Download or read book Gardening Can Be Murder written by Marta McDowell and published by Timber Press. This book was released on 2023-09-05 with total page 243 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This fun, engrossing book takes a look at the surprising influence that gardens and gardening have had on mystery novels and their authors. With their deadly plants, razor-sharp shears, shady corners, and ready-made burial sites, gardens make an ideal scene for the perfect murder. But the outsize influence that gardens and gardening have had on the mystery genre has been underappreciated. Now, Marta McDowell, a writer and gardener with a near-encyclopedic knowledge of the genre, illuminates the many ways in which our greatest mystery writers, from Edgar Allen Poe to authors on today’s bestseller lists, have found inspiration in the sinister side of gardens. From the cozy to the hardboiled, the literary to the pulp, and the classic to the contemporary, Gardening Can Be Murder is the first book to explore the mystery genre’s many surprising horticultural connections. Meet plant-obsessed detectives and spooky groundskeeper suspects, witness toxic teas served in foul play, and tour the gardens—both real and imagined—that have been the settings for fiction’s ghastliest misdeeds. A New York Times bestselling author herself, McDowell also introduces us to some of today’s top writers who consider gardening integral to their craft, assuring that horticultural themes will remain a staple of the genre for countless twisting plots to come. “This book is dangerous. A veritable cornucopia of crime fiction and gardening lore, it faces the reader with multiple temptations—books to seek out, plants to obtain, garden tours to book.” —Vicki Lane, author of the Elizabeth Goodweather Appalachian Mysteries

Download or read book Emily Dickinson s Gardening Life written by Marta McDowell and published by Timber Press. This book was released on 2019-10-01 with total page 375 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “A visual treat as well as a literary one…for gardeners and garden lovers, connoisseurs of botanical illustration, and those who seek a deeper understanding of the life and work of Emily Dickinson.” —The Wall Street Journal Emily Dickinson was a keen observer of the natural world, but less well known is the fact that she was also an avid gardener—sending fresh bouquets to friends, including pressed flowers in her letters, and studying botany at Amherst Academy and Mount Holyoke. At her family home, she tended both a small glass conservatory and a flower garden. In Emily Dickinson’s Gardening Life, award-winning author Marta McDowell explores Dickinson’s deep passion for plants and how it inspired and informed her writing. Tracing a year in the garden, the book reveals details few know about Dickinson and adds to our collective understanding of who she was as a person. By weaving together Dickinson’s poems, excerpts from letters, contemporary and historical photography, and botanical art, McDowell offers an enchanting new perspective on one of America’s most celebrated but enigmatic literary figures.

Download or read book The World of Laura Ingalls Wilder written by Marta McDowell and published by Hachette UK. This book was released on 2017-09-20 with total page 445 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Lushly illustrated with beloved images and quotations from the Little House series, The World of Laura Ingalls Wilder, by New York Times bestselling author Marta McDowell, examines and celebrates Wilder’s unique relationship with the American frontier.

Download or read book Unearthing The Secret Garden written by Marta McDowell and published by Timber Press. This book was released on 2021-10-12 with total page 321 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Marta McDowell returns with a beautiful, gift-worthy account of how plants and gardening deepy inspired Frances Hodgson Burnett, author of the beloved children's classic The Secret Garden.

