In a Green Shade: Writings from Homeground

Allen Lacy has been writing about gardening for a number of years in books, newspaper columns and letters to friends. I've purchased mostly paperback copies, but bought this one in hardcover because I kept the others and wish now I had bought hardcover versions. I reread them from time to time, and lend them to really good friends who will return them. Lacy gardens in New Jersey in Zone 7 so I find his writing helpful since I live in the same climate. He was a philosophy professor for a number of years, and his writing is reflective. This book is filled with practical wisdom. Think of your old uncle Horace who can get anything to grow sharing some of advice. Lacy's books fall some where between an essay on "How gardening changed my life" and "Why your Bee Balm got Mildew." "In a Green Shade" is a collection of articles covering the seasons of the year. In spring he writes about bulbs and other familiar plants, including Fritillaries which are not so well known or grown because some find them frustrating. Lacy implies there is hope for those who fancy these lovely flowers, though I refuse to waste any more money on 'Imperialis.' He says if one can figure out how to treat them properly, the fritillery are faithful flowers that return year after year. I love Meleagris (Snake's Head lily, and have had some luck here). Lacy digresses on Thomas Jefferson's love of the Imperialis and it's origins in Turkey.In other sections, he covers lillies, roses, Bee Balm, tobacco plants, gourds, dahlias, begonias, mums, trees (Hazel)and other plants he has grown in his New Jersey garden. He discusses their nature as well as nurture, and their history, geography and interesting anecdotes. I particularly found his bits on creating a garden on a deck interesting. His pots, and trellises and other deck paraphanalia must be beautiful, and I wish a photo or two had been included. I have mirrored his approach to gardening--completely fill the yard with plants, shrubs and trees, and removed the grass--so if you like grass, don't look here. If you've read many gardening books, some of the anecdotal material may seem recycled. For example, seasoned readers know Nasturtiums are nose-twisters. If you're starting out, the book will seem fresh, and funny in places. If you need lots of basic "how-to" information, the book will prove less useful. There are no photos of how to prepare the soil or long discussions of which tools to buy. From time to time, Mr.Lacy interjects technical details, but this is not the strength of this book, although there is a short list of extant nurseries in the back of the book.