A Book by George

August 27th, 2013

   Pardon me if I seem a little distracted the rest of this season.

The 2002 version of Pennsylvania Gardener’s Guide by Liz Ball.

   I just signed a contract to write a plant book for Cool Springs Press, and the manuscript is due by the end of the year.

   The book will be called the Pennsylvania Getting Started Garden Guide, and it’s actually a new version of the Pennsylvania Gardener’s Guide that my eastern-Pa. friend and garden-writer colleague Liz Ball did for Cool Springs in 2002.

   It’s part of a nationwide regional series aimed at helping new gardeners and casual yardeners pick the best plants for their yards.

   I like that approach because plant selection is such a regional thing. What does well in one area might be invasive or bug-prone or wimpy in one another.

   That’s why I sometimes joke that I can’t move because I’d be out of a job in a different growing zone. I’d be back to square one trying to figure out the plants of Florida or New England or whatever.

   The bulk of the Pennsylvania Getting Started Garden Guide will be detailed profiles on the 170 best plants for Pennsylvania landscapes. I get to pick the lineup.

   Each profile gets a full page, including sizes, bloom times, colors, growing tips and specific varieties or cultivars that I think are the best of the best.

   It’s a  bit along the lines of the 18-page plant list that I give to all of my Garden House-Calls clients and that’s available here as a $5.95 download or a $10.95 mailed-out paper copy.

   I’ve also got about 300 plants profiled on the Plant Profiles section of this site, in case you’ve never seen that.

   The book’s plant picks will be broken down into categories: Annuals, Bulbs, Groundcovers, Evergreens, Ornamental Grasses, Shrubs, Trees, Perennials and Vines.

   Each section will have a 2-page introduction about that category of plants. The first chapter will be a rundown on the basics of what people should know about gardening in Pennsylvania.

   We’re also looking at some helpful additional information, including a chapter on lawns, Pennsylvania award-winning plants, what to do when things go wrong in the garden, 20 Pennsylvania public gardens worth visiting, and icons that’ll tell which of the 170 plant picks are native selections.

   The book will be a paperback, most likely priced at $24.99 and available at Lowe’s stores as well as online and at the usual book stores and garden-related venues where garden books are sold.

   I’ll also have copies to sell here and at the talks and trips I do.

   And I suspect the book will be available in electronic form, although I’m not positive about that yet.

   It’ll be late 2014 until the book hits the market. I’ll let you know when it’s done and out.

   In the meantime, I’ve had to cut off appointments this fall for Garden House-Calls to clear the deck to get the book done.

   Check back over winter to get on my next spring’s calendar if you need help with ideas in your yard.

   Or just wait for the book and pick out your own favorites from the 170.