Mentors in the Garden of Life: Book Review

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Colleen Plimpton

Colleen Plimpton

Gardening teaches you about life, it’s often been said, and Colleen Plimpton, in Mentors in the Garden of Life, makes this connection explicit. Each essay in her memoir pairs an influential person in her life with a plant. I always tried to guess how the plant and the person were tied together, and I was almost never right. I take that back: no almost about it!

I met Colleen at the Rochester (NY) flower and garden show when she was speaking there in March 2011. If I had read her book before we met, I would have known an awful lot about her. My, what a childhood she had! The adults in her growing-up years didn’t hesitate to teach her some of life’s lessons, but she had great liberty to roam the land around her house and interact with the natural world. It is fun to trace her interest in plants through her life, until it blossoms into a full-fledged career, just as she’s retiring from her “real” job. On the way of course, we meet the many people who mentored her, or taught her something valuable, at key points in her life.

At the end of every essay, there is a profile of the plant that’s been woven into that particular story. All the information you need to successfully grow the plant is included, as well as “interesting asides” about each plant. If you are a novice gardener, you will be introduced to new plants that you will want to grow, if for no other reason than there are now stories associatated with them in your mind. And if you already know every one of these plants, you will still smile at how it was woven into Colleen’s life, and perhaps remember how that same plant came into your garden, as well.

Colleen gave me her book to review. I’ve tried to present my honest and unbiased opinion of it. I am an Amazon affiliate, and if you click through the book links and buy something on Amazon I will earn a small commission.

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.

Now, the digging and dividing of perennials, the general autumn cleanup and the planting of spring bulbs are all an act of faith. One carries on before the altar of delayed gratification, until the ground freezes and you can’t do any more other than refill the bird feeder and gaze through the window, waiting for the snow. . . . Meanwhile, it helps to think of yourself as a pear tree or a tulip. You will blossom spectacularly in the spring, but only after the required period of chilling.

~Adrian Higgins in The Washington Post, November 6, 2013

Comments on this entry are closed.

Pascal T December 13, 2013, 3:28 pm

Thnak you Kathy for your great contribution !

Jenny December 11, 2013, 2:14 pm

I agree with Gail, perfect book for a rainy day!

commonweeder December 9, 2013, 12:41 pm

I met Colleen at a GWA meeting a couple of years ago. I think her book is brilliant – and it reminded me of all the people who have influenced me and my garden.

Gail December 9, 2013, 10:10 am

Sounds like a good read for a dray and wintery day.

Donna@Gardens Eye View December 8, 2013, 8:12 pm

Kathy I love the idea of this book…I will check it out.

Dee Nash December 7, 2013, 3:26 pm

Very good review Kathy!

Charlie@Seattle Trekker December 6, 2013, 9:57 pm

It sounds really interesting, I am going to see if I can’t find a copy.