Great Garden Gift Books

Garden books?that I?enjoyed this year and highly recommend as holiday gifts include two about edibles, one in my own area of specialization, one about color and design, and a regional guide I wouldn’t be without.

Grocery Gardening by Jean Ann Van Krevelen with Amanda Thomsen, Robin Ripley and Teresa O’Connor (Cool Springs Press, paperback, $19.95) is as entertaining as it is informative, and worth having for the recipes alone. These will inspire?the gardeners on your list?to eat fresh, either from their own gardens or?farmers markets. I wondered how a book with so many authors could possibly work, but it’s like sitting down over coffee (or honeydew mint fizzes) with gardening pals and dishing about dirt. And if?their names sound familiar, it’s because they’re garden bloggers.

Tomatoes Garlic Basil by Doug Oster (St. Lynn’s Press, $18.95). Don’t tell Jean Ann and the gang, but all I grew this year, vegetably-speaking, were tomatoes, garlic and basil. Evidently, I’m not alone. Oster, a talk show gardening expert and newspaper columnist, gets asked more about those edibles than any others—which inspired him to write a book. His compendium includes organic gardening tips, horticultural tales and recipes—including a yummy one for tomato soup with basil and roasted garlic.

Also on?the topic of vegetable gardening, Chris McLaughlin’s new Idiot’s Guide to Heirloom Vegetables?is coming out next week.

Just as Hardy Succulents by Gwen Keladis and Saxon Holt?dovetails?nicely with my book, Succulent Container Gardens, so does Hot Pots: Container Gardening in the Arid Southwest by Scott Calhoun and Lynn Hassler (Rio Nuevo Publishers, $19.95). Keladis’ is ideal for gardeners in climates colder and wetter than Southern California’s; Calhoun’s, for?desert dwellers. Calhoun is a professional landscape designer and?award-winning writer with extensive horticultural?knowledge.?Hassler’s photography captures his inspired designs as well as the sundrenched, occasionally quirky?ambience of the desert Southwest. Both live in Tucson.

?Fearless Color Gardens: The Creative Gardener’s Guide to Jumping Off the Color Wheel by Keeyla Meadows (Timber Press, $27.95) is an exuberant celebration of color, with loads of inspiration on every intensely-illustrated page. Meadows is an artist whose work I first saw at this year’s San Francisco Flower & Garden Show,?where she created a?playful, metaphorical and fearlessly colorful exhibit. Whatever type of plant or garden style you and?the gardeners on your list are fondest of, I’m betting you’ll enjoy it anew via the lens of Meadows’ creativity.

California Gardener’s Resource: All You Need to Know to Plan, Plant, and Maintain a California Garden, by Bruce and Sharon Asakawa (Cool Springs Press, 19.95). When the Asakawas’ earlier California Gardener’s Guide was released, it caused a sensation. Both are renowned authorities, and?they share their extensive?knowledge with passion and humor.?Two other?CA garden guides that I consider essential are?Pat Welsh’s Guide to Southern California Gardening and the Sunset Western Garden Book.

Upcoming books I’m looking forward to include these from my publisher, Timber Press:
The Edible Front Yard by Ivette Soler
Handmade Garden Style by Lorene Edwards Forkner
Dry Shade by Graham Rice
My Balcony, My Garden by Fern Richardson
Sugarsnaps and Strawberries, by Andrea Bellamy

From Algonquin:
Wicked Bugs by Amy Stewart

From Cool Springs Press:
Gardening Up by Rebecca Sweet & Susan Morrison
Heirloom Vegetables, Herbs and Fruits–Savoring the Rich Flavor of the Past by Doreen Howard
Garden Rules by?Jayme Jenkins and Billie Brownell

And a?new ebook: How to Create Living Miniature Gardens?by Janit Calvo?

Finally, this sounds intriguing, from St. Lynn’s Press: Eat Your Roses by Denise Schreiber.

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Depths of Perception

My perceptions are changing every time I walk into my garden these days.? My detached retina is almost a toy to be played with, a marvel, a new way of seeing.

When I walked into my garden to document the first rain, I allowed these new experiences to flood over me.? I posted here 2 years ago about my annual walk into the wilds with the a first winter rains but this year I wobble too comically to wander far from home.? Nor did I need to, for every half step is a new delight.? The joy of California’s first rain and the spontaneity of breaking all my camera rules was making me giddy.

