The Dirtiest Book I Own

Whenever I head to the garden for a serious work day this book hitches a ride in the wheelbarrow along with its companions - the shovel, bucket, trowel, clippers and bug spray. It's easier than tracking my garden dirt into the house countless times to double check a when or a how-to. THIS is the book that bears the marks and scars of the great outdoors. As I flip through the pages I can find evidence of muddy fingerprints, hose mis-firings, debris from the garden gloves, dribbles of sun tea, flower petals, a squashed mosquito, a random seed or two, and (ew) maybe even a drop of blood from a rose thorn. More than any other gardening book, this one is subject to abuse as it lays open on the reference section of my stone wall. I can't attack the chores without Tracy DiSabato-Aust's help. She has divided her book into three sections. Section I is devoted to basic perennial planting and maintenance. Section II is all about Pruning. These sections are more for feet-up study with my peanut butter sandwich and glass of milk. Section III is my favorite, the most useful (and has the dirtiest passages!) It is an A-Z encyclopedia of perennials. For every plant name there is a banquet of information: zone, description, size, exposure, flowering time, pruning and maintence tips for every season. And there's dessert on the banquet table, "Other maintenance tips." It's a wealth of information to encourage success for every plant. So the secret's out. I own a book that is too dirty for my coffee table.