All the Dirt on Gardening

Gardens change with the times. Methods such as composting go in and out of style. Plants such as coleus go out of fashion and return 30 years later. Garden writing also changes. New books tell readers how to landscape a home and how to design a perfect flower bed. In the past, however, garden books reflected more of the author’s interests, preferences and passions. From 1939 to the 1950s, Dorothy H. Jenkins wrote garden books and a column for the New York Times called “Around the Garden”. The topics are similar to todays, including, planting, pruning, and how to lay out a flower bed, but it is worth revisiting Jenkins’ books for the charm of her 1940’s writing style. Excerpts from Jenkins 1945 book, "Annuals for Every Garden" - Annual flowers vary from gaiety to sedateness, the plants from midget to climber, and may be either dependable or temperamental according to the individual. To the photographer annuals may mean the cosmos that provided the background for a distinguishe...