Category Archives: Garden book reviews

Book reviews

There must be a demand for modern books about our native flora because this month has yielded up three new publications.

100 best native plants for new zealand gardens (do not ask me what happened to capital letters. I am just a retired school teacher who still understands the grammatical difference between less and fewer) is a fully updated edition of a very popular 2001 book by Fiona Eadie. Notwithstanding the lower case book title, this excellent book combines passion, scholarship and practical gardening experience. It has a wealth of information about the author’s current pick of her favourite New Zealand plants (25% have changed, apparently, since the earlier version which reflects her move from Auckland to Dunedin).

I do like a book which doesn’t patronise by dumbing everything down to the lowest common denominator but which can instead combine popular appeal, enthusiasm, technical knowledge, information and botanical detail in one package. Each plant has a couple of photographs (assorted photographers – the quality is a little variable), botanical name, common names, a general description and sections on likes and dislikes, pests and problems, care and maintenance, landscaping suggestions, similar species and named cultivars.. The information is accessible and useful. There is plenty of information without drowning the reader. From acaena to xeronema, this is a good book to have and encapsulates some of the unique plants which make our gardens different from the rest of the world who have yet to see beyond our cordylines and pongas.

The Cultivation of New Zealand Grasses by Lawrie Metcalf is also an update of an earlier publication by the same author with revised text and fresh photos. Lawrie Metcalf is widely respected for his passion and his scholarship. This is the definitive reference book on our native grasses – their propagation, care, use in the garden or landscape, their botany and an A to Z listing of the different varieties. The topic has not been dumbed down for the masses but it remains perfectly readable and easily understood. It is a little shy on photos but if grasses are your thing, either professionally or as a hobby, you will not want to be without this book. And if grasses are not your favourite plant, it may inspire you to look beyond their use in motorway sidings and traffic islands.

Living with Natives, edited by Ian Spellerberg and Michele Frey is a curious publication to come from the Canterbury University Press because it is basically a coffee table book unashamedly targeting a populist market with no pretence of scholarship. It is a collection of 44 short essays by an eclectic mix of New Zealanders ostensibly about their love of native plants. The problem is that by no means all of the 44 have something worth saying. A house guest at the weekend who is passionate about natives (the plants, I mean) and is a botanist, gave up when she read the piece where Bob Harvey thinks his kauri is beginning to recognise him.

However, it is a nicely put together book with lovely photos by John Maillard and some of the contributors do have something to offer including some helpful advice and hints rather than platitudes or clichés, so if you like coffee table books, you may find it an interesting insight into different people’s love of our country. I just think it would have benefited from more rigorous editing.

100 best native plants for new zealand gardens, Fiona Eadie (Random House, $44.95) ISBN 978 1 86962 150 6

The Cultivation of New Zealand Grasses, Lawrie Metcalf (Random House, $34.99) ISBN 978 1 86962 148 3

Living With Natives, edited by Ian Spellerberg and Michele Frey (Canterbury University Press, $39.95) ISBN 978 1 877257 68 1

Growing Organics

Nick Hamilton with Philippa Jamieson (New Holland, $29.95)

Mark is decidedly sceptical of the claim that carrot fly don’t generally exceed 15cm of altitude and therefore planting your carrots inside a low box hedge or similar will reduce their infestation. But he is currently on a mission to decode organic gardening and to unravel its leanings to unscientific sweeping claims (somewhat like blind faith at times) so he read this book from cover to cover. It claims to be a very handy New Zealand guide to gardening the organic way. It isn’t. It is a British book, adapted to New Zealand conditions by changing south facing to north facing and June to December, with the addition of the occasional extra section such as one on possum control (maybe replacing a section on coping with moles and squirrels?).

What it is, is a handy and sound book giving a basic introduction to good vegetable gardening practice, along with a few fruits, particularly for those who live in cold climates. Good gardening practice is universal and not limited to organics. The section on organic pest control is very average at best and it is not going to help you to deal with infestations of insects in your brussel sprouts. It does, however, avoid the excesses of fervour sometimes associated with organics and encourages successful home production of food without the usual chapter on chemical controls. It is a book for the novice gardener but not a reference for the experienced gardener who is looking to cast out the use of chemical controls and wanting reliable alternatives.

ISBN 978-1-86966-224-0

The Piazzas of Florence

Author: Lisa McGarry
Publisher: Allen and Unwin (RRP NZ $39.99)
ISBN 978 1 7419 6089 1 hbk

This exquisitely presented little book is a slightly obscure and self indulgent little gem. It contains detailed descriptions of 12 piazzas in Florence, including fold out maps, originally executed in water colour by the artist author and all backed by beautifully marbled paper. The text gives a multitude of detail – historic, architectural and modern day minutiae. The author is a well travelled American who currently lives in Florence with her daughter and is besotted with the romance of the city.

This is more than a guidebook, though if you plan on spending a few days in that fair city, carrying it with you would certainly enhance the experience. It is a gently understated and beautifully presented book which would grace the shelves of anybody who either loves Italy or who likes to own quirky and appealing books.

Period Gardens

Author: Myles Baldwin

Publisher: Murdoch Books

ISBN: 978 1 74045 906 8

This sumptuous large format book is subtitled “Landscapes for Houses With History” which perhaps limits its appeal in an area like Taranaki which is still pretty close to its raw colonial past with too few period houses of much architectural note. However, the author is a young Australian who is remarkably well anchored in horticulture as well as being passionate about architecture, history and design and his analysis of house and garden history goes beyond those lucky few who have a grand period house and wish to create an appropriate garden. Chapters use case study gardens from around the world to illustrate the Renaissance period, Jacobean, Georgian, Victorian, Edwardian (Arts and Crafts), Spanish Mission, Homestead (which is where many Australian and New Zealand gardens sit) through to Art Deco and Modernist.

What sets this book apart is that it is a young antipodean’s well researched take on mostly European garden history and how it all fits together in the so-called New World that we garden in today. The final chapter entitled “Details” has some excellent advice on matters ranging from lawns and tennis courts, through driveways and pools to hedging and fencing.

If you have grand visions for your garden, this is a good book to read. It may save some bad decisions. It is also a splendidly produced, large format hardback with excellent photos that should stand the test of time on the garden bookshelf.

Spice Market

Author: Jane Lawson

Publisher: Murdoch Books (RRP $54.99)

ISBN: 978 1 74196 038 9

I waved this very large book (think something the size of a small concrete block) under the nose of my chef friend who is around at the moment and his response was rather dismissive. “It’s a book of recipes which use spices,” he said and took no further interest.

It is an Australian publication and gives 275 recipes, grouped rather unusually by the plant origin of the spice which is often but a minor addition to the recipe. So the chapter on seeds and pods covers recipes using spices from ajowan and aniseed through to vanilla. The chapter on berries and flowers covers allspice to surnac and wolfberry. Then there are chapters on seeds that come from roots and bark and on spice pastes and spice mixes. So the recipes are not grouped in a convenient manner, given that few of us start a meal by thinking we will cook with cinnamon tonight, or maybe liquorice root. The actual recipes are straightforward and cover an eclectic mix of anything and everything from around the world.

There is some handy background information on each of the 40 or so spices included, though I hoped for some growing information on varieties that could be produced by the self sufficient gardener in temperate and mild climates. There isn’t. Clearly you buy them.

It is a nicely presented soft cover book with the usual wonderful photographs though not that many of the recipes are illustrated. This is a book to browse before you buy.