Download or read book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil written by John Berendt and published by Random House. This book was released on 1994-01-13 with total page 417 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A modern classic of true crime, set in a most beguiling Southern city—now in a 30th anniversary edition with a new afterword by the author “Elegant and wicked . . . might be the first true-crime book that makes the reader want to book a bed and breakfast for an extended weekend at the scene of the crime.”—The New York Times Book Review Shots rang out in Savannah’s grandest mansion in the misty, early morning hours of May 2, 1981. Was it murder or self-defense? For nearly a decade, the shooting and its aftermath reverberated throughout this hauntingly beautiful city of moss-hung oaks and shaded squares. In this sharply observed, suspenseful, and witty narrative, John Berendt skillfully interweaves a hugely entertaining first-person account of life in this isolated remnant of the Old South with the unpredictable twists and turns of a landmark murder case. It is a spellbinding story peopled by a gallery of remarkable characters: the well-bred society ladies of the Married Woman’s Card Club; the turbulent young gigolo; the hapless recluse who owns a bottle of poison so powerful it could kill every man, woman, and child in Savannah; the aging and profane Southern belle who is the “soul of pampered self-absorption”; the uproariously funny drag queen; the acerbic and arrogant antiques dealer; the sweet-talking, piano-playing con artist; young people dancing the minuet at the black debutante ball; and Minerva, the voodoo priestess who works her magic in the graveyard at midnight. These and other Savannahians act as a Greek chorus, with Berendt revealing the alliances, hostilities, and intrigues that thrive in a town where everyone knows everyone else. Brilliantly conceived and masterfully written, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil is a sublime and seductive reading experience.

Download or read book The Garden Club Murders written by Amy Patricia Meade and published by Severn House Publishers Ltd. This book was released on 2019-07-01 with total page 217 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Tish Tarragon’s preparations for Coleton Creek’s annual garden club awards luncheon are threatened when one of the prime contenders is murdered. Literary caterer Letitia ‘Tish’ Tarragon is preparing her English Secret Garden-themed luncheon for Coleton Creek’s annual garden club awards, but when she is taken on a tour of some of the top contenders with the garden club’s president, Jim Ainsley, Tish is surprised at how seriously the residents take the awards – and how desperate they are to win. Wealthy, retired businessman Sloane Shackleford has won the coveted best garden category five years in a row, but he and his Bichon Frise, Biscuit, are universally despised. When Sloane’s bludgeoned body is discovered in his pristine garden, Tish soon learns that he was disliked for reasons that go beyond his green fingers. Have the hotly contested awards brought out a competitive and murderous streak in one of the residents?

Download or read book Maverick Gardeners written by Felder Rushing and published by Univ. Press of Mississippi. This book was released on 2021-03-17 with total page 203 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Be forewarned that this book honors people like the woman in my hometown who paints the numbers of her favorite NASCAR drivers on her elephant ears, and a Tokyo gardener with over a hundred bonsai plants.” So says renowned garden journalist Felder Rushing in his new book Maverick Gardeners: Dr. Dirt and Other Determined Independent Gardeners. In this book, Felder delves deeply into the psychology of what motivates and sustains the Keepers of the Garden Flame. For thousands of years, a loosely connected web of unique, nontraditional gardeners has bonded people across race, culture, language, and other social conventions through sharing unique plants and stories. Found in nearly every neighborhood worldwide, these “determined independent gardeners” (DIGrs) are typically nonjoiners who garden simply and exuberantly, eschewing customary horticultural standards in their amateur pursuits of personal bliss. Included in Maverick Gardeners are classic “passalong plant” lists, a dollop of how-to, numerous color photographs, and thought-provoking essays on quintessential tools, sharing with others, getting away with wildflowers in suburbia, and organizing a plant swap. The centerpiece of this unique gardening journey is the no-holds-barred story of a ten-year cross-cultural collaboration between the horticulturist author and a flamboyant rebellious gardener who called himself Dirt. Through swapping plants and garden lore—and rubbing shoulders with fellow DIGrs—they unraveled their shared humanity. From the practical to the inspiring, Maverick Gardeners is the perfect book for those nonconformist souls who see no sense in trying to fit in and follow the footpaths of others.

Download or read book Mulch written by Ann Ripley and published by Crimeline. This book was released on 2009-10-14 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Rooting out a killer can dig you a grave... Amateur gardener and housewife Louise Eldridge has big plans for her family's new Sylvan Valley home, situated among the flower of suburban Washington, D.C., society. Some Japanese iris here, some skunk cabbage there...and her own cozy cabin for her horticultural writings. But barely has she turned the topsoil when her organic mulching unearths the unidentifiable remains of a murder victim. Suddenly her elegant garden is a crime scene blighted by garish yellow police tape. And Louise--cultivating the rich and restless wives of the neighborhood and their hothouse secrets--must find out who has gone missing. For only then can she root out a rare species of killer who could soon be digging her grave.

