Re: Schmid book on shade

Well, Claire, while it will be quite helpful to southern gardeners, I
don't think it is fair to say 'only' southern gardeners because many,
possibly (I have not counted), a majority of the plants are noted to
be hardy in northern climates; some are noted failures for Schmid and
stated to grow well only in cooler places. 

I also think that it is no more limited to his Georgia Garden than
Dan Hinkley's "The Explorer's Garden" is limited to those gardening
in the PNW, tho' that is where his garden is and he writes about
plants from his knowledge of growing them in that particular climate.
 IMO,  garden writers write best when they write about what they
know. 

It seems that your quarrel is primarily with the book's title.  I
wonder just how much say Mr. Schmid had in that?  From what I gather,
authors don't always get the title they would prefer on their books. 
  It might have been more technically accurate to call it something
other than 'Encyclopedia', but I've got a few by that name that are
less comprehensive than this one...

Personally, I think it's a good listing of plants for shade and not
simply a regional one.  If it neglects some, so do most all books and
particularly books written about plants from a personal experience
standpoint.  Many encyclopedias are compiled by several authors and
the data is either terse or so universal that it is practically
meaningless.  I prefer books with personal experience, no matter if
they are a bit quirky (actually, because they are)...real people are
that:-)

I was most interested in his coverage of Petasites, which is not at
all a small plant.  His idea of growing it in a big tub prompted me
to order one this year...the variegated form...which I have always
wanted, but was afraid to set loose in the garden....so not
everything he covers is a small plant:-)   I am also most interested
in the new Asian introductions, about which there is not a lot of
data out there.

A lot of books cost $50US these days; not sure why you think this one
is so over priced??

I think his inclusion of ground covering plants warranted - I have a
lot of ground to cover, so am always interested in plants that will
do that.  While I do not find Corydalis lutea a weed, I know many do;
he is not the only gardener who has banned this lovely creature from
his garden.  Oddly enough, the one bit of Bishop's weed I have is in
such poor, dry conditions with so much competition that it has hardly
survived...that may be his experience.  He does warn whenever a plant
has world conquest tendencies. 

I am finding native asters, which I like when they are blooming, to
be a big chore because of incredible amounts of seeding all over the
map.  If I had a penny for each aster seedling I have to weed out
every year, I could retire today a wealthy woman.   

I think any writer worth their salt is going to give their
perspective about a plant and one does not have to agree with them
for their books to be valid.  While Schmid is not shy about his
preferences and does tend to give those he does not care for short
shrift (take his entry on Primula, for instance), this is not unknown
in the world of garden books...think of Christopher Lloyd...and does
not diminish the book's value.  

I do not think this book is perfect nor the end-all in books about
shade plants, but I have found it most interesting thus far and I
know I will be referring to it in future.

I also love books and buy them and have several gathering dust on my
shelves that I had looked forward to and find to be rather useless,
despite the hype when they came out.   Books, like anything else,
will be useful or not to different people for different
reasons....that's what makes the world go 'round:-)  

Marge Talt, zone 7 Maryland
mtalt@hort.net
Editor:  Gardening in Shade
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