Oh Garden of Fresh Possibilities!: Notes from a Gloucester Garden

This is an interesting, thoughtful and beautifully illustrated book. It would also make a lovely gift for any gardener.

Gardening is a lifetime labor of love. My introduction to planting bushes, plants and trees was...."where do you think this might look good?" Most of our gardening was done by a brother and Mother in an area called "the Four Quadrants" within 13 acres. We did have to contend with wind, winterkill, poor soil and ultimately too much shade. Plants like sun! I remember cutting dozens of maple saplings and deciding to leave two or three up to grow. Today we're dealing with 40 to 50 foot maple trees that have taken over my quadrants. Our way of gardening was,,,,if you have 20 bulbs etc., you planted them in a row with little thought to planting in clusters or groupings. I've learned a number of things reading this book although from my perspective this is not a beginners book. Choosing the right variety, the zone hardiness, the need to fertilize,(fish emulsion will be my new friend,) Although my gardening will be somewhat limited, I now will keep in mind foundation planting and have an excellent planting guide across a wide variety of plants. I liked her in-depth chapter study of plants such as peonies, roses, lily of the valley etc., and the complementary plantings. Her prose and watercolor illustrations were excellent. My one issue with the book is that she didn't illustrate the gardens themselves. She was limited to 1/4 acre of garden and it was hard to conceive that she was able to get all the plantings she references into such limited space. A very soulful read.

I had initially bought this book for my mother in law as a christmas gift. But when I got the book, I ended up reading it myself! It is always nice to read local authors, but this book is very special. Not only is the artwork in it beautiful, which the writer is also the illustrator, but Kim quotes other poetry as well. I only expected a local gardening book, but I was so surprised at how good of a read it was. And I don't garden ;)... well, yet anyways. I suggest it to anyone who lives in New England who appreciates beauty in nature and art.

Picking up this book is like taking a deep breath of fragrant garden air. There is a meaningful levity to its appearance and style that helps a reader to escape into its pages and get a taste for when gardens were valued as inspiring spaces for conversation, reflection, and a reminder of the interconnectedness of all living, growing things. Too often in our society leisure time is either forfeited in the pursuit of success and money, or spent on frivolous popular activites that do nothing but busy our heads and drain our wallets. This book, while full of useful information, inspired me to take pause for life's simple pleasures...literally to stop and smell the butterfly bushes.