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

by Suzanne Staubach

Overview

“A sweet, alphabetical handbook to all things green.” —The New York Post

Do you know a folly from a ha-ha? Can an allée be pleached? Does a skep belong on a plinth? Answers to these questions—plus a gazebo-ful of information, stories, and visual delights—await in this charming exploration of the stuff gardens are made of. Garden historian Suzanne Staubach covers everything from arbors to water features, reveling in the anecdotes that accompany each element. Filled with revelations and fanciful illustrations by Julia Yellow, A Garden Miscellany promises new discoveries with each reading—a book to be returned to again and again.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781604698817
Publisher:	Timber Press, Incorporated
Publication date:	10/29/2019
Pages:	220
Sales rank:	1,084,180
Product dimensions:	8.10(w) x 9.60(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Suzanne Staubach writes, pots, and gardens in the rural northeastern hills of Connecticut. Staubach was a bookseller for 34 years as the manager and trade buyer for the UConn Co-op. She was one of the founding members of the Connecticut Children’s Book Fair, serving as co-chair. She served as President of the New England Booksellers Association, Vice President of the American Booksellers Association, and Vice President of the American Booksellers Foundation for Freedom of Expression. In 2008 she was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Connecticut Center for the Book, an affiliate of the Library of Congress. She is currently on the Connecticut Center for the Book’s Advisory panel and a judge for the non-fiction award. 
 

Editorial Reviews

06/03/2019

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.)

Publishers Weekly

The right amount of useful advice and, when applicable, educational historical tidbits… 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.” —Publishers Weekly

“A sweet, alphabetical handbook to all things green, from arbors and arches to water features and yards. The painterly illustrations, quirky factoids and genuinely helpful tips make this an ideal gift for anyone who has a garden…or just imagines escaping to one.” —The New York Post

“Lovely illustrations make this informative book a pleasure to return to again and again.” —The Seattle Times

“Any gardener will enjoy the clever, useful prose and storytelling illustrations…The pretty cover, with gold foil detailing, already seems wrapped for giving.” —The Oregonian

“A perfect gift for the gardener in your life, with little anecdotes about odd garden features, and charming illustrations.” —The Multnomah County Library

“Quirky illustrations and headings either bring levity to what might appear to be a dry topic, or diminish its intellectual heft, depending on your point of view… the perspective is enlightening and helps to paint a fuller picture of the items we use almost daily.” —The English Garden

“A unique book that blends the practical with the poetic.” —Horticulture

“Filled with revelations and fanciful illustrations, this whimsical book is part garden guide and part coffee table art. Whether used as a reference guide or a quick pleasure read, it promises new discoveries with each opening.” —Michigan Gardener

From the Publisher