Home and Garden Recent Picks

July/August 2010

The title-underlined links will take you directly to our catalogue.
Some featured items are linked via a book cover to enable you to read more reviews.

A history of gardening in New Zealand, Bee Dawson.
"An Englishman's home is his castle, but for the first European settlers who came to New Zealand, their first priority was to create a productive and, later, ornamental garden. Bee Dawson traces the development of gardening in New Zealand, from the Maori gardens of pre - and early contact times through the optimistic efforts of missionaries and the other early settlers, the magnificence and productivity of the Victorians and Edwardians and the Dig for Victory campaigns of the 1940s. Illustrated throughout with historic photographs, paintings and ephemera, Dawson's lively writing style brings to life the successes and failures and the sense of achivement felt by New Zealand gardeners through the years, as they coaxed plenty and beauty from a new earth. This book is both beautiful to look at and a delight to read." (Random House New Zealand)

French country style at home, texts and photographs by Sebastien Siraudeau ; [translated from the French by Louise Rogers Lalaurie].
"This enchanting volume unlocks the door of French homes tucked away in the country, from a farmhouse in the Cévennes to a castle lost in the heart of the Morvan mountains. The writer and photographer Sébastien Siraudeau has already uncovered home inspiration from France's guesthouses, antique shops, and flea markets in his previous books Vintage French Interiors and French Style at Home. Now he turns his experienced eye to the hidden gems of interior design in the French countryside and unveils the wealth of decorative inspiration they have to offer. The vibrancy of these hidden retreats is demonstrated beautifully and, as the pages unfold, the reader is struck by a wealth of inspiration from the colors, seasons, and stories that have formed these subtly elegant creations. Siradeau has a rare talent for finding homes that combine gently aged vintage pieces in a contemporary and relaxed atmosphere. Siraudeau masterfully shows how true style can be discovered in the most unexpected destinations, his chapters ranging from seemingly humble hamlets or farmyards to the flickering of candlelight in the Château Jacquot. Inviting the reader in over the threshold of these inherently picturesque households is a temptation no design enthusiast could refuse." (Amazon.com)

The essential guide to back garden self-sufficiency, edited by Carleen Madigan.
"Nothing tastes better than homegrown produce and there's nowhere better to grow it than your own back garden. Whether you're interested in a small patch of gourmet asparagus and strawberries, a few eggs to make your own omelettes or full-scale self-sufficiency, this guide contains the traditional, tried-and-tested skills that turn dreams into reality. Vegetable growing is made easy with clear, sensible advice on the basics and plenty of inventive tips. Find out the best ways to store and preserve the harvest, learn how to make apple juice, cheese, butter and even how to plant your own herbal remedy border. Practical advice on keeping chickens, bees, goats and pigs provides essential reading for anyone just starting out with livestock. Growing and making your own food is healthy, sustainable and rewarding, and can bring that satisfying buzz that you get from knowing that you're cutting your supermarket bill, reducing your carbon footprint and learning the practical skills of self-reliance."(Amazon.com)

The homemade home : 50 thrifty and chic handmade projects, Sania Pell.
"Designer and stylist Sania Pell provides 50 inspirational yet easy projects for you to make, all for next to nothing. Turn basic white bed linen into something special by adding ribbon borders and embroidered panels, and update lampshades by recovering with fabric or paper. Give old wooden furniture a facelift by repainting and adding paper collage decoration. Recycle glass jars into stylish tealight holders, and use old teacups as pretty plant holders. Create family heirlooms by framing special pieces of children's clothing, or display tiny treasures in wooden box frames. Turn felted sweaters into appliqueed cushion covers or cosy scarves, and use the contents of your button box to revamp an old cardigan. With easy-to-follow instructions and artworks, "The Homemade Home" will inspire you to get out the paintbrushes and dust off the sewing machine, and create a truly stylish and individual home." (Amazon.com)

The edible garden : how to have your garden and eat it, Alys Fowler.
"In this timely new book, Gardeners' World's thrifty and resourceful Alys Fowler shows that there is a way to take the good life and re-fashion it to fit in with life in the city. Abandoning the limitations of traditional gardening methods, she has created a beautifully productive garden where tomatoes sit happily next to roses, carrots are woven between the lavenders and potatoes grow in pots on the patio. And all of this is produced in a way that mimics natural systems, producing delicious homegrown food for her table. And she shares her favourite recipes for the hearty dishes, pickles and jams she makes to use up her bountiful harvest, proving that no-one need go hungry on her grow-your-own regime. Good for the pocket, good for the environment and hugely rewarding for the soul, The Edible Garden urges urbanites everywhere to chuck out the old gardening rules and create their own haven that's as good to look at as it is to eat." (Amazon.com)

Real-life decor : 100 easy DIY projects to brighten your home on a budget, by Jean Nayar.
"The economy may have stalled but life goes on. Chair legs break, pillows lose their puff, painted walls get scuffed and sheets get torn or go out of style. Real Life Decor brims with ideas for repurposing, reusing or replacing your accents and furniture to keep your home fresh and functional as well as wallet-friendly. Comprised of a collection of 100 easy, appealing projects illustrated with lively photos and simple how-tos, the book is divided into 7 sections that offer multiple approaches to dressing up walls, sewing simple soft furnishings, recycling old furniture, brightening lamps and accents, making multipurpose furnishings and storage, and sprucing up floors and ceilings. The photos include inspiring ideas that the reader can interpret and emulate as well as pretty projects they craft to the T. Sidebars with simple solutions on topics such as Displaying Your Collections, Easy Vintage Fabric Ideas, and Small Space Ideas enrich each chapter with additional tips." (Amazon.com)

Paradise under glass : an amateur creates a conservatory garden Ruth Kassinger.
"After a bout with cancer, the loss of a beloved sister to a brain tumor, and the onset of an empty nest, science and health writer Kassinger, inspired by Brooklyn Botanic Garden's Palm House, decided that a conservatory (or more prosaically, sunroom) would be the perfect antidote to the losses and changes of middle age. The book vividly chronicles her initiation into the world of indoor gardening as well as the fascinating and unlikely histories of greenhouses and the flamboyant gardens they have housed, from 15th-century windowless arancieras built to winter orange trees to the Industrial Age, glass-and-iron 18-acre Crystal Palace. The characters Kassinger encounters, literarily and in the flesh, are as quirky as their plants. Michel Adanson, the first botanist to go on a collecting venture in equatorial Africa, declared the country 'delicious' in all ways, despite facing lions, tigers, wild boars, huge 'serpents,' masses of mosquitoes, and red ants that blistered him all over. Breadfruit trees collected by David Nelson, a quiet and unassuming botanist, may have been responsible for Captain Bligh's Bounty mutiny. Tom Winn and Ken Frieling, whose Glasshouse Works is housed in a remote Ohio former hotel, now old-age home, reject growing marketable plants like poinsettias in favor of having fun. Kassinger's lush writing and exotic stories will delight the armchair gardener and historian". (May) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. (via Amazon.com)

House of havoc : how to make, and keep, a beautiful home despite cheap spouses, messy kids, and other difficult roommates, Marni Jameson.

Garden bouquets and beyond : creating wreaths, garlands, and more in every garden season, Suzy Bales ; foreword by Allan M. Armitage ; photographs by Steven Randazzo.

New treehouses of the world, Pete Nelson.

New urban farmer : from plot to plate : a year on the allotment, Celia Brooks Brown.

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