The new, revised, expanded version of"THE ILLUSTRATED GUIDE TO COMMON WEEDS IN NEW ZEALAND"by Bruce Roy et al was released at the recent Ellerslie Flower Show in Christchurch.A comment that was overheard: "I've got enough weeds in my garden, I could write the book, why would I want to buy one?"This new third edition is expanded to 448 pages, has 1500 stunning new photos and covers just over 600 species. It is the perfect identification guidebearing in mind thatthe definition of a weed as aplant growing in the wrong place means that one person's weed is another's treasure.Diane is slightly annoyed to see the new edition has a briar rose on the cover.Very good index by both common and botanical names but there is also a section at the front which helps you identify a plant from flower colour and size, the kind of plant it is and where it occurs, $60.00.
"BAREFOOT ARCHITECT - a hand-book for green building"by Johan Van Lenten is a Brazilian book written for those wishing to build their own house, using rammed earth, adobe, bamboo, agaves, palm leaves, or whatever else is to hand. It tells you how to make your own cement, lash and join bamboo poles together, make seacrete etc, plus how to design your house for maximum space, coolness in summer, warmth in winter, and how to make it earthquake proof.A 706-page paperback, $45.00.
One of our customers, Bob Dagg, recently sent us this email:
"PRESERVES"by Pam Corbin has passed our 'buy test'; ie we have had it out of the library 6 times, and we have just made some Pontac Sauce, Sloe gin and Bramley lemon curd from it's recipes. Says it all.Pontac, which I had not heard of before, is elderberry sauce, made with elderberries, cider vinegar, shallots, cloves, allspice, mace, pepper-corns and ginger.Sounds delicious!
The book is in the River Cottage Handbook Series, with an introduction by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. Other books in the series include "Mushrooms", "Bread", "Veg Patch" and "Edible Seashore".All are 200 plus pages, hardback, recipes with lots of colour photos.$40.00 each. There are two others coming--"Hedgerow" which includes moors , heaths and woods, and what edible things you can find there."Sea Fishing"is the other which I don't think will be relevant to NZ.
I have just had an email from Kristin Lammerting who has written a book in German about some of NZ's great gardens.It is a beautiful bookand the good news is that an edition in Englishcalled"INSPIRATIONAL GARDENS OF NZ" will be available in October for about $75.00. Kristin has written several other gardening books in German. She has a famous garden in Cologne and owns Palmco Palm Nursery in Kerikeri. We expect the cover shown here to change for the English version.
Last month Diane and Ihad a stand at the Commercial Hort Trade Day in Auckland, and another at theKapiti Sustainable Home and Garden Show.We had a good time with a new American book"WHAT'S WRONG WITH MY PLANT? AND HOW DO I FIX IT? A VISUAL GUIDE TO EASY DIAGNOSIS AND ORGANIC REMEDIES" by David C Deardorff and Kathryn B Wadsworth. A 450 page paperbackit covers all garden plants--flowers, fruits, vegetables, bulbs, houseplants, seeds and seedlings, shrubs, trees and lawns. The book is split into three parts. It starts with where on the plant the symptoms appear. The format is so simple you don't even need to know the name of the plant. All you need to know is whether the problem is affecting its roots, stem, flowers or leaves. Part Two offers a 100 per cent organic way to fix the problem. Part Three shows photos and drawings of stressed, damaged and diseased plants that help with accurate comparison.Throughout the book there are 472 colour photosand 600 line drawings--it is very well illustrated.
AtKapitiwe sold a copy to fellow stallholderand one of the speakers at the show - Kath Irvine.She has just sent us the following email "I'm just writing to say it is a brilliant book - I highly recommend it. So easy to read and very comprehensive explanations. I'm an unscientific soul (more intuitive in my approach!) but am actually reading this book.I'm delightedto see a book advocatingfor understanding why you got the problem, changing the growing conditions and adding beneficials firstbefore hitting the spray bottle. He even has strong warnings against organic sprays. A man after my own heart. This book is going to be very well used in this house. Thanks heaps, Kath."That's from an expert. The book is $55.00.
Kath has written her own book "ORGANIC GARDEN CALENDAR" a ring bound, 86 page paperback published by the Levin branch of the NZ Soil and Health Assn.It is a month-by-month guide to growing organic flowers, fruit and vegetables, and though written for the lower part of the North Island, what she has to say is applicable to all NZ with a few modifications. The book has been put together using observations of several other organic growers from the Levin area, and is very easy to understand. Open it at the appropriate month and find out what is to be done.$22.50. We have not yet put this book on our book database or on the website - but it will happen in the very near future.
"WETLAND RESTORATION.A HAND-BOOK FOR NZ FRESHWATER SYSTEMS" edited byMonica Peters and Beverley Clarksonbrings together expertise from specialists actively engaged in restoring wetlands throughout NZ. It is about how to protect and enhance our remaining wetlands. Excellent colour photos throughout, spiral bound, 274 pages and includes a CD of references and websites.$50.00. We have not yet put this book on our book database or on the website either - but it will happen in the very near future.
Goes well with the new edition of "WETLAND PLANTS IN NEW ZEALAND" by Peter Johnson. 319 pages, paperback, with 531 superb line drawings ofthe plants by Pat Brooke. They are of the same quality as the pictures in the first edition, much better than those in the second.$80.00.
Something completely hedonistic and only for pleasure is "WILSON'S CHINA. A CENTURY ON"by Mark Flanagan and Tony Kirkham.E.H. Wilson(1876-1930) spent 10 years travelling through China in search of plants for western gardens. Over 60 plant species have been named after him, one of the greatest plant hunters, and in this book, the two authors follow Wilson's footsteps through Sichuan. What is fascinating is they took photos from exactly the same points as Wilson did, and both the new and the old pictures are included in the book. A beautifully produced hardbackfor those who like reading about plant hunting, people, places and plants . 256 pages. $110.00
The new, revised, expanded version of
