Upper South
April, 2005
Regional Report
Books
The Fragrant Year
Although there are a fair number of books on gardening for fragrance, I still prefer the out-of-print-but-still-available The Fragrant Year: Scented Plants for Your Garden and Your House, written by one of my favorite garden writers, Helen Van Pelt Wilson, in conjunction with Leonie Bell. I have the 1967 hardback version from Bonanza Books, a division of Crown Publishers. There was also a paperback edition in 1976 from William Morrow. Certainly, there are additional varieties that have become available in the last 30-some years, but this book provides a framework for the annuals, perennials, bulbs, shrubs, trees, and roses that offer fragrance in the garden. It contains a list of the most fragrant plants that freely scent the air, a long chapter strictly on roses, chapters on plants fragrant at night and in winter, and a fall-to-summer schedule of scented plants for indoor growing. The authors provide excellent descriptions of the different scents as well as first-hand knowledge about growing the plants.
Tool or Gardening Product
Pest Control for the 21st Century
Pest control is no longer about spraying chemicals willy-nilly, even with organic treatment. Scientists are now focusing on prevention by studying plants' own defenses against pests. A special issue of The Avant Gardener newsletter focuses on the latest ways to protect plants. The issue discusses self-defenses; Total Growth Management (TGM) tactics; foils and snares; pals and preymates; boosting beneficials; infecting, poisoning, and disrupting; nematode nemeses; better botanicals; home remedies; and pest control resources. Copies of this special issue (Volume 37, Number 7, May, 2005) are available for $3 from The Avant Gardener, Horticultural Data Processors, Box 489, New York, NY 10028.