If you have been following my posts here you know the first photos I began to make, when I realized that I could, were about the blurriness of my vision.? Now, I am? finding that my incredibly altered depth perception is allowing me to combine garden elements as I have never seen them.? I started taking those first photos when I ran into a Camellia flower that I could not see and used the camera to try and capture some sense of that blur.

Now I am allowing myself to brush into everything in the garden; not with intent of photographing the blurs, but oh-so-keenly aware of the flattened perspective of only one eye.? Our two eyes working together do not allow us to see in only two dimensions, we pass by potential photos because we see them in three dimensions.? The camera captures it this way to be sure, once we stop and compose, but only after the photographer has found a 3D scene that s/he can compress into 2D.

Brushing By the Miscanthus Foliage

I am a walking camera now, seeing new photos I would have never considered.? I have spent a career honing my eyes to find scenes that will make a good two dimensional photographs, now I need to slow down.? My blurry eye demands it, my good eye, alert like a cat, won’t let me miss a thing.

In the opening photo here (top of page), my subject is the raindrops on the leaves of the Miscanthus junceus.?? Too bad that blog formats do not allow you to see the glistening drops very well but a rainshower had just run its course and no wind had shaken off the drops.? As I was looking for photos I kept brushing into everything because I simply was not accustomed to using only one eye, but every time this happened I began to realize I was being given an opportunity to create and then compress layers of perception.? I let the Cordyline be “too close” to the camera in a normal three dimensional perspective for that wide of a view.

I am learning a new way to see and breaking the rules of photography that are predicated on finding a three dimensional scene that will make an effective two dimensional image.? I am also breaking some rules about not pointing my camera at the sky.? I guess it is is not exactly a rule, but I would have never considered, or even seen this shot with two good eyes.

Leaves of Cotinus 'Grace' Against a Clearing Blue Sky

I am also learning how to use this Canon G11 camera which has a wide angle macro.? I can photograph the raindrops on the backside of leaves very close to my blurry eye, but also get tremendous depth of field due to its optics.? Two eyes seeing two different things – but one photo.? What fun.

Even looking out for the classic macro shot takes on a new perspective.? My two eyes together would not allow me to see this composition.

First Rain Drops on Leaves of Cotinus 'Grace'

But one blurry eye and one good one are redefining what I see.? My eyesight continues to change, and I continue to take all sorts of new pictures.? I will be talking more about the individual photos on my own blog,? Mental Seeds.? Now up and running.

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Believing You Can Do It

The word “statistics” brings memories of dread for quite a few people. While the word simply means “the collection, organization, and interpretation of numerical data”, most people think of the high school or college class that involves sampling, interpolation, and regressions, and honestly, I don’t have much of an idea what some of those words mean (I have never taken a “stats” class). All people really think when they hear “stats” is computers doing really complex math, which people don’t like anyway. “Statistics” inspires fear and confusion, and at times it can seem like magic—just plug in some numbers and get the result. But what the hell happened in between?

And here’s where we arrive at the problem. There are all sorts of great primers—Sabermetrics Library, Lookout Landing, and books such as Beyond Batting Average—but there’s still some anxiety toward those statistics. Where do the coefficients (it’s not just the coefficients; formulas are just as confusing trying to decipher how one arrived at the final result) 13, 3, and 2 in the equation for FIP come from? Or all the damn coefficients in wOBA? It’s great to give me the equation because I can plug in the counting stats such as HR, 2B, K, BB, etc., but where the hell does the .90 come from that I have to multiply to the number of singles as part of the wOBA equation? Bring on the intricate math, the computers, and the fear.

This is going to get a little complicated, but try and bear with me. Let’s say you don’t know much about the newer stats, so you go to one of those great sites to find out more. When you get there, you understand the theory, but the formula is a bit confusing. You ask someone what they mean, and someone tells you that they are numbers derived from weighting different stats against each other, usually according to run expectancy (which you may not also understand—it’s essentially the number of runs you can expect to get once you have done something). The further one delves into it and the more that the person has to explain, the further away you get from what you can actually understand. You aren’t a statistics guru, and when they start talking about regression, you get as confused as I do when the guy at Willis Music starts talking about Humbucker Pick-ups. At some point, you both realize that there is a communication barrier between you based on previous knowledge. It’s no one’s fault, but you aren’t going to completely understand each other (in the same way, you go to a doctor and need to sign an “informed consent” for a procedure; there’s no way you’re going to be “informed”, but you essentially have to have faith that the doctors know what they’re doing and that they have your best interests in mind). Once you have reached this stage, you are going to have to take his word for it, and that’s not exactly what people like to do.