Download or read book Beatrix Potter s Gardening Life written by Marta McDowell and published by Timber Press. This book was released on 2013-11-05 with total page 341 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “An enchanting and original account of Beatrix Potter's life and her love of plants and gardening.” —Judy Taylor, vice president of the Beatrix Potter Society There aren’t many books more beloved than The Tale of Peter Rabbit and even fewer authors as iconic as Beatrix Potter. More than 150 million copies of her books have sold worldwide and interest in her work and life remains high. And her characters—Peter Rabbit, Jemima Puddle Duck, and all the rest—exist in a charmed world filled with flowers and gardens. Beatrix Potter’s Gardening Life is the first book to explore the origins of Beatrix Potter’s love of gardening and plants and show how this passion came to be reflected in her work. The book begins with a gardener’s biography, highlighting the key moments and places throughout her life that helped define her, including her home Hill Top Farm in England's Lake District. Next, the reader follows Beatrix Potter through a year in her garden, with a season-by-season overview of what is blooming that truly brings her gardens alive. The book culminates in a traveler’s guide, with information on how and where to visit Potter’s gardens today.

Download or read book How Not to Kill Your Houseplant written by Veronica Peerless and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2017-08-15 with total page 144 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: You had one job: watering your new plant. But it's been a week and it's already dying. Fear not! This helpful guide is here to show you how to rescue your plants. Follow the survival tips outlined in this book and you'll be on your way to having your home brimming with green life. It's absolutely possible not to assassinate your houseplant - all you need is this book! From identifying exactly what's in the pot to helping it flourish and grow, this is your guide to creating an oasis of happy, flourishing houseplants. With over 50 different types of popular houseplants, this book summarizes what type of care your plants do (or don't) need. Find out which types of plants will thrive in your living space. You'll also discover how to keep a cactus alive, where to hang air plants, and how to repot succulents. Understand how much light, water, heat, and humidity your plant needs. Whatever your horticulture woes, this book will explain and fix it. Yellowed leaves, drooping leaves, and dried leaves - learn to spot the danger signs and how to take the proper action to rescue your sick plant. Packed with helpful tips, pictures, and information panels, How Not to Kill Your Houseplant will equip you with the skills necessary to raise a healthy plant. Give Your Plants a Chance! If you're horticulturally challenged and can't keep a house plant alive to save your life, then this book is for you! This practical guide to raising indoor plants equips you with the know-how you need to care for your plants. Inside the pages of this comprehensive gardening book from, you'll discover: - Tips on watering and feeding plants. - Advice on how to choose the perfect house plants for your unique space and needs. - Helpful survival tips and simple ways not to kill your plants. - Everything you need to know about lighting for house plants, from natural to artificial lighting sources. - Learn to spot the danger signs in unhealthy indoor plants and the effective techniques on how to rescue them.

Download or read book Insects and Gardens written by Eric Grissell and published by Timber Press (OR). This book was released on 2006 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It might be time to declare a truce with the insects in our lives. With a sound basis in science and a practical grounding in gardening experience, Grissell introduces the reader to the role of insects in garden ecology. Illustrated with gorgeous photographs and now available in paperback, this book will be loved by anyone seeking a greater appreciation and understanding of these often-maligned garden visitors.

