Green Thoughts: A Writer in the Garden

The author describes herself as cantankerous and opinionated, and that is a delightfully accurate representation. She's kind of hilariously grumpy about so many relevant things, despite the book being published in 1980. 'Ware the dated language -- Oriental is used throughout, and this is a woman who grew up in various colonial environments before WWII.

I loved her practical approach to vegetables; her delight in trees; her love of perennial borders and flowers; and the historical underpinnings of many of her essays.

Just the sort of garden writing I love. A collection of short essays (organized alphabetically by subject) on everything it seems: plant choices, catalogue perusing, balancing acts against pests, shunning harsh chemicals (she was an organic gardener), designing outdoor space, composting, pruning techniques, controlling weeds and disease. Also on individual plants: strawberries, tomatoes, peonies, daylilies, beans, onions, sweet peas, tulips, potatoes etc etc. The parts that waxed historical were not as interesting to me- although I did pay attention to the section about the tulip craze, and another about the development of rose varieties. The part on historical aspects of garden design, not so much. Her voice is down-to-earth, amusing, show more frank and informative. I even laughed out loud a few times! This book goes on the shelf right next to Thalassa Cruso and Katherine White (whom she quotes- we are among good company). I took notes (on plant species to look for, mostly) and bookmarked pages. I don't agree with all her opinions, but everyone's methods are slightly different. She avoids the work of carting seedlings in an out of the house, for example (like me, not having a greenhouse) but commiserates on how this style of "labor-intensive" gardening is becoming an anomaly- surrounded by neighbors who use gas-powered, noisy machines that do a crude job instead of the care and finesse could have done by hand. And this book is from the early eighties! I would be glad to tell her (she passed in 2009) that not all old-school gardeners are gone by the wayside, in fact there's a rising cadre of us now.

from the Dogear Diary show less

Perényi wrote enough short essays on various garden topics that they were collected into a book and organized alphabetically, seeming to form an encyclopedia. But these are not fact filled articles; they are primarily opinion pieces, though not counter to the truth. For instance, she defies the given wisdom of autumn clipping of rose canes. And I have to agree with her, both of us coming from experiential stands.

So, if I had limitless time, I would hang out with her and nod my head from time to time. But I'm much too busy in the gardens...

I need to prepare you. There is a lot of foreplay leading up to the main event that is Green Thoughts. There are 24 pages of other "stuff" to get through before you even see the first chapter, "Annuals": first you need to read the title page, the "Introduction to the modern library gardening series by Michael Pollan", the "Introductions to the text by Allen Lacy", table of contents, the forward, and last but not least, a note on references. But! (dramatic pause...) But, once you get into Green Thoughts it is a delight to finally be there. Each chapter (in alphabetical order) is it's own separate essays so feel free to jump around to the topics that best interest you. To be fair, some of the gardening instruction is a little labor show more intensive for the plant it and forget it, barely green-thumbed among us. show less

This book was assigned in a class on landscape and garden architecture, and I've been toting it around ever since. The writing is a model of clarity and wit, and it is a feat of accomplishment to order a series of essays in alphabetical order and yet have them form a progressive narrative. Eleanor Perenyi is the next-door neighbor I always wanted: a great cook, a cosmopolitan observer of human nature, and the owner of a beautiful garden.

(This review was originally written for The Garden Bloggers' Book Club)

I was very happy when “Green Thoughts: A Writer in the Garden” by Eleanor Perenyi was chosen for the Garden Bloggers’ Book Club. I checked this book out of my local library about four years ago and liked it so much that I added it to my Wishlist on Amazon.com for purchase so that I could re-read it at my leisure. This was the perfect opportunity to finally buy the book and read it again.

The author and I are kindred spirits. We garden organically, prefer heirlooms, abhor lawns and lawnmowers, and adore compost. I have to keep reminding myself that she was writing in 1981, long before any of these things were “fashionable”.

Her writing is lighthearted and very show more readable. Even the essays on vegetables, which I don’t grow, are enjoyable. I especially like her exasperation at unclear directions. It’s nice to know that other gardeners have the same difficulties with unclear instructions that I do.

Each essay is complete in itself, so the book can be read right through or you can skip around. I’m so glad that I finally have my own copy. It’s one of those books that I will read over and over. show less

This is simply a delightful book written for the readers enjoyment rather than enlightenment. It consists of fifty, sixty or more essays on various subjects all having to do with some aspect of gardening. The chapters are all titled according to subject matter and in addition there is an excellent index. The book is written for sheer pleasure and enjoyment. No chapter is longer than a few pages and the book lends itself to short bursts of reading that can be extended as time permits. The author is sure to bring smiles to the readers face with shared reminiscenses of experiences that have failed her. Many will be in common with the average gardener. The book includes many personal experiences, a touch of history here and there and the show more inclusion of scientific nomenclature where useful. Since there are so many short essays in this book and since it lends itself to skipping around so well, it is difficult to know when you have really finished the book. I personally didn't mind reading many chapters a second time. show less