I want to read about watching grass grow
June 13, 2023 7:38 AM Subscribe
I want books that inspire me to take care of my semi-wild yard, such as Braiding Sweetgrass. More details below the cut.
In order to get things done, I often need to make that activity (exercise, art, etc.) my entire personality. What I need to get done this summer is caring for my yard. I have been cultivating a native, pollinator and bird friendly yard. It takes a lot of work to keep it from becoming overrun and I am extremely lazy, so I need to find inspiration in books. So far I've read and been motivated by the journals of Thoreau and the book Braiding Sweetgrass, both of which remind me of my ethical reasons for this work. Any other suggestions? The books should be set in North America or in an extremely hot landscape. (Reading about delightful British gardens full of foxes and hedgehogs only makes me depressed about pulling weeds in 100 degree heat.)
In order to get things done, I often need to make that activity (exercise, art, etc.) my entire personality. What I need to get done this summer is caring for my yard. I have been cultivating a native, pollinator and bird friendly yard. It takes a lot of work to keep it from becoming overrun and I am extremely lazy, so I need to find inspiration in books. So far I've read and been motivated by the journals of Thoreau and the book Braiding Sweetgrass, both of which remind me of my ethical reasons for this work. Any other suggestions? The books should be set in North America or in an extremely hot landscape. (Reading about delightful British gardens full of foxes and hedgehogs only makes me depressed about pulling weeds in 100 degree heat.)
I recommend Robin Wall Kimmerer’s previous book about mosses, ‘Gathering Moss’. It’s extremely slow, but enjoyable, and ends with a chapter throwing significant shade on (most probably) Warren Buffet.
posted by bq at 8:06 AM on June 13, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by bq at 8:06 AM on June 13, 2023 [4 favorites]
Seconding the recommendation for Gathering Moss, too. I really enjoyed listening to the audiobook.
posted by wicked_sassy at 8:13 AM on June 13, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by wicked_sassy at 8:13 AM on June 13, 2023 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Annie Dillard's Pilgrim at Tinker Creek.
posted by FencingGal at 8:19 AM on June 13, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by FencingGal at 8:19 AM on June 13, 2023 [4 favorites]
Best answer: It's not specific to gardening, but Henry Beston's The Outermost House is just gorgeous nature writing. It takes place on Cape Cod, so maybe save it for your cooler season. If you like Robin Wall Kimmerer, take a look at Emergence Magazine, which has featured much of her work. It's mostly online but also available in beautiful bound editions.
posted by jquinby at 8:45 AM on June 13, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by jquinby at 8:45 AM on June 13, 2023 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I like knowing about weeds even if I’m planning to remove most of them. My Weeds is superb but maybe a bit mid-Atlantic for you. Complete weed guides are a little dry (and expensive!) but complete; don’t know which covers you.
I’ve got three four six weeds-and-natives-and-interactions books written where I am, all small press books, maybe your region has them?
posted by clew at 8:46 AM on June 13, 2023 [1 favorite]
I’ve got three four six weeds-and-natives-and-interactions books written where I am, all small press books, maybe your region has them?
posted by clew at 8:46 AM on June 13, 2023 [1 favorite]
Seconding Ross Gay, whose love of gardening is contagious and emerges in almost everything he writes.
posted by socialjusticeworrier at 9:07 AM on June 13, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by socialjusticeworrier at 9:07 AM on June 13, 2023 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Thanks y'all--these suggestions are great. Soil looks like exactly what I need next in my life. The reviews of "My Weeds" also have my excited. Trying to figure out which weed is which is one of my favorite parts. I've found that weeds tend to have a large growing range, so they can be more "universal" than other plants.
posted by tofu_crouton at 9:57 AM on June 13, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by tofu_crouton at 9:57 AM on June 13, 2023 [1 favorite]
If weeds are in scope, I'll add All About Weeds by Edwin Rollin Spencer, which is just fun to read.
posted by jquinby at 10:33 AM on June 13, 2023
posted by jquinby at 10:33 AM on June 13, 2023
On the animal side of embracing your local natives, you might enjoy Pests: How Humans Create Animal Villains by Bethany Brookshire.
posted by hydropsyche at 4:10 AM on June 14, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by hydropsyche at 4:10 AM on June 14, 2023 [2 favorites]
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Other recommendations set in North America:
The Seed Keeper by Diane Wilson (fiction)
World of Wonders by Aimee Nezhukumatathil (essay collection)
Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude by Ross Gay (poetry)
Lace & Pyrite: Letters from Two Gardens by Ross Gay & Aimee Nezhukumatathil (epistolary prose)
posted by wicked_sassy at 8:01 AM on June 13, 2023 [4 favorites]