I am not a gardener, in fact, I call wherever I live 'Withering Heights' because, quite honestly, if it doesn't bark or whinny, it's likely to be overlooked. Still, when I saw Northwest Weeds: the Ugly and Beautiful Villains of Fields, Gardens, and Roadsides, by Ronald J. Taylor, well, it just had to be added to my shelf. There's lots of, mmm, 'horticultural' information here, but I did enjoy the beautiful photographs. :-)

I have always had a fondness for dandelions. They are adaptable, growing tall in long grass, but then, if mowed, come back on a short stem. Their yellow flower is bright and cheerful and as a kid I loved blowing on the 'fluffy' stage. Then, when Carl Sagan used this stage as the ship of the imagination on the original PBS show Cosmos, I loved them all the more. Dandelion: Celebrating the Magical Blossom, by Amy S. Wilensky and illustrated by Yumi Heo does just that! Here you'll find poems, recipes, cures and more. There's the expected uses in salads and as a wine, but you can also make jelly, hair rinse, paper, and fritters! Mom made some wine, once, but it was so long ago now I do not remember the taste. Greens in a salad are not bad! Making the chain made for sticky fingers. :-)

Dandelion Wine, by Ray Bradbury fits nicely here, I think, even though it is fiction. I enjoyed this book better when I reread it as an (ahem) more mature adult. I think I understood the nostalgia of that special summer better than I did when I was younger. Bradbury had a talent for creating a sense of wonder.

These two book are a nice departure from the 'how-to' gardening books. A Weed By Any Other Name: the Virtues of a Messy Lawn, or Learning to Love the Plants We Don't Plant, by Nancy Gift is rather like a memoir. Starting with spring, the author takes the reader on a year long tour of various weeds (mostly between Pittsburgh and the south, where relatives live) and shares her favorites with her two daughters. There's even a chapter on Astroturf! Weeds: In Defense of Nature's Most Unloved Plants, by Richard Mabey, is a sort of history book in that weeds across the ages are discussed. I liked the inclusion of weeds in fiction books (think the Harry Potter books), and a nice entry on poppies and that poignant poem In Flanders Fields, by John McCrae, the inspiration for Poppy Day (and later, Remembrance Day).

Wicked Plants: the Weed That Killed Lincoln's Mother & Other Botanical Atrocities, by Amy Stewart is both a field guide and a warning. There is the expected information on each plant, where it lives, the growth cycle, etc. but also a detailed description of how it is poisonous (what parts) and when, what the symptoms are, and who might have died from it. Alot of the plants that are common to gardens and homes are beautiful but deadly! This book sort of took me ... sideways I guess ... to a book on my shelf. Every so often I dabble with the idea of writing a mystery. I have a few settings, even a few victims (an evil chuckle here), but just how do I 'do them in'? Deadly Doses: a Writer's Guide to Poisons, by Serita Deborah Stevens, with Anne Klarner, has many suggestions (and more than just plants). Reading almost like a text book, there's where to find each poison, how quickly it acts, what the symptoms are like, any antidotes, etc. which are divided into chapters about toxic plants, animals, commercial products and the like. Sometimes I've used this book when reading a mystery, or watching one on tv, it's pretty interesting.

In the past, a simple solution might have been a spider in an outhouse, as put forth in the song 'Black Widows in the Privy' from the filk music tape The Horse Tamer's Daughter. (I wish it was available in CD!)

And, naturally, I just could not do a post on weeds without something on weed! Even though it won't happen here, Seed to Weed: a Pot Enthusiast's Guide to Growing Marijuana, by Chris Stone was an interesting read. It reminded me a bit of times past when folks had those sun lamp light bulbs, and ferns on their desks or tables. :-)

Reading Hermit With Dog