Uncommon Scents: Growing Herbs & Spices in Florida

by Hank Bruce

Heat and humidity are problems that Mr. Bruce tackled when he wrote this book. He admits this guide is just a point of departure. How refreshing to be encouraged by someone to read as many books on herbs and spices as you can. Besides Floridians, anyone in the deep south can benefit from perusing this material.

Genres: Plants, Nonfiction, Gardening

224 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1996

About the author

During my lifetime I have had the opportunity to meet a multitude of fascinating people It’s not the rich and famous, but the everyday people who have, time after time, taught me valuable lessons, and shown me by their actions what it means to be an everyday hero. There is no such thing as a common man, but there are billions of delightfully unique fellow human beings, and each one has something to teach me.

I have been a horticultural therapist, hunger activist, teacher, speaker and writer. Together with my wonderful, and incredibly patient wife, Tomi Jill Folk we have written over 20 books ranging from writing specifically for for senior citizens to children’s books. Much of their writing involves the field of therapeutic gardening and hunger issues. They have also authored several collections of short stories.

From 1999 through 2002 Tomi and I worked with Walt Disney World to design and staff a horticultural therapy showcase called The Opportunity Garden during the annual six week EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival. We also spoke on the subject four days each of the six weeks. This experience led to the creation of “Gardens for the Senses, Gardening as Therapy” Recently this book was revised and expanded edition http://amazon.com/dp/1484909569 continues to be our best selling title.

We have had the opportunity to work with Miho Komatsu, a gifted artist, in the creation of “Miracle of the Moringa Tree,” http://amazon.com/dp/1460949234 a children’s book that shows how the nutritious leaves of this tree can save lives in some of the most difficult parts of the world and how the seeds can be used to provide safe drinking water. Tomi and I was working with Miho to produce “The Children’s Peace Garden,” to be released in August 2014. All of our books are available on Amazon.com and many are available in Kindle format.

The ideas, thoughts and comments of readers are important to a writer. I welcome the opportunity to communicating with and learning from you.

Reviews

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Detailed information specifically for growing common and uncommon herbs in Florida.

[Linda (NOT RECEIVING NOTIFICATIONS) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Heat and humidity are problems that Mr. Bruce tackled when he wrote this book. He admits this guide is just a point of departure. How refreshing to be encouraged by someone to read as many books on herbs and spices as you can. Besides Floridians, anyone in the deep south can benefit from perusing this material.

Lacking any colorful pictures to show the reader what the plant looks like is one weakness. Also, I would have loved to have seen a resource of nurseries and suppliers listed at the back. Even though he discusses many oddities such as licorice, allspice, and cardamom much of his information relates to the history, folklore, and uses for the plant today. I would have loved more in-depth information on how the plant grows, various cultivars and the pros and cons of our zones (we have four).

Basils and mints can be grown just about anywhere but what about patchouli and chocolate? There are plenty of suggestions for success. Be aware, UNCOMMON SCENTS is limited in its information but since there are so few books tackling this subject I can still recommend it for your keeper shelf.

[Dearwassily · Rating 2 out of 5]

Could use a good editing.