Rita Buchanan

I don't know how an experienced gardener would view this book, but for me it is just right. It has three sections: landscape plans for various common situations in city and suburb (in the shade, against a fence, at the curb, etc.), instructions for buiding features (paths, pools, trellises, etc.), descriptions and photos of plants (all chosen to be robust, low maintenance, non-invasive to neighbors). It's more a reference book than a reading book, but I did in fact read it from beginning to show more end, skimming the brief descriptions of plants that are repeated with each landscape plan that includes them (not a flaw in the book -- each landscape plan is intended to stand alone, and it'd be annoying to have to flip back and forth to the full descriptions). For me, a complete novice, the landscape plans are helpful. Not that I'll adhere to them precisely or anywhere near, but since I have no idea how to go about selecting one plant, let alone multiple plants that have to coexist in an aesthetically pleasing manner, I want very basic information and an array of pictures so I know what qualities I need to consider (e.g. relative heights and seasonal cycles) and can begin to decide what results I'm aiming for. With this book as a starting point, and another book for more detailed reference, I am now much better equipped to scout around on the internet without feeling scattered or overwhelmed. I also like that it is confined to this region of the US, and I'm not looking at lovely pictures and thinking yeah, but, um, winter? There are similar books for other regions.

(read 19 Feb 2009) show less

Good pictures and planting diagrams with plant lists that include both common and botanical names, there are a lot of ideas here. Some of them are a bit dated, such as their juniper recommendations, but others are a little more out of the box, such as the use of summersweet (clethra) and Koren spice viburnum, a wonderful but under-used plant. Lots of good plans for beginners and more experienced gardeners, both.

I received this as a gift from my friend Natalie. I've been meaning to learn more about natural dyeing and this is the time of year to start planning our balcony garden, so this is a timely book to receive for Christmas.

Buchanan breaks everything down in to simple steps--mordant the yarn, gather the plants, make the dye liquor, dye the plants. Nothing to it. Each plant discussed has pictures of swatches of that plant used with different mordants. Alum used with marigolds gives one color, show more chrome gives another, etc. There are at least 6 different options for each plant. The book itself is a good size to throw in a glove box or back pocket. Handy if you're out exploring and find some wildflowers that can be used for dyeing.

Overall I think the book is interesting and a handy reference for what certain dyes look like on different fibers with different mordants, but growing my own dyes probably isn't for me. It takes a LOT of plants to have enough dye for one project. show less

Unlike the author's other book "A Dyer's Garden" this book doesn't really contain any photographs of dyed materials or plants. Like most Dover publications it's printed on rather low-quality paper. That doesn't make the content any less interesting or useful, though! In the weaving section each plant is given at least a couple of pages with notes on the history of it's usage in weaving, growing information, how the plant has to be processed in order to utilize the fibers, and what the fibers show more are like to spin and the feel of the fabric that comes from them. show less