Keeping religion out of it, faith is a tough issue. So this completely scientific guy is telling me to take his word for it? And I’m just supposed to believe he has no bias, whatsoever, in making this suggestion? So what about these other people who have other coefficients and formulas for their statistics? How does that happen if you both used proper math and scientific methods? Now, you’ve reached a climactic moment. Take the guy’s word for it, knowing that he would have been reamed by others if the math was truly horrible, or cling to the accepted statistics that have more understandable and overt measurements. Some people never go down this far down the road, but this is the essential question you have to ask yourself (I’m just giving you the benefit of the doubt that you didn’t simply dismiss it). People choose different reactions, of course, and that’s just the nature of being human and being different. I chose to take a leap of faith (something I don’t like doing) because I figured that, if there were major problems with a metric, there would be an outcry over the metric (ie. I trust defensive metrics the least of all metrics because of the amount of criticism coming from all sides and from the actual arguments made). If there isn’t an outcry, I’ll see if all the cool kids are using it.

But I have some trouble with this. I don’t like “taking your word for it”. I don’t like telling other people to do it. Discussion and criticism are essential elements of analysis (you may ask, “Why do I care? I don’t need these stats”, but we’re all amateur analysts using stats to back-up our assertions), but our bases of knowledge—what we already know—are different. There really isn’t a way to correct that. But I am asking you to take a leap of faith, and seeing that I am not a statistics expert on the behind-the-scenes stuff, what is my advice on how to handle this? The first thing I do is find sources that I trust. When I first began reading more on the subject, I read Craig Calcaterra (of Shysterball fame, then), and through his posts, I found out about Tom Tango, FanGraphs, Rob Neyer and Keith Law at ESPN, and Baseball Prospectus. After a while, I cyber-met Jason here, Peter Hjort at Capitol Avenue Club, TCM and Bill at the Platoon Advantage (though they had different affiliations then), and Daniel Moroz at Camden Crazies, and whenever I have major questions about metrics, I ask them. I can’t tell you how appreciative I am of their help, and I am privileged to cyber-know them. Hopefully, you trust me at this point, but you can also trust them. I began trusting them because what they wrote made sense, other people cited them, and lots of people began reading them. If something controversial happens, I’ll see what they have to say and weigh the arguments if they conflict. But what if you don’t want to do all that? Well, you’re already here, so go to the contacts section, copy my email address or Twitter page (follow me anyway … or at least talk to me?), and send me an email or tweet. I’ll do the legwork if I can’t help you myself.

We all come from different backgrounds and have different interests, which lead to varying bases of knowledge. When it comes time to look at baseball statistics, the varying levels of knowledge about statistics gives the newbies pause. If they’re really interested, maybe they’ll learn more about the math involved, but it’s not practical that everyone would do that. Knowing that, the best thing to do is to accept this and investigate the arguments of the statisticians, while believing the underlying math is correct. After all, they are still fighting for credence, and it doesn’t make too much sense for them to be awful at their job. But it’s not an easy thing to do. If you argue in favor of something using these new statistics without knowing everything about what went into making them, you feel like you’re walking a tightrope without a firm grasp, and if the statistic is discredited, then your analysis is as well, making you appear stupid and possibly gullible. That’s not an easy approach to take, and not one an agnostic like me wants to do either, but when faced with a situation in which you will probably never completely understand, sometimes you have to take that leap. As long as the argument makes sense, that is.

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Lee to continue to take his time

Maybe it’s me, but if someone is going to pay me $23m per year for 7 years, I would be pretty much OK living anywhere*. I mean for seven years, I imagine I can tolerate living damn near anywhere knowing I’d have the rest of my life to do whatever I pleased, where ever I wanted. ?But that’s just me. I’m funny that way.

Evidently, however, Cliff Lee will likely not be making his choice today:

Texas co-owner Chuck Greenberg and Braunecker did not return calls from The News Sunday, but a source told The News no decision would come until at least Monday. [...]

“(The Lee decision) should get resolved early this week,” said the source.

Meh, maybe I am just fed up with this.

* Do not bring up prison, either.

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Favorite Picks for 2010

When I first started assembling information for this post, I thought I was going to write about The Best Gardening Gifts for 2010. But you know how it is on the web; one thing leads to another.

This is where I landed; with a list that consists of a hodgepodge of projects, products, services, institutions and publications, all that I have seen or used (except for one product) and which I unabashedly recommend. This in no way is meant to be a ‘best of’ list. It is strictly ‘my favorites’. So, without further ado, let’s get started.

