On the Bookshelf: A Miscellany for Garden-Lovers

I will admit that I have a weakness for garden history books. So I was excited to have the opportunity to read David Squire’s most recent release: A Miscellany for Garden-Lovers. Squire explores the history of gardening by examining garden practices and folklore. With the incredibly wet spring and summer we have been experiencing in Cincinnati this year, I was drawn to the chapter: Draining Soil—hoping to glean a little insight into battling our recent deluge of water. While the methods shared in the book will not help me deal with my soggy garden beds, I was heartened to learn that gardeners and farmers have been dealing with the same issues throughout the centuries—our common bond.

The book is generously illustrated with sketches and drawings from old books, garden catalogs and engravings. The chapters are well organized and filled with easily digestible bites of garden knowledge. Read it cover-to-cover or in bits and pieces—it matters not because each entry is a self-contained tidbit of garden history.

About the author: David Squire has spent a lifetime gardening and writing. He has written more than 80 books including The Bee-Kind Garden, The Healing Garden and The Pruning Specialist. He is the recipient of the ‘Quill and Trowel’ award by the Garden Writers of America.