My Natural History: The Evolution of a Gardener"Liz Primeau has been gardening for nearly fifty years. In her twenties, as a mother of four small children, she would often escape to her tomato patch for horticultural therapy. Gardening became a satisfying hobby that grew and eventually became a career when she became the founding editor of Canadian Gardening magazine in 1990." "In league with Michael Pollan's Second Nature, My Natural History describes how gardening has been Primeau's therapy, obsession, and reward. Primeau first caught the gardening bug growing up in Winnipeg, when she and her mother used to steal green onions from her father's vegetable patch for a late-night snack. Later, her Uncle Ren, famous for his prize-winning flowers, became her gardening mentor. Since then, Primeau's own gardens have protected and sustained her. Full of fascinating gardening lore and practical insight (including what to do when your son grows funny tomatoes among your seedlings), this wonderful memoir will be savored by readers who share Primeau's passion for the earth and all the good things that stem from it."--BOOK JACKET. |
Contents
chapter 1 | 1 |
the journey begins | 17 |
my first garden | 32 |
a crowded garden | 45 |
green onions return | 60 |
seasons come and seasons go | 70 |
searching for natural style | 85 |
a hobby becomes a job | 100 |
gardening partners | 116 |
screening the garden | 130 |
the call of the wild | 145 |
the italian connection | 164 |
searching for everymans garden | 180 |
gardening in the moment | 193 |
Epilogue | 202 |
Common terms and phrases
a¤ect asked backyard beans beautiful became bergenia birds bloom Bobbie borders boxwood Canadian Gardening Capability Brown cats century Chris clipped co¤ee colour compost couldn’t couple dad’s deck di¤erent didn’t door e¤ect farm favourite feel fence flowers friends front garden garden design Gertrude Jekyll Granny’s grass gravel green grew grey grow hedges I’ve kids kitchen landscape later lawn learned leaves lilies live look lovely meadow Mississauga natural neighbourhood neighbours never Norway maple o¤ered oªce Ontario path pathway Penelope Hobhouse perennials pink plants pond prairie pretty purple raccoon realized red squirrels Ren’s Renaissance rodent roses rows secret garden seeds shasta daisies shrubs Siberian elm soil sometimes spring style summer there’s they’re things thought tomatoes took Toronto tour Uncle Ren vegetable garden vernacular Villa wanted wasn’t weeding window yellow young