Talking Dirt

March 1, 2010
The problem with most gardening books is that theyre sooooo serious, with all the do this and for heavens sake, dont do that rules. Who said they cant be funny, too? Not Spiegelman, thats for sure. While offering plenty of sound and sensible organic gardening advice, Spiegelman lightens the load (much the way prescribed soil amendments do) with quippy asides and pithy observations that make the experience feel more like a casual conversation with a good, green-thumbed friend than a lecture from a stuffy horticulturist. All joking aside, its evident Spiegelman knows whereof she speaks. A transplanted Manhattanite who found herself gardening in California, Spiegelman wisely enrolled in master gardener classes before she killed so many plants shed qualify for a most wanted poster at the local nursery. She shares her hard-won knowledge glibly but with a great deal of gravity, too. Gardens are fun, yes, but the benefits they provide, from the aesthetic to the ecological, should be taken seriously.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)