Botanical Garden Research: ATLANTA BOTANICAL GARDEN

“Their active captive breeding and research program promotes the conservation of amphibians. “More than one-third of the world’s amphibian species are considered threatened or endangered. Recently, an emerging infectious disease known as the amphibian chytrid fungus has been shown to wipe out massive numbers of amphibians from pristine natural locations in many places around the world. This disease is currently unstoppable in the wild, but treatable in captivity.”

A big thank you goes out to Rhett Turner of Red Sky Productions who brought Atlantic Botanical Garden’s research and conservation efforts to my attention. Rhett’s work as a producer of environmental films is noteworthy.?

Garden Magazine: THE GARDEN

The Garden is a monthly magazine published by Royal Horticultural Society. This is the ‘go to’ magazine for gardeners who are more interested in reading a publication that is chock full of useful information .? It is an unheralded publication in the U. S. market; it continually surprises and informs me. I wouldn’t be without it. And hey, who wouldn’t want to be a member of the Royal Horticultural Society. Even if you don’t make use it, you get bragging rights. To order, click on: RHS MEMBERSHIP.

Botanical Garden Membership: BROOKLYN BOTANICAL GARDEN.

Even if you don’t live in NYC, it feels great to support a botanical garden that is committed to community involvement, teaching, research and educating children. It’s an innovative 100 year old institution. As a member, you receive 4 BBG soft covered books annually; all with information on useful subjects and an easy read.

Membership Garden (non-botanical) Organization: GREEN ROOFS FOR HEALTHY CITIES

If you’re interested in learning more about green roofs and vertical gardens, becoming a member of Green Roofs is worth every penny. All of the latest information on the green roof industry, course offerings, conferences, publications and access to their online magazine is an opportunity to immerse yourself into the ever growing world of green roofs.

Vertical Wall 2010: LONGWOOD GARDENS

The unveiling of their new indoor vertical wall in October has brought Longwood Gardens into the forefront of the gardening world. Located in its East Conservatory Plaza wing, the wall is the 4,072 sq ft, displacing the title of North America’s largest green wall from the PNC Bank building in Pittsburgh by over 70 percent. The green wall was designed by GSky. It is made up of over 47,000 plants.

Green Roofs 2010: GREEN ROOF FOR HEALTHY CITIES PICKS

Green Roof’s? selection of winners offers a look at some of the latest and best.

Intensive Institutional
Project: ASLA Headquarters Green Roof
Award Recipient: Conservation Design Forum

Efficient and cutting edge Recycling Repository: BIG BELLY

This invention shows what one individual can do when they have the desire to make a change in the world. Big Belly is gaining momentum in cities throughout America. Its efficiency, cutting edge technology, environmentally sound and monetary paybacks are enormous. Hopefully, the word will get out as other cities learn about it. It is a hands down winner in my book.I wrote about it in an earlier post on The Best Cities for Recycling.

?Innovative and User Friendly Public Garden: THE HIGHLINE

I’ve sung its praises in an earlier post. Suffice it to say that even in a city like New York, it dazzles and boggles the mind of residents and visitors throughout the city.? With the second phase of construction beginning this month, The Highline will expand its presence above the streets of Manhattan. It is quickly becoming a NYC Landmark.

?Celebratory Garden: CHANTICLEER

This is a garden that makes me smile every time I visit. Chanticleer celebrates the artistry and beauty of plants and the landscape. With an able Executive Director, Bill Thomas, and a creative and skillful team of horticulturists, Chanticleer maintains a good balance of playfulness and intensity.

Art As Part of The Urban Landscape: PHILADELPHIA’S MURAL ARTS PROGRAM?

Philadelphia has over 3000 murals strutting their stuff on walls and throughout the streets. This is thanks to the vision, tenacity and creativity of one woman, Jane Golden, whose belief that ‘Art Changes Lives’ transformed a nascent anti-graffiti project into a world renowned multidimensional arts program. This is a jaw-dropping inspirational program that other cities are now modeling.

Giving A Gift That Gives Back:?WOMEN FOR WOMEN INTERNATIONAL

It is an outstanding organization that helps women who are survivors of wars become active citizens, learning how to support themselves and their families. You can choose from 4 categories: organic farming, job skills training, education and animals. It’s a win win proposition for everyone. And if you want to treat yourself to a very special gift this Christmas become a sponsor.

Moderately Priced Gardening Gifts: FLORA GRUBB.

