The must - have book for west coast gardeners has always been the Sunset Western Garden Book , also known as the “ unripened Scripture ” in these portion , but it ’s got some rivalry now . If I screw someone who was actuate to Portland or Seattle or even Eureka , this is the record book I ’d buy for them .
Because gardening out here really is dissimilar . The haze , the parky Pacific Ocean , and even the aesthetic feeler need something more than Sunset ’s cheerful , sunny , California vibration .
First , a word about aesthetic . Some of you are probably going to the Garden Writers Association conference in Portland afterwards this month ; when you get there , you ’ll see what I mean . If you head to Seattle , you ’ll see even more of it . They ’re really into Asian plants up there , and foliage is very , very important . You ’ll see peck of crazy red plants , and lots of crazy amber plant life . It ’s a very Arts and Crafts look – lifelike , but stylized . Asian and a little Mediterranean , but aboriginal . This is Dan Hinkley country , remember .
And this book really lay it all out . It ’s mastermind by type of plant – a chapter on bush , another on medulla , another on ornamental grasses – and in this long time of “ outdoor life spaces ” and “ exterior decorating , ” this is a welcome and sensible approach . You ’ll find all the basics about weeds and pests specific to this region , and some adept philosophical information . A chapter called “ What ’s dissimilar About Gardening Here ” really tells it like it is : yes , your hollyhocks are going to get rust fungus . Yes , you ’ll get mushrooms and moss in your lawn . And yes , we garden all year long out here , so be ready to step up .
My only complaint – and this is a humble one – lies with the book ’s gardening calendar . It ’s full of keen lists for new gardener and transplanting who might have no idea what to plant when , but the story for each month read like a kind of gardening flush encampment , satiate with admonishments for all the work yet to be done . In May , the “ pressing task ” is to get flower beds , containers , hanging baskets , and vegetable bed fill with plants . In June , there are “ plenty of other garden tasks ” to get done , but we are reassure that they are not “ excessively demanding , strenuous , or unsympathetic ” compare to all that hectic pruning and digging we just polished off in the spring . And in September , we are to be thankful that the weather is so good , because the gardening tasks “ are triple in addressing yesteryear , present , and hereafter . ” Gardeners should not hesitate for too long to love the garden ’s beauty , the authors warn , because “ this is September , and there ’s not a moment to be waste . ”
While these narratives make gardening auditory sensation like a serial publication of involve tasks , the repose of the book is inspiring , personable , and entirely utile . I particularly have it away the first - somebody accounts of how industrial plant do in the authors ’ garden , which give you the sense that you ’re getting sound advice from an experient gardener next door . I also like the fact that they did n’t try out to comprehend every plant a person might grow , no matter how crazy that soul is . These are “ recommended plants”–the mainstays of Pacific Northwest garden . Stick with these , the writer propose , and you ’ll live happily ever after .
Oh , and the photos are wonderful . Crisp , well - composed , gravid enough to be useful , and they show multiple perspectives of most plants , so you get more than just close - ups of the flower – you get a sense of how the whole bush will count when it ’s fully grown .
If I had read this book when I first moved to Eureka , it would have saved me a lot of heartbreak . And if I ever found myself transplanted to Oregon or Washington or Vancouver , trying desperately to figure out how to garden like the cool kids , this is the first book I ’d find fault up .
Does anybody require a written matter ? stake your very best storey about why you , or someone you know , urgently needs help garden in the Pacific Northwest , and we ’ll ship you one . Winner announce on Monday .
