Fwd: Favorite Narrative Bulb Books

Judy Glattstein jgglatt@gmail.com
Sat, 22 Jan 2011 13:58:03 PST
I have about a gazillion gardening books. And yes, a fair number are 
bulb-related. Of the"narrative" style that Michael mentions there are 
two authors that come  immediately to mind.

The first is of course Elizabeth Lawrence. Her classic "The Little 
Bulbs: A Tale of Two Gardens" is a delightful journey through her garden
in North Carolina and that of Mr. Krippendorf, in southern Ohio. I've 
had the pleasure of twice visiting Elizabeth's garden. While many plants 
she wrote about are no longer extant, some of the bulbs still welcome 
Spring with exuberant bloom. I am also fortunate to have a copy of 
"Lob's Wood" a little 78 page pamphlet about Mr. Krippendorf's garden 
that Miss Lawrence wrote for the Cincinnati Nature Center which (at 
least back in 1971 when the pamphlet was published, don't know about 
today) manages Lob's Woods.

And the other is M. M. Graff. Her book "Flowers in the Winter Garden" 
does include some non-bulbous flowers but the focus on winter blossoming 
plants of necessity primarily about bulbs. Dicky, who died in 2007, 
lived on Long Island and in Brooklyn NY. "Opinionated" does not begin to 
cover her approach to life. I had the pleasure of corresponding with her 
for a number of years and thoroughly enjoy her letters both the first 
time around and when I re-read them. Published in 1966 and sold for a 
modest $4.95 the book will doubtless be difficult to find but enjoyable 
once obtained.

Judy in frigid New Jersey where overnight temperatures were in the quite
low single (Fahrenheit) digits and the wood burning stove is voraciously
consuming wood


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