Curl Up With a Good Book

Happy New Year and belated holiday greetings to all. As you can tell, all my blogging efforts went on the back burner for a long time and I hope your holiday celebrations were as enjoyable as ours.

We were delighted to have my cousin and her daughter from Australia, daughter and granddaughter of the "Pagan Dancers"(see September 15, 2008 blog) spend Christmas with us and it was interesting to see their reaction to places and things that we so take for granted. For example, upon seeing the rink at Rockefeller Center, Denise's reaction was "Is that it??? It looks ten times larger in the movies and on TV!!!" But she was thoroughly impressed by the tree. And she was equally amazed that in the States the mailman not only delivers your mail, but will pick up any to be sent. Guess we shouldn't complain as much about the postage!

Denise and Rhiannon must be happy to be back in warmer climes now that winter has taken a nasty turn here. We awoke to 4 degrees this AM and may see temperatures go below 0 tomorrow morning, which gives us a good reason to light the wood stove and curl up with a good book. There are a few that we have read and keep on hand as reference books that we would like to recommend until we get a bit of a thaw and all you avid gardeners are able to get your hands dirty again.

The World of Irises by Warburton and Hamblen and published by The American Iris Society provides a wealth of information and encompasses the worlds of bearded, beardless, and lesser known varieties. It is a must have reference for the serious iris enthusiast's book shelf. The beautifully illustrated The Gardener's Iris Book by William Shear is full of excellent advise on the selection, care and propagation of irises.


For you peony lovers, Peonies by Allan Rogers and The Gardener's Peony-Herbaceous and Tree Peonies by Martin Page are books that John and I have used extensively. Both contain beautiful color plates and information about the wide variety of peonies available as well as their culture.

Head to your library or local book store, pick up one of the above volumes, or peruse the shelves for any other gardening book of your choosing, then over the winter you can dream of the fantastic additions you can make to your gardens come spring.