Katherine Whiteside wants you to enjoy your garden. I’d imagine she’d be the perfect companion to have along while touring some breathtaking garden that sparks curiosity and envy in equal measure, one that makes you say I’d like to try that, but I couldn’t possibly . . . Whiteside’s reply, I’d guess: Yes, you can. The Way We Garden Now: 41 Pick-and-Choose Projects for Planting Your Paradise Large or Small is full of fine advice and comprehensible projects for beginners and for gardeners who are ready to branch out. While you certainly don’t have to march through the projects sequentially, they’re presented in a wise order (design appears early in the process, for example), and paced for the long haul. These aren’t instant makeovers; Whiteside is willing to budget months for opening new beds, and gives a two-year plan for installing paths, for example. And any garden how-to that ranks keeping a journal near the top of a list of important garden tasks is already well on its way to earning a gold star from me. What’s particularly now about this book, I think, is the way it does more than show and tell you what to do; it begins with why. Whiteside introduces each project by asking What’s the payoff? and her own experience shines through the answers, to inspire and motivate the aspiring gardener.
Valiant Women is a vital and engrossing attempt to correct the record and rightfully celebrate the achievements of female veterans of World War II.
