Reviews and News

Dreaming.  I never get tired of it.

But I have a battle going on with what I want my garden to look like and the work involved in getting it to look that way.  For years now, I have been adding on.  And adding on.  And adding a little more.  And in my dreams, I still have areas that I want to add.

Take, for instance, a meadow.

Don't you think that my garden needs a meadow?  I do.

And I especially do after reading

The American Meadow Garden:

Creating a Natural Alternative to the Traditional Lawn

by John Greenlee

Need a book on grasses?  Thinking of putting in ornamental grasses instead of a lawn?  Do you want a meadow?  I heartily recommend this book, especially if you live in the United States.  (If you outside the United States, you may find this book useful, but it is specifically geared toward those of us living in the U.S.)

I have a couple of books on grasses, but in my opinion, this one is the absolute best.  He breaks down everything you might need to know in order to plant grasses.  No matter if you have a large area or a small one, there is information and inspiration to be found.

In this book, he has thought of everything.  Location.  Soil.  Temperatures.  (Those apply to the U.S.)  But he also talks about themed meadows.  Pathways.  Hillsides.  And how to make it look like a meadow, not a yard that needs mowing.

He covers putting in a meadow, maintenance, weed control, purchasing plants, timing, and even a formula for making your meadow look natural.

There are fun lists that pop up in each chapter.  Lists such as "Grasses with Good Flowerheads", "Best Daisies for Meadows", "Best Fragrant Grasses", and "Irises and Cousins for Meadows", to name just a few.  These lists made my imagination go wild!

In addition, he has a list of more than 50 grasses for groundcovers, fillers, backgrounds, accents, and natural lawns.  He tells not only the zones and plant size, but he gives a detailed description of each, with additional information from experience.

This book answered all the questions I have had on grasses, and I had a lot!  But what I loved most of all was the love of grasses that was imparted through the words of each page.  The author's passion comes through clearly in this book, and I found that his love of meadows was quite infectious.

Oh, yes, I definitely want a meadow!

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Unfortunately, my meadow dream will have to be put on hold.  I've decided this next year will be the Year of Maintenance.  I finally agree with my husband that I need to maintain what I have before I add on even more.  I'll continue to dream, and one day I'll have that meadow.  Just not this year.

So, what's my news?  Well, I'm going to be putting this blog on maintenance, too.  I will have one more Garden Book Review meme on December 20th (and I hope you join me), then I will no longer host the meme.  I will post when I have the time, which may be quite irregular.  I don't want to quit blogging entirely - I get much too much from it by being able to look back at my records from year to year through it.  But, I won't be consistent.  And for my blogging friends: I will continue to read your blogs - I've learned so much and love hearing about each of you - but I won't be commenting much.

This year will be The Year of Maintenance  or  The Year of Catching Up  or  The Year of Doing What Needs To Be Done.  It all means the same.  Less talking, less writing, and more getting out there and doing!  My dreams of a meadow may have to be postponed for a year or so.  But my garden will be a much better one for it.  I can live with that.

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Now it's your turn!  I hope you will join in this month, and for the last Garden Book Review meme on December 20th.

I also want to express my appreciation to each and every participant, and to the readers, of the Garden Book Review meme over the past couple of years.  The books you have recommended are a very valuable resource for me.  Thank you.