Onward and Upward in the Garden
by Katherine S. White

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Book Reviews of Onward and Upward in the Garden

Book Review: Wildflowers are God's gift
Summary: 5 Stars

Mrs. White refers to herself as a catalogue addict. She surveys the writing in the garden catalogues. She finds some catalogues growing more flamboyant. She does not like it that flowers are being made to imitate other flowers. Lilies are the most photogenic of all flowers she declares. In another essay she gives irises the same encomium. Nasturtium means nose twister in Latin.

Writing about the garden catalogues is almost as wonderful as having a garden. Words and pictures serve as memory aids. Newly developed kinds of roses and other flowers create in the reader a sense of expectancy. Katharine White describes a process akin to marketing and, yes, fashion.

In her essays Mrs. White lists a bewildering array of catalogues in all sizes and shapes. Many of the nurseries specialize in, say, daffodils. The golden age of flower painting was 1760-1860. The writer recalls the lawn of her childhood and the gentle mowing of it by hand. She finds the current practice of mowing with a gasoline powered mower noisy business.

She is tempted to plant an apricot tree in memory of a Jane Austen squabble in MANSFIELD PARK. Katharine White points out that the Victorian garden is now despised, the kind that makes a carpet on the lawn, makes patterns. She writes that wildflowers are important because they are gifts from God or nature.

The Japanese art of Ikebana is the art of flower arranging. No two people agree on the history and the techniques. Mrs. White received at an early age Lafcadio Hearn's GLIMPSES OF UNFAMILIAR JAPAN. Hearn was a reporter with an eye for beauty.

Flowers have been a traditional offering to the Gods. Garden Club judges have a powerful influence on contemporary aesthetics. Most modern flower shows are built around a theme. Flower arranging is filled with fads and trends. Kitchen utensils as containers are much favored in New England country shows.

The gardens at Winterthur have been opened to the public since 1951. There is a short review of V. Sackville-West's GARDEN BOOK. It can be read for the sheer pleasure of its prose style. A list of suppliers and books in print appears at the back of the book. In addition to reviewing garden catalogues, garden books, nature guides, and flower arranging books are covered.

Summary of Onward and Upward in the Garden

Gardening & Horticulture Books

• Books > Subjects > Crafts, Hobbies & Home
• Science & Math > Nature & Ecology