Book Review: Chile Peppers: A Global History
Karen Meyers Food historian and author, Dave DeWitt, presents a history of chili peppers from their origin and domestication to their spread and use around the world. Using a variety of sources…
Old Time Recipes for Home Made Wines: Balm Wine
Karen Balm, perhaps better known as lemon balm, is a herbaceous perennial and member of the mint family, Labiatae, that also includes basil, rosemary, and ajuga. It is native to the…
Book Review: The Gardener of Versailles
The Palace of Versailles with its garden has a certain mystic and conjures up visions of grandeur and an extravagant life style, but is that the true picture of the…
Book Review: The Sun King’s Garden
Ian Thompson’s book, The Sun King’s Garden, presents a cultural, social, and political history of the times that surround the creation of the gardens of Versailles. He shows how the…
Book Review: Private Gardens of Paris
The mention of Paris may bring images to mind of the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Tiomphe, Notre Dame Cathedral or perhaps Jardin des Tuileries, but probably not the private gardens…
Visit to the Gardens of Alcatraz
A garden is perhaps the last thing you think about when you hear the name “Alcatraz” but if you decide to make a visit there you will be pleasantly surprised.…
Book Review: Kitchen Garden Estate
With the renewed interest in ‘growing our own”and self-sufficiency the methods of the past offer many valuable lessons. Helen Gammack’s book, Kitchen Garden Estates, traces gardening practices from ancient and…
Shakespeare’s Garden: Columbine
Columbine belongs to the genus Aquilegia that has over 65 species, many of which are good garden plants. The columbine of Shakespeare was probably Aquilegia vulgaris, an excellent garden plant…
Book Review: The Brother Gardeners: A Generation of Gentlemen Naturalists and the Birth of an Obsession
If you envy English gardeners, take a look at the entertaining yet scholarly book by Andrea Wulf that will change your thinking about plants and garden history. It tells the…
Book Review: Fifty Plants that Changed the Course of History
Bill Law’s book, Fifty Plants that Changed the Course of History is a great read for those who love plants and history. It is filled with interesting tidbits and morsels…