The Essential Earthman: Henry Mitchell on Gardening - Softcover

Mitchell, Henry

4.38

183 ratings by Goodreads

9780395686324: The Essential Earthman: Henry Mitchell on Gardening

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0395686326 ISBN 13: 9780395686324

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin (Trade), 1994

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Essays extol the seasons, gardens, and the natural world, and include observations and advice on gardening

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Review:

This first collection of Henry Mitchell's garden columns was one of those instant classics, a book which quickly earned a permanent place on thousands of bedside tables. Though written for the Washington Post, these tales of the city garden travel well, and after reading a single page--any page--you'll realize why. Many gardeners quote Mitchell's line, "It is a great joy the day we discover that we can learn things without actually having to make the mistakes ourselves." He regales us with his mistakes, recording the frustration caused by stubbornly planting where his beloved dogs insisted on sleeping or by thoughtless activity ("I speared a superb lily bulb today"), hoping we will profit from his own gardening mishaps. We can and do, but we profit just as much by his company as his advice, which is so clearly the fruit of long and direct experience.

Review:

. . . an idiosyncratic, down-to-earth journal of the travails and rewards of gardening for one's own pleasure, not for status or competition. It's funny and real; a classic for the gardener's library. (Austin American Statesman)

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