Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1503353 in Books
• Published on: 1999-03
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 224 pages

From Amazon.com
"The charm of gardening is that as everything is forever on the move, you can change and alter things as you go along.... Whatever nourishes your impulses should be your launching pad," writes Mirabel Osler, underlining her enthusiasm for "vicarious gardening," an approach she encourages both the novice and the experienced gardener to consider when thinking about their own patches, in her new book, A Breath from Elsewhere.

Offering her wise, witty, and exceedingly insightful views on gardening, Osler (A Gentle Plea for Chaos) winds her way down the garden path, pausing to address the beginners--those individuals tempted, yet still hesitant--and continuing with folks "who have already launched themselves into the unknown region but have not yet found their bearings." The final stop is for those nearing the end of their gardening lives, "for widows and widowers, partners and lovers, who may be struggling to keep the garden going but who can't release themselves from it without being overwhelmed by guilt." With such chapter headings as "There Are No Right Ways to Make a Garden," and "Surfing the Flower Beds," greenhorn gardeners will find comfort as well as inspiration from Osler's candid discussions, while "Dead-Heading the Guilt" allows seasoned gardeners to let go, move on, and make a garden of their own. After all, "by jumping in the deep end rather than treading water, it is possible to do something radical."

Osler's argument--to break the golden rules, follow your instincts, and create the garden that you desire--is made ever stronger by her personal approach, pointed humor, and skillful storytelling, effectively drawing the reader further down the path towards the garden as refuge--a place perfectly suited for "inspiration or freedom, for discovery or surrender." --Stefanie Hargreaves

From Publishers Weekly
Can a garden book succeed without glossy photos and nary a mention of composting and plant rotation? It can if it's written in Osler's exquisite prose, extolling the unusual enchantment of a garden rather than miring readers in the intricacies of soil composition and weed control. Cheerfully admitting her lack of scientific expertise, Osler offers essays nevertheless inspire readers to truly experience gardens. Along the way, she takes to task certain garden visitors: dilettante photographers, for their narrow lens views, and smokers, who miss the myriad garden scents. Since gardening can easily overwhelm the unwary, Osler offers tips for standing firm, such as "buying plants in a nursery that has none of the soliciting-to-buy and the gimcrack tat" of some garden centers where all the flowers have been force-fed to bloom ahead of season. She believes that real gardeners don't "make a garden" but work with plants and nature to help a garden and its mood evolve. Osler (A Gentle Plea for Chaos) also addresses the neglected topic of coping with garden demands when one's gardening partner dies or becomes ill. Drawing on her own experience, she offers suggestions for handling guilt, grief and moving forward in new ways. This book, both imaginative and practical, will stimulate experienced green-thumbers while inspiring novices.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
English garden writer Osler (A Gentle Plea for Chaos, Arcade, 1998) offers contemplations mixed with advice based on practical growing experience. Her forte is the thoughtful expression of the fears and passions gardeners encounter as they tackle the challenge of creating a garden. Inexperienced growers as well as gardeners who have matured along with their gardens will find insights into the personal rewards of growing plants. The book includes thoughts on the smoking visitor in the fragrant garden, the photographer in the garden, and the gardener who is just beginning to grow plants. A pleasant combination of personal observation and sage advice that is perfect for the reader who needs gardening alternatives during the slow-growing winter months; recommended for public libraries.ADale Luchsinger, Milwaukee Area Technical Coll. Lib., WI
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.