By Lorene Forkner - Hortus Miscellaneous: A Gardener's Hodgepodge of Information and (2006-12-13) [Paperback]

by Lorene Edwards Forkner

From the kinds of trees standing at Great Dixter to the 20 deadliest flowers to the best small garden animals according to the Indiana Department of Agriculture — gardening presents a trove of information to sift through. Where does botany start but with the naming and grouping of all flora? List-making is in the gardener’s blood, and this collection of random facts, data, and wisdom will excite the Latin-spouting garden geek as much as the arrival of the new Heronswood catalog. Inspired by Schott's Original Miscellany, the book contains entries practical (the 15 ornamental plants that deer won't eat) and impractical (the flower on the grave of famed gardener Gertrude Jekyll). Hortus Miscellaneous includes thematic planting lists (blue flowers, night-blooming, shade ground covers); historic gardens (from Babylon to Central Park); size matters (biggest trees, longest root, heaviest cabbage); topiary; state flowers; maze patterns; mulch formulas; and much more.

Genres: Nonfiction, Gardening

Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Jessi Vowels · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nothing spectacular here, maybe even sometimes a little inaccurate or too superficial, but it was cute. Basically magazine-style reading without the ads and hating myself bit.

[Bella Bankes · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute little collection of tidbits that feels like you are reading from a gardener’s collection of journals and notebooks, and definitely feels older than a 2007 publication. Not quite a compendium, but does contain some unique things I want to try. No sections are really robust.

I have a collection of books similar to this. This one would be difficult to use as a quick reference because of the way it’s organized, but the randomness makes it feel quirky and personal.

Most Unique Content:

— Handcrafted Rosary
— A mention of Dawes Arboretum
— A full list of flowers to create a Moon Garden (authors call it a “white garden”)
— The random stories / folklore
— A list of “old” roses and their origins
— A list of Dewey Decimal numbers for Gardening (such a cute and thoughtful detail for new gardeners)

[Juli Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable bedtime reading.

[Katey · Rating 3 out of 5]

If it were an option, I'd give this 2.5 stars. Yeah, there are a lot of little facts and tidbits, with some uninteresting facts explained more thoroughly than topics that actually are intriguing, but this book has absolutely no rhyme or reason. Thankfully there's an index, but the information is presented with no apparent order. I thought this book would be super interesting to me, but I suppose gardening and growing are definitely not my forte. I couldn't even grow dandelions. And no, I'm not being hyperbolic. I actually could not grow dandelions this Spring. I tried.

[Cadillacrazy · Rating 2 out of 5]

truly a random assortment of gardening related lists, quotes and knowledge. not a great reference but an interesting quick read.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun facts and tidbits.