Download or read book The American Meadow Garden written by John Greenlee and published by Timber Press. This book was released on 2009-09-01 with total page 279 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: If there's one lesson every homeowner must learn, it's this: The traditional lawn is a huge, time consuming, synthetic-chemical sucking mistake. The time has come to look for new ways to create friendly, livable spaces around our homes. In The American Meadow Garden, ornamental grass expert John Greenlee creates a new model for homeowners and gardeners. For Greenlee, a meadow isn't a random assortment of messy, anonymous grasses. Rather, it is a shimmering mini-ecosystem, in which regionally appropriate grasses combine with colorful perennials to form a rich tapestry that is friendly to all life — with minimal input of water, time, and other scarce resources. Kids and pets can play in complete safety, and birds and butterflies flock there. A prairie style planting is a place you want to be. With decades of experience as a nurseryman and designer, John Greenlee is the perfect guide. He details all the practicalities of site preparation, plant selection, and maintenance; particularly valuable are his explanations of how ornamental grasses perform in different climates and areas. Gorgeous photography by Saxon Holt visually illustrates the message with stunning examples of meadow gardens from across the country. We've reached a stage where we can no longer follow past practices unthinkingly, particularly when those practices are wasteful and harmful to the environment. It's time to get rid of the old-fashioned lawn and embrace a sane and healthy future: the American meadow garden.

Download or read book Onward and Upward in the Garden written by Katharine S. White and published by New York Review of Books. This book was released on 2015-03-17 with total page 393 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 1925 Harold Ross hired Katharine Sergeant Angell as a manuscript reader for The New Yorker. Within months she became the magazine’s first fiction editor, discovering and championing the work of Vladimir Nabokov, John Updike, James Thurber, Marianne Moore, and her husband-to-be, E. B. White, among others. After years of cultivating fiction, White set her sights on a new genre: garden writing. On March 1, 1958, The New Yorker ran a column entitled “Onward and Upward in the Garden,” a critical review of garden catalogs, in which White extolled the writings of “seedmen and nurserymen,” those unsung authors who produced her “favorite reading matter.” Thirteen more columns followed, exploring the history and literature of gardens, flower arranging, herbalists, and developments in gardening. Two years after her death in 1977, E. B. White collected and published the series, with a fond introduction. The result is this sharp-eyed appreciation of the green world of growing things, of the aesthetic pleasures of gardens and garden writing, and of the dreams that gardens inspire.

Download or read book All the Presidents Gardens written by Marta McDowell and published by Hachette UK. This book was released on 2024-01-16 with total page 280 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This New York Times bestseller shares the rich history of the White House grounds, revealing how the story of the garden is also the story of America. The 18-acres surrounding the White House have been an unwitting witness to history—kings and queens have dined there, bills and treaties have been signed, and presidents have landed and retreated. Throughout it all, the grounds have remained not only beautiful, but also a powerful reflection of American trends. In All the Presidents' Gardens bestselling author Marta McDowell tells the untold history of the White House grounds with historical and contemporary photographs, vintage seeds catalogs, and rare glimpses into Presidential pastimes. History buffs will revel in the fascinating tidbits about Lincoln’s goats, Ike's putting green, Jackie's iconic roses, Amy Carter's tree house, and Trump's controversial renovations. Gardeners will enjoy the information on the plants whose favor has come and gone over the years and the gardeners who have been responsible for it all. As one head gardener put it, “What’s great about the job is that our trees, our plants, our shrubs, know nothing about politics.”

Download or read book Jerry Baker s Great Green Book of Garden Secrets written by Jerry Baker and published by Jerry Baker. This book was released on 2006-09 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Handy hints, timely tonics, and super solutions to turn your yard into a green garden paradise!

Download or read book Deadhead and Buried LARGE PRINT written by H. Y. Hanna and published by . This book was released on 2020-05-31 with total page 494 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: City girl Poppy desperately wants to pay off her debts, quit her dead-end job, find her father... oh, and keep a plant alive. Poppy might not know her pansies from her petunias, but that doesn't stop her digging for clues. The only problem is that she could be digging her own grave too...

Download or read book The Butterfly Garden written by Dot Hutchison and published by Sterling Mystery Series. This book was released on 2017 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Originally published: Amazon Publishing, 2016.