What a neat thing to do for a gardening friend!!!

"People with Dirty Hands" by Robin Chotzinoff has a lot of interesting and fun stories about sometimes off-beat, but serious gardeners. The cover says: "Written with style, passion and readable, quirky nosiness." Back cover: "Could best be described as a slide show of the Garden of Eden narrated by Robin Williams."

"The Botany of Desire, a Plant's Eye View of the World" by Michael Pollan is a light hearted, whimsical, but true to science tale about how plants induce US to grow THEM. It has chapters on the apple, tulip, potato, and marijuana. I have never smoked anything, much less marijuana, but the chapter on that plant had me practically rolling on the floor laughing out loud as if I did!

Both are fascinating and fun books for anyone who likes gardening and plants.

There is another book I can't find right now that I really enjoyed. I think the title is "Gardening with Friends." It is about a man who moves around all over the world and boards with friends a few months at a time and does their gardening for them just for the pleasure of it. Does anyone remember reading this book and have the correct name and authur?

I think any of these books would not only be interesting to the friend who is ill, but delightful also for the friend who is reading to her.

I'm so sorry to hear that. My condolences. What a horrible thing.

Sorry, I can't help with a book. But if I could, I would bring my whole garden in for them to enjoy.

Well, here I am replying to my own response.

"People with Dirty Hands" is a thoroughly delightly book. I've started reading it again.

Ch. 3 begins with this a quote from another writer unmistakenly written on a night like tonight:

"Planning the garden takes place, as all the handbooks advise, long before the frost is out of the ground, preferabley on a night with hail lashing the windows. The dependents reverently produce the latest seed catalogue and succumb to mass hypnosis.

"'Look at those radishes -- two feet long!' everyone marvels.

"A list of staples is speedily drawn up: Brussels sprouts the size of a rugby. ... Let's have plenty of beets, we can make out own lump sugar.

"Then someone discovers the hybrids -- the onion crossed with a pepper or a new vanilla-flavored turnip that plays the 'St. James Infirmary Blues.'

"When the envelope is finally sealed, the savings account is a whited sepulchre and all we need is a forty-mule team to haul the order from the depot."

Sound like anybody we know? :-)

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.

G2G,

I'm sorry about your friend's friend. What a lovely, thoughtful thing to do for her!

I read a novel last year that I 'think' was recommended somewhere here on GW. It is 'Earthly Joys' by Phillipa Gregory. Here is what one review has to say about it:

John Tradescant (the elder) was one of the most skilled and famous gardeners in English history. He originally makes his mark creating gardens for Sir Robert Cecil before moving to Essex to work for the infamous George Villiers, favorite of kings James I and Charles I. Eventually, JohnÂs talents are requested once again  this time by King Charles himself. Philippa Gregory brings JohnÂs love for gardening and botany, as well as his yearning to discover and procure new species of flowers and trees, to life in such a way that the reader can easily share in JohnÂs pride and fulfillment in his humble occupation.

HTH,
Necia

George Schenk wrote "Gardening With Friends" - my copy says 1992, Houghton Mifflin. It is a good book, as Roselee says - and so is "People With Dirty Hands". I'm sorry about the illness and hope your friend finds good things to read aloud.
The late Emily Whaley's memoir, "Mrs Whaley and Her Charleston Garden" is pretty cool, too - the very opinionated 85-year old blended the history of her garden and her family with advice and even a couple of recipes. That's a paperback, Simon & Schuster, 1997...got my copy at HalfPrice books a while ago. The only problem might be how much Emily Whaley delights in her old age - this might be distressing to someone leaving the planet while still young.

Annie at the Transplantable Rose

I enjoyed reading Sally Wasowski's "Requieum for a Lawn Mower." It is a collection of essays of practical advice on gardening and life. I included a link that has a description of the book. Good customer reviews - even though only two people rated it. I checked it out from our public library.

Here is a link that might be useful: Requieum for a Lawn Mower