Passalong Plants
by Steve Bender and Felder Rushinga book by a favorite gardener/writer, Steve Bender, I absolutely love!
The plants are sorted into chapters such as 'Gaudy or Tacky?' or 'Weirdisms, Oddities and Conversation Pieces' and of course with the plant stories come the vital information such as size, hardiness, light/soil requirement and mail order sources.
I find so many familiar plants in this book, recognizing the ones I had received through forum trades with other gardeners. Strong plants that grow no matter what, but without a pedigree. The cuttings and divisions were sent with simply a 'grows well with no problems' attached.
The plants are not limited to just one growing zone, but I still love to read about them, even though they may not grow in my garden.
My nephew sent me this book after my mother died. I went through it and wrote him notes about every plant in the book that she'd grown. I failed to save the emails, I wish I had. I grow or have grown many of the plants in the book.
ReplyDeletePlants without a pedigree make a stunning garden, it just doesn't impress cultivar snobs.