Peter Donegan Garden Design & Landscaping
In all cases, this is not a full blog for you to read about a book. That’s what the book is for. And in all cases, I have read them all, refused to read the press release [ or copy and paste it – pet hate] and given what I believe is a fair paragraph or two on my overall thoughts.
I don’t really do or buy the off the shelf garden design type books. I find many of them bore me very quickly. It’s not their fault. Or mine. I’m aware I maybe think a little outside of the box. An odd fish in that department maybe, but I’ve seen and done most or all of that contained within before.
In my own library I love the old books that I own. The very old, that I bought second hand for £3 when I first finished my horticultural studies. I find them a little like reading turn of the previous century romantic Irish poetry, translated photosynthetically. Or at least that’s how I see it. Maybe it’s because one couldn’t go to college, in them days, come straight out the far side and say, for I am a garden designer. Instead, one had to earn their stripes.
To the point, this is not a review of any of these 5 books. They are but 5 that I browsed through and chose, from of a possible 80 or so. To clarify, one won’t find a full free garden design and planting plan from any of these. If on the other hand your brain can actually picture a cow jumping over the moon, then they are right up your and my alley and you will take something from them.
And how that, whatever it maybe, is made or created is always part 2 of the equation. You get where I’m coming from… A little like the bird feeder, made from an exhaust pipe. See image below.
All of the books a by the way are available from my local Fingal library in Swords.
Further reading:
The following books were chosen by Peter Donegan with Siobhan Walshe of Fingal Libraries and are intended as a guide list of books to be used by Teachers, Parents and Children during the six week Primary School garden programme, Adventures in Green Gardening, that starts Tuesday 16th October.
More information on this to follow….
Rather than give a short list of [say 5 for example – over maybe 30 students] books, it was felt a longer list was better. This allows for more variation and relevance to ones home set up and also ones existing gardening enthusiasm and level of experience.
The gardening and outdoors books, all available from Fingal Libraries, are listed in no particular order and are divided into two categories, namely Children and Adults.
If you may be wondering – all books were personally selected. To Siobhan and the Librarians [Blanchardstown Library in this case] who tidied them all away, correctly, after me – thank you so very much, sincerely.
More information on Fingal Libraries: Facebook.com/FingalLibraries – www.fingalcoco.ie/Library
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I did ask fingal Libraries to keep me posted on new gardening books as and when they came in. In short, it’s a nice and easy way for this Dublin based gardener/ horticulturist to keep in touch with what’s coming on the market and also what might take my fancy.
The last post I published regarding new garden related books hitting the shelves of Fingal Libraries was August 9th. I was suffice to say, pretty impressed when an email came in again this month with the note of four new gardening publications attached.
The Self Sufficiency handbook by Alan & Gill Bridgewater
A practical guide to growing your own organic food, rearing chicken, goats and pigs, having an eco friendly home, this book is full of tips and advice with clear illustrations.
The Cook’s Garden – Australian Women’s Weekly
Information on when and where to plant, pest control and harvesting, tips on storing produce – bottling, freezing and drying, and lots of delicious recipes.
Gardening Landscape manual by Paul Wagland
[haynes] It describes the full range of popular landscaping techniques e.g. laying paving and building walls that even an amateur gardener could tackle with each project clearly explained and illustrated step by step.
The Veggie Gardener’s Answer Book by Barbara W. Ellis
A Questions & Answers format that covers a wide range of topics from dealing with pests and diseases, advice about soils and composting to the secrets of success with different vegetables.
Many thanks to Siobhan Walshe of Fingal Libraries PR Department for the above.
I got an email in from Siobhan Walshe of Fingal Libraries PR Dept letting me know of some great new gardening books that will be coming to the shelves of Fingal’s Libraries quite soon.
Siobhan notes:
Here’s a list of some new and interesting books that will be in the branches in the next couple of weeks:-
They are all well illustrated and none seem too complicated though No 5 is quite detailed.
Siobhan also notes
I found one new book on camping –
I have to give Siobhan credit and I simply love the added camping book…. someone is paying attention to my blog 😉 On a serious note, having learnt from my mistakes – I now buy my gardening books like I add to my vinyl collection. Far too much clap trap out there and I like my books to be investments and archivable reference books for the future.
Also the staff of Fingal libraries are very intelligent people and they don’t choose books with any sort of willy nilly approach. Watch this space…. or just watch Fingal Libraries.