Flora Grubb? offers plenty of gifts? that come in under $30. that will thrill gardeners and non-gardeners alike. Order quickly to get them sent in time for Christmas.

Hand Made Gifts: DEBRA LEE BALDWIN

My GGW colleague , Debra Lee Baldwin, never ceases to amaze me with her constant flow of creativity. Her new online store, SUCCULENT CHIC, is filled with moderately priced products: succulent calendars, mouse pads, holiday greeting cards, stocking stuffers and watercolor painted t-shirts, all with Debra’s trademark succulent photos and now, some with her watercolor paintings.

?Seed Catalogue : SEEDS OF CHANGE

There are several other seed catalogues that I enjoy and order from. But Seeds of Change, organic and with heirloom and new selections plus the yearly staples, keeps me engaged from the moment it shows up in my mailbox.

Online Source for Perennial Grasses: KURT BLUEMEL

He is known as one of the founding fathers of the perennial grass movement. A fantastic offering of large, healthy grasses at moderate prices.

?Online Source for Perennials and Semi Hardy Plants: DIGGING DOG NURSERY

A nursery that focuses on perennials and shrubs, Digging Dog’s specimens are hardy, healthy, good sized, moderate prices and with a selection that will delight. Their salvia offerings are outstanding.??

Book of 2010: BE LOVE NOW : THE PATH OF THE HEART, written by Ram Dass.

Ram Dass? is a renowned spiritual teacher and writer has inspired spiritual seekers for over 4 decades. In this thoughtful and humble book filled with wisdom, Ram Dass shares what he has learned over the past 40 years with a humble, humorous and loving voice.??

Sort of a gardening (but not) Book of 2010:? SLOW LOVE?, Dominique Browning

Dominique Browning, the Editor of the now defunct House and Gardens, knows how to write a riveting book. Her personal journey, in which gardening plays a prominent role, is open, authentic, and inspirational.

Movie That Depicts The American Landscape: A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT

A combination of fly fishing, Montana and a compelling story directed by Robert Redford. It’s a classic.

Photos courtesy of: RHS, Atlanta Botanical Garden, Longwood Gardens,Brooklyn Botanical Garden,? Green Roofs for Healthy Cities, Philadelphia’s Mural Arts Program, Flora Grubb, Debra Lee Baldwin, Sony Pictures, Seeds of Change, Women for Women International and Amazon.

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Lee Is A Philly (Again)

Cliff Lee shocked the baseball world today by turning down the Yankees and Rangers, and signing instead with the “mystery team” in these negotiations, the Philadelphia Phillies.

For Yankees fans looking for a bright side to this story, the news could have been worse. At least Cliff Lee did not sign with the Rangers (or the Red Sox). At least the Yanks will face Cliff Lee only in interleague play, and perhaps in the World Series. Also, we won’t have to read any snarky MSM stories about how the Yankees used their money to overwhelm the rest of baseball and grab yet another $20 million plus free agent. Instead, we’ll have to read the snarky stories about how the Yankees weren’t able to sign Cliff Lee even with all of the money they offered him.

Our focus now will shift quickly to the Yankees’ so-called “plan B” to improve the team for 2011. For the moment, I advise deep cleansing breaths and a rational approach. The Yanks did manage to win 95 games last year without the help of Mr. Lee.

For those who are historically inclined, this is the second time in 150 years that a Lee spurned the Yankees. Maybe we should have seen it coming.

More on this story will follow here in the upcoming days and weeks.

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Obligatory Cliff Lee posting

If this sounds forced, know that it is. I’m more than sick of Indecision 2010: Cliff Lee Edition. As far as updates go, I think this is absolutely the one thing I wanted to read:

No more years. No more dollars.

If Cliff Lee is waiting for the Yankees to up their offer before deciding between The Bronx and Texas, the saga is going to continue.

Nope, not even a “mystery team” will force the Yanks to up their already extravagant Chinese Menu offers. Which is fine by me. If he wants the Yanks, great. I’m going to be ecstatic if that’s his decision. If he wants Texas, I will be disappointed but no tears will be shed. The Yanks will have a heckuva battle ahead of them next year no matter what.

Until we get real info, we’re going to have to deal with all of the “tea leaf reading” done by everyone. I’m sick of it and I am sure you are as well.

-

UPDATE: Buster has his latest “heard this” (via Twitter):

Heard this: Darek Braunecker, the agent for Cliff Lee, has been in touch with the Yankees today and said the process is on-going;stay tuned.

Sigh. We will, Buster, because we have no choice.

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