Thursday, September 21, 2017

Review: Gardening In The South by Mark Weathington


Defining “The South” in Gardening In The South comes up early in the book as it should. Author Mark Weathington defines the area from Northern Florida up thru North Carolina and to the Virginias and then back to the west through Tennessee, Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Louisiana and over into most of East Texas. In Texas, the area comes almost to the Dallas/Fort Worth area and stretches down to the Texas coast where it bends along the coastline after encompassing Houston and goes as far as Galveston. Heat and humidity mean longer growing seasons as compared to much of the country as well as other factors that make things a bit different.

After a short discussion of geography, type of soils across the region, and seasons, it is on to “Design Inspirations” starting on pages 23-24. This is when you have to know the type of soil you are working with, what your needs are in terms of what you want in your landscape, your own limitations (start small and work up), and numerous other factors. A lot of this is aimed at the type of garden/landscape and how it might be created for your own particular needs. Through text and photographs of lush areas that will take years to come anywhere close to, the author inspires the reader with numerous possibilities.

A little over twenty pages later, “A Southeast Plant Palette” begins on page 46 with a close up picture of a flowering “Hartlage Wine.” A hybrid plant, it offers large glossy leaves and burgundy flowers and is flat out gorgeous. This chapter takes readers through various plant types such as annuals and tropicals, grasses, trees, vines, and others including “planets for problem spots.” Each section has numerous plants listed by their Latin and their common name along with their details in terms of hardiness, height, when they bloom (if they do), need for sunlight, and many other factors. In this colorful section, there are also tips for using containers, the differences between an aggressive and an invasive plant, and many other items of interest.

Beginning on pages 284-285, it is time to learn about “Southeast Gardening Practices. “ This is where you learn how to figure out what soil you have and how to make it better, compost (and all that entails), planting correctly, and maintaining things while dealing with pests such as deer, rabbits, armadillos, Japanese beetles, and more including giant and small mosquitoes. Also covered in this section are various plant diseases, how to plant to avoid them as you can use some pants to protect other plants, and dealing with weeds when flamethrowers are not an option.

The book comes to a close with a list of recommended reading resources as well as a general list of resources for plants and supplies, and a two page list of places to go see beautiful landscapes. Not only is the Dallas Arboretum not listed, the Tyler Rose Festival is also not listed. In fact, Texas is totally and completely ignored in the listing.

Despite that major omission from a book that includes East Texas as part of its defined area, Gardening In The South by Mark Weathington is a good book. Filled with an informative text that includes plenty of side bar topics, pictures on every page, and more, the book serves as a good resource as you consider your landscape and the changes you would like to make for next year. 


Gardening In The South
Mark Weathington
Timber Press
May 2017
ISBN# 978-1-60469-591-5
Paperback
320 Pages
$24.95


Material supplied by the good folks of the Dallas Public Library System.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2017

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