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Past Show Information

 

 

March 14, 2010

One word is all that is necessary: "Bulb"
When you're a garden show host, a lot of books come in over the transom. Some people think the phrase should be through the transom but they're wrong. The transom is actually the crosspiece separating a door from the window above it. Of course, who designs doors with transoms anymore? But I digress.

The point is that Bulb is the title of the breathtaking new book by I garden writer Anna Pavord.She is the gardening correspondent for the U.K.'s The Independent (here's her article for March 13)and the author of eight previous books, including the bestselling The Tulip . And she has crafted a book that, if you are a gardener, is a must for your collection.

Those of us who garden know that there is something magic about bulbs, and Ms. Pavord treats her subject with the respect that something magical should be given. She tackles 600 or so plants that arise from bulbs, corms and tubers and does it with great knowledge and great humor. And the photos? Ridiculous. I mean that in a good way--the photography, by Andrew Lawson and Torie Chugg is brilliant. But don't take my word for it, check out reviews from my Twitter friend @MrBrownThumb and Garden Rant writer Elizabeth Licata.

I think I'm going to be intimidated by Anna Pavord. I'll see if I can get over it.

"The Lost Victory Garden Seed List of 1943"
is the title of blogger LaManda Joy's article about how Chicagoans led the charge to help the war effort by growing their own food. LaManda is also known by the handle @TheYarden on Twitter. That is also the name of her blog site, where you can find "The Lost Victory Garden Seed List of 1943, Parts I and II. Yep, score another point for social media introducing me to a show guest.

And I'm very glad this happened because LaManda has a great story to tell about how we are now relearning the kinds things about the earth that our parents and grandparents knew. In the words of Bugs Bunny, "I musta made a wrong turn at Albuqurque." But, with the rising of the urban agriculture movement, we're retracing our steps and putting our hands back in the soil.

Surprisingly, LaManda has discovered that many of the seeds that were available then are stil on the market, which gives me some hope for saving some of our precious heirloom varieties. She'll be talking about this and more at an event called "Chicago Victory Gardens: Yesterday and Tomorrow", on March 28 at Dank Haus Cultural Center, 4740 North Western Avenue in Chicago.

One more thing. LaManda wants you to support an online site called Hyperlocavore. Basically, they help match people who want to garden with gardening sites. And they're trying to move up to a new hosting service that can handle their growth. As LaManda points out, take that five bucks you were going to spend on a Starbucks and put it into a really good cause. Amen.

"A Chemical Reaction" is another story that must be heard
This inspiring, true tale is about one woman who stood up to the chemical companies in a small town in Quebec, Canada, and changed the way that country deals with pesticides. And it's coming to Chicago Saturday, March 20.

Paul Tukey is the man behind this 70-minute documentary. He founded SafeLawns.org, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting natural lawn care and grounds maintenance. I'm proud to say that I'm part of the Speakers' Network for SafeLawns.

And thanks to the efforts of Chicago's Safer Pest Control Project, another great promoter of natural lawn care, "A Chemical Reaction" will be shown next Saturday at Columbia College's Ferguson Auditorium, 600 S. Michigan Avenue starting at 3:00 p.m. Following the presentation, there will be a panel to talk about organic lawn care, feature Tukey, SPCP's Rachel Rosenberg, Steve Neumann of Clean Air Lawn Care Chicago, and yours truly.

There is a suggested ticket donation of only $10 for the event. To make a reservation, call Steve Pincuspy at 773/878-7378 x203 or write to general@spcpweb.org. This film is the start of a pesticide-free future for you and your kids. I hope you can be there. Aloha.

 

 

 
 
Podcasts



Anna Pavord

 


Some Victory Gardeners and their seeds,
circa 1943, from www.theyarden.com


Paul Tukey