Plant Talk: Edinburgh Springtime....Almost

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April 23, 2010

Edinburgh Springtime....Almost

My niece Hilary and her boyfriend Phil hit the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh in search of springtime; their photos look like Seattle did six to eight weeks ago in terms of bloom. Europe has had a chilly spring (and this was before the ash cloud), and Edinburgh is way up north at latitude 55, while we're basking down here at latitude 47. I spent a week in Edinburgh a couple of Mays ago, and have plenty of respect for the cold wind and volatile weather of that gorgeous and ancient city.

Hilary wrote "Unfortunately, it's still a bit scruffy over here... we're still waiting for spring to hit in full". In the meantime, the camellias and azaleas are at their peak...

Posted at 06:00 AM in signs of spring | Permalink

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Hi Val! Yes, Edinburgh is amazingly far north - the same latitude as Sitka and Moscow. They really do appreciate their springtime when it finally arrives. mf.

Posted by: Martha Ferguson | April 27, 2010 at 03:29 PM

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New Book: Petal & Twig

Petal & Twig Made The New York Times!
From Anne Raver's review: "Valerie Easton, a Seattle-based garden writer, discusses the art of growing and arranging cut flowers in “Petal and Twig: Seasonal Bouquets With Blossoms, Branches and Grasses From Your Garden” (Sasquatch Books; $16.95). Written as an informal diary, with photographs of arrangements from her own garden, and tips on cutting and keeping flowers fresh, the book inspires ideas not only on what to grow but on how to combine (or not) those beauties inside. See review here: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/29/garden/new-books-on-growing-and-arranging-flowers.html?scp=1&sq=petal%20&%20twig%20anne%20raver&st=cse
The first reviews on the new book are in! From Publisher's Weekly:
"Open your eyes and keep it simple: those are two lessons Easton passes on from her own 40 years in the garden. When selecting and arranging flowers for bouquets, you needn’t spend a bundle buying a bundle of imported flowers.....The result will be unique, local, imaginative, and inexpensive. Color photos throughout illustrate and inspire."

In the News

Montreal Blogger Reviews "A Pattern Garden"
I was so pleased to find that "A Pattern Garden" is still being reviewed...check out Allan Becker's generous review on his Garden Guru blog.. I felt like Allan really understood what I was working towards in that book....he writes...."There is a delightful abstract quality to this publication. In it, the author takes good garden design to a higher, more spiritual level. Instead of discussing the aesthetic and scientific elements of design, as so many traditional garden design books do, she focuses on the role played in garden design by archetypal ideas - a.k.a. patterns - that reference the longings of human beings. These pleasure and comfort-rooted ideas are those that inspire designers to create gardens that are satisfying beyond their beauty." see more at http://allanbecker-gardenguru.squarespace.com/journal/valerie-easton
Planting art
Check out this interview with Val in the Chicago Tribune on using art in the garden...

About

The New Low Maintenance Garden

Reviews Are In....
"Over the years, countless books have espoused a low-maintenance approach to gardening. None have been as engaging, practical, or inspiring as this latest of Easton's contributions to the gardener's bookshelf,"
- Pacific Horticulture magazine, Jan/Feb/Mar 2010
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- Metropolitan Home, Dec. 2009
"This book is an invaluable addition to the garden library – destined to be a classic for many years to come."
- Garden Design Online