From the category archives:

Book Review

Succulent Container Gardens – The Perfect Mix of Stunning Photos and Useful Information

by Fern on February 22, 2010

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As you all know, I have been waiting for Debra Lee Baldwin’s latest book to come out for some time. And I am here to tell you that Succulent Container Gardens lives up to all of my hopes and expectations for the book. So many gardening books skimp of good quality color photographs. This book is overflowing with them. But the abundance of photos didn’t preclude Debra from including plenty of useful information as well.

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How to Save Money Gardening, and How Your Garden Can Save You Money

by Fern on February 16, 2010

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I love this time of year, it’s when all the new gardening books seem to be published! I was very excited to receive a review copy of Maureen Gilmer’s latest book, The Small Budget Gardener, because I think it covers a topic that is on most people’s minds these days: saving money.

You may know Maureen (“Mo”) from her blog, MoZone, or from one of the 17 (!!!) books on gardening that she has authored, or from her nationally syndicated newspaper column “Yardsmart,” or perhaps you’ve seen her on the DIY or HGTV television networks. Needless to say, I was interested to read what a thoughtful gardener such as Gilmer had to say about being frugal, but I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the book is not only about how to spend less while gardening, but also about how to use your garden to save money in other areas.

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Thumbnail image for Great Deck of Cards for Vegetable Gardeners…

Great Deck of Cards for Vegetable Gardeners…

January 27, 2010

If you’re looking for a quick-reference card you can take with you out on your balcony or patio with all the information you need when you’re in the thick of gardening, then The Good Growing Guide is just what you need. Isabel of Fennel and Fern has created beautifully photographed postcards with easy-to-reference information about [...]

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Can’t Wait for “Succulent Container Gardens” to Come Out!

January 19, 2010

I just spotted this video promo of Debra Baldwin’s latest succulent book called Succulent Container Gardens. I have been excited about this book since I saw the cover several months ago, but this video has really got me salivating. The photography is gorgeous, and the combinations of plants and pots are stunning. I can’t wait [...]

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Review of The NEW Low-Maintenance Garden by Valerie Easton

November 25, 2009

Yesterday I mentioned that I have been reading a book whose sentiment has really stuck with me. In The NEW Low-Maintenance Garden Valerie Easton writes a passionate manifesto for less. That is, less time spent maintaining your garden, but more time spent enjoying yourself in it. She equisitely and articulately makes her case, but you’ll [...]

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Vlog 3: Review of P. Allen Smith’s Container Gardening Deck

November 18, 2009

I recently received a review copy of P. Allen Smith’s Container Gardens Deck. In order to test it out and see whether I would recommend the deck to other people, I took one of the cards with me to the nursery and used it to create a container design:

As you can see, I think the [...]

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Review of ‘Black Plants: 75 Striking Choices for the Garden’ by Paul Bonine

November 6, 2009

When I heard about Paul Bonine’s Black Plants: 75 Striking Choices for the Garden I was very excited. I love black plants. I pre-ordered it on the spot, but I haven’t gotten around to reviewing it until just now. I apologize, because it really is a great book that deserved immediate attention.

As the title alludes, [...]

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Welcoming Wildlife to the Garden

October 16, 2009

Recently I discovered a great book at my library called Welcoming Wildlife to the Garden by Catherine Johnson, Susan McDiarmid and Edward Turner that I’m very excited to share with LOTB readers. What initially caught my eye was the book’s subtitle, “Creating backyard and Balcony Habitats for Wildlife.” Any gardening book  that remembers balcony gardeners [...]

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Photo Essay of Novella Carpenter Event at Riordan Library

July 24, 2009

Adriana and I headed up to LA yesterday to hear author Novella Carpenter discuss her Oakland farm, which is the subject of her book Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer. We met up with Milli and her friend Amy and had fun mingling with other LA gardeners and bloggers.
All-in-all I had a great time, [...]

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Pickled Pepperoncinis

July 20, 2009

Yesterday I pickled something for the first time. Pretty exciting, eh? Okay, maybe it’s not that exciting. But it was fun and even challenging. If you grow your own vegetables, you should definitely give it a try.

I had a modest first harvest from my pepperoncini plants, so I selected smallish preserving jars (16 oz) that [...]

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Growing Stuff: An Alternative Guide to Gardening

May 3, 2009

A month or so ago, I got an email from Black Dog Publishing alerting me to the fact that Life on the Balcony had been listed as a resource in a new book about container gardening that was about to be published. What a thrill that was! The publisher was kind enough to send me [...]

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How Adorable! Gardening Inspired Cupcakes

December 5, 2008

This weekend, I’m going to help my mom make some cupcakes from her new cupcake cookbook, Hello, Cupcake! by Alan Richardson and Karen Tack. The ideas in the book are absolutely the most adorable things you have ever seen. While I am given to exaggeration, that was not an exaggeration. Most. Adorable. Ever.
The great thing [...]

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