Back on Track

New reviews coming soon! I'll be importing my work from the past two years, but in the meantime,
I'm reclaiming my small place on the web.

Tuesday, March 25, 2003

Non-Fiction, Humor, Self Help Review

Green Things: Tips, Ideas, and Humor for the Garden and the Gardener
by Rhonda Watson
ISBN-10: 0972636609
Review by Heather Froeschl

An A to Z guide to all things garden, this is a gem of a book to have around. My copy is already dog-eared and cherished! Did you know that that Amaryllis flower bulb you got for Christmas could very well produce blooms for 75 years? Not in my hands, but if you follow the tips in the book yours just might! Did you know that Zinnias were grown by the ancient Aztecs? I had no idea!

You may have already nourished your plants but are unsure how to go about harvesting those fruits of your labor. The second section of ôGreen Thingsö is an abundance of tips on enjoying those rewards to the fullest. From Almonds to Zucchini, there is more to gathering the goods than sharing with neighbors. A bouquet of asparagus, complete with water and vase, will be a wonderful gift to yourself and will keep for several days. Boiling corn on the cob or even worse, boiling it in salted water, takes away most of its nutritional value and makes it tough to chew. Did you know that the strawberry is a member of the rose family, and is the only fruit to grow its seeds on the outside? Or that the watermelon is actually classified as a berry?

The final section of the book is right up my alley. Tending to the gardener is an imperative part of gardening! Here you will find tips on dealing with those muscle aches and back pains, stains on clothing, relaxing baths and the dreaded poison ivyàall with things from the garden.

Not forgetting the mind of the gardener, dispensed throughout the book are garden giggles that will turn your frustrated grub concerned frown upside down. Along with tidbits of trivia like the gross amount of insects we all consume by the year, the giggles will lighten your load. It helps to laugh about things like weeds growing at the precise rate of our pulling them out.

My advice is to buy two copies of this book, for once you show it to a friend, they will want to borrow it forever, and you'll want to keep one for yourself as a guide that you will return to time and time again. You never know when you'll want to know what sex your African violets are, or just what type of manure is perfect for your needs.

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