A Garden Miscellany: An Illustrated Guide to the Elements of the Garden

Staubach (Guy Wolff: Master Potter in the Garden), an avid gardener and potter and former president of the New England Booksellers Associations, offers the definitive ABCs of gardening in this lively guide to horticultural topics from A to, well, Y (there is no entry for Z). For example, under A, there is an entry for “Allée”: a “straight walkway or avenue, a promenade, usually lined with trees, occasionally with shrubs” as well as “Arbor” and “Arboretum”; the first B entry is for “Bed,” the “ground where plants grow”, while C begins with “Cloche,” the “bell-shaped glass vessel... used to shelter tender plants and seedlings.” These and each of the entries which follow offer the right amount of useful advice and, when applicable, educational historical tidbits. The entry for “Yard,” for example, highlights the point that the modern concept of a front yard fully took root post-WWII, when developers began building homes for returning soldiers on swathes of land divided into lots for small houses. Julia Yellow’s whimsical illustrations, generously scattered throughout, ensure the work remains charming as well as informative. This is both a pleasure to read and a valuable resource to fall back on for the enthusiastic gardener. (Oct.)