weep. I am not there, I do not sleep. I am the thousand winds that blow. I am the diamond glints on snow. I am the sunlight on ripened grain. I am the gentle autumnal rain. When you waken in the morning hush, I am the soft uplifting rush Of quiet birds in circled flight. I am the soft stars that shine at night. Do not stand at my grave and cry. I am not there. I did not die. The above is a poem left by a British soldier killed by an IRA landmine in 1989. It is believed to be an adaptation of another poem by Mary Frye. Maybe you could adapt it to include something about a tree--you are clever, right? :-) There is a nice picture book to go with it at Amazon (Blue Lantern Studio). Krissy you are so kind to try to do something to ease the emotional pain of your aunt and uncle. I know it will be a tough day, but it is important to everyone to do. Best wishes, Susan