Reviews of books, plant related and otherwise.
I liked this book. Did it make me want to don a 50 pound pack and disappear into the wilderness for three months? No. Did it make me want to sit down with a can of cream soda and read about the wilderness? Yes. Actually, what I really want to do after completing this story is just what the title says, go for a walk … Continue reading Book Review—A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
I like it when we use plants to help plants. I am quite positive that all of our problems can be solved with plants. Hungry? Eat a plant. Sick? Medicinal plants. Feeling blue? Smell a rose. Need fresh air? Plant a tree. The list goes on and on….but, here is an ingenious recipe from the book Great Garden Formulas by Benjamin and Martin editors. Apparently … Continue reading Rhubarb Spray for Garden Pests
This is an easy and inexpensive aphid killer I found in the book Great Garden Formulas by Benjamin and Martin (editors, 1998). I couldn’t believe that aphids are already swarming my roses. They seem to know it’s the end of May, while weather-wise we are all still back in April. I tried it this week and it appears to be working; time will tell. Ingredients: … Continue reading Citrus Killer for Aphids
This book was written in 1922 by Elizabeth Von Arnim yet it is still timeless in the description of people and plants. I imagine that in any book I read I can find a plant reference. I’m going to try, of course. I enjoyed reading this tale of women, a medieval Italian castle, wisteria and solitude. After finishing it I was swept up into a … Continue reading Book Review—Enchanted April
This is a fun way to test the acidity of everyday materials by using cabbage. The more I learn about plants, the more I see they hold the solutions to many of our problems—plants rock! This experiment is from The Curious Boy’s Book of Exploration by Sam Martin, a book packed with entertaining challenges, puzzles, experiments, tricks and riddles (a red house is made of … Continue reading Kid Stuff—Cabbage acid indicator
Rainyleaf 