The Voice of Experience

– Posted in: Book reviews
3 comments

image of book coverSay you just moved from a supposedly more reasonable climate to the far north. Winter is fast approaching; you know you won’t be able to get anything done before the snow flies, but you’d sure like to know what you were in for before spring comes. Wouldn’t you like one of your new neighbors to be a veteran gardener, who just happens to invite you over for a chat and a cup of something warm, and shares all her hard-won experience?

Wanda Ferguson is that gardener.

A glance at the hardiness zone map for Maine reveals a range of climate zones, from the near-sultry zone 6 of the coast to the frigid zone 3b of the interior. Wanda Ferguson has been gardening in zone 3 for, oh, about 50 years now. With that kind of experience, you’d think she’d have a thing or two to share, and you’d be right.

. . . the first thing you need to know is that most of the soil in this area tends to be on the lean, mean and rocky side. Winter’s frost hangs in there with a vengeance, and summer’s gardening season is shorter than the hair on a Chihuahua.

(Sorry, you’ll have to fix that warm drink yourself, and just pretend she’s sitting across the kitchen table from you.) Ferguson is nothing if not practical and frugal, so her focus is on growing food for the table. Still, two of the thirteen chapters cover growing ornamental plants, and once again, they are full of practical advice. Since many gardeners in her area of Maine are summer residents only, she wisely points out that when you are in residence and how much time and energy you are willing to expend should be deciding factors when planning your garden. The second chapter dealing with ornamentals consists almost entirely of which plants, in her experience, the deer leave alone. ‘Nuff said.

A short season garden in the upper plains is going to have different challenges than Ferguson’s New England mountains, but I think there’s plenty here for anyone new to gardening in a cold climate. I know I learned a better way to plant peas and manage a strawberry patch, and I’ve seen my share of subzero winters. If you know someone new to cold climate gardening, or has a cottage up north, or who perpetually grouses that “it’s too cold to grow anything here,” this book would make an excellent gift.

Wanda Ferguson, Mountain Gardening. (Lupine Press, 2004; ISBN 0974551708.) 82 pages. Order here.

About the Author

Kathy Purdy is a colchicum evangelist, converting unsuspecting gardeners into colchicophiles. She gardens in rural upstate NY, which used to be USDA Hardiness Zone 4 but is now Zone 5. Kathy’s been writing since 4th grade, gardening since high school, and blogging since 2002. Find her on Instagram as kopurdy.

In the end, this may be the most important thing about frost: Frost slows us down. In spring, it tempers our eagerness. In fall, it brings closure and rest. In our gotta-go world–where every nanosecond seems to count–slowness can be a great gift. So rather than see Jack Frost as an adversary, you could choose to greet him as a friend.

~Philip Harnden in A Gardener’s Guide to Frost: Outwit the Weather and Extend the Spring and Fall Seasons

Comments on this entry are closed.

Mary Ann November 10, 2006, 1:22 am

Kathy,

I am in LA for a couple of days. Visiting my cousin Anne and attending a
Garden Conservancy program with her (our idea of celebrating her 50th birthday.) She is a new landscape architect and we have been touring gardens together for years. So, anyway, that’s why I am notat my desk, bugging you with Word Press issues.

I love your review of that tool cart. I have been trying to talk myself into one forever. You did all the homework for me! Thanks,

MA

Sandy November 8, 2006, 11:28 am

This book looks so good! I know Rangeley well, and have often wondered about gardening there.

Wanda B. Ferguson November 8, 2006, 11:04 am

Just want to extend my thanks to Kathy Purdy for the wonderful review of my book Mountain Gardening. Your organization is more refreshing than finished compost–and that’s no bull!