By William Scheick

Book Reviewer

Jackie Bennett. The Writer's Garden: How Gardens Inspired Our Best-Loved Authors. Frances Lincoln Limited, 2014. 176 pp. $40.00.

It is not surprising, Jackie Bennett observes, that many writers turned to their private garden as "a place to escape to, to think and to write." It is surprising and also fortunate, however, that so many of these famous writers' gardens still exist today.

"The one garden that captures the imagination more than any other is The Secret Garden, invented by Frances Hodgson Burnett." That imaginary garden was inspired by a real one at Great Maytham Hall, which continues to charm us today.

"There is something even more magical about lost gardens that are 'found,'" Bennett points out. That's the case, she believes, with the Moat Brae garden, where Peter Pan author J. M. Barrie played as a child and formed creative impressions that influenced his adult writings.

The authors included in The Writer's Garden range from Jane Austen and William Wordsworth to Charles Dickens and Virginia Woolf. The plants and garden activities these authors particularly loved are generally little known by readers, making Bennett's deep-down detective-work especially welcome news.

Bennett reveals, for instance, that Thomas Hardy cared most about trees. He believed "that every species of tree had an identifiable sound - a 'voice.'"

Mystery-novel lovers might be enticed by Bennett's description of Agatha Christie's garden at Greenway: "Greenway is a garden to get lost in. When walking the woodland paths as the sun disappears and the last visitors leave, there is a distinct chill in the air."

Bennett intends no ominous innuendo here, but couldn't these very words have provided a devilish atmospheric opening to a looming murder in a Christie mystery?

When it comes to Rudyard Kipling, I do not tend to think of his gardening essays and poetry. I think of his strange short story "They" (1904).

Influenced by Kipling's fleeting glimpses of his deceased daughter, "They" is a poignant ghost story featuring dead children who still linger and continue to play along the haunted fringes of a garden.

That garden resembles Kipling's famous Bateman's estate, though this was not the place of his heartrending glimpses. At Bateman's, in fact, "the gardens were designed to be fun, to be played in," and "children were always welcome visitors."

Meticulously researched and entertainingly narrated, Bennett's book capably interweaves histories and biographies relating to the gardens beloved by 20 British authors. And Richard Hanson's 200 you-are-there color photographs are spectacular.

Rain is usually adequate in November, but be sure to check the soil often to keep it moist - not sloppy wet, but moist. Many people consider fall flowers and veggies better than the spring versions of the same plants. The nights are cooler and the plants get to rest at night as opposed to the spring and summer when the nights are almost as hot as the day. In this situation the plants don't get to rest at night. Don't forget to keep the weeds pulled; don't want them to get the jump on you.

Birds and Wildlife

This is a great month for hummingbirds.

Goldfinches are back. Clean and fill thistle feeders for their benefit.

Color

It's winter-annual time. Select from pansies, spring bulbs, flowering kale, dianthus, calendula, viola, Johnny jump-ups, alyssum, and snapdragons.

Be ready to move the bougainvilleas, hibiscus, plumeria, purple fountain grass, citrus, and mandevilla into the greenhouse or garage.

Fall asters are spectacular. Plant them now for a good show next fall.

Plant your wildflower seeds this month.

For some winter color, get an amaryllis bulb or two and force them to bloom.

Fruits and Nuts

Pick up pecans as soon as possible after they fall to the ground.

Spray Kocide on peach and plum trees to prevent bacterial diseases next spring.

When transplanting perennials, get as much of the root ball as you can.

Ornamentals

It's a good time to plant irises, daylilies, and other perennials.

Divide spring and summer-flowering perennials during fall.

Shade Trees and Shrubs

If you're going to plant a pecan tree, consider Pawnee.

It's a good time to plant container-grown shrubs for long-lasting color.

If you plan to plant bare-root trees or shrubs, prune the tops back at least one-third to one-half before planting.

Deciduous trees drop their leaves in the fall. Many of these trees have beautifully-colored leaves before they fall.

After the leaves fall, it's much easier to see the pruning needs of your trees.

Turf Grass

If you didn't get your lawn fertilizer down in October, do it now. Be sure it says "Winterizer" or something like that on the bag.

Water the lawn only every 2-3 weeks with 1/2-inch of water if we don't get rain.

Do not allow heavy accumulations of leaves to pile up on the lawn area.

Vegetables

Plant onion seeds and spinach in November.

Side-dress your cole crops and onions.

Plant radishes, carrots, beets, and greens this month.

Keep the soil moist in the vegetable garden - not sloppy wet, just moist.

Why plants don't get sunburn

Journal of the American Chemical Society

Plants rely on sunlight to make their food, but they also need protection from its harmful rays, just like humans do. Recently, scientists discovered a group of molecules in plants that shields them from sun damage. Now, in an article in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, one team reports on the mechanics of how these natural plant sunscreens work.

Timothy Zwier and colleagues at Purdue University note that the harsh ultraviolet radiation plants are exposed to daily can cause serious damage to plant DNA and, as a result, hinder plant growth. Biochemical tests have shown that plants produce special molecules and send them to the outer layer of their leaves to protect themselves. These molecules, called sinapate esters, appear to block ultraviolet-B radiation from penetrating deeper into leaves where it might otherwise disrupt a plant's normal development. Although researchers have been amassing evidence that points to sinapate esters as the protective molecules, no one had investigated in detail what happens to them under UV exposure. Zwier's team wanted to understand this process.

The researchers coaxed these molecules into the gas phase and zapped them with UVB radiation from a laser in the laboratory. They found that the particular sinapate ester that plants use as a screen against UVB was inherently capable of soaking up radiation at every wavelength across the UVB spectrum. Thus, it is remarkably efficient at absorbing harsh radiation that could otherwise damage the plant. Their findings further shore up the idea that this class of molecules does indeed comprise plant-made sunblock, the researchers say.

Pearland: Michael Mayfield will present "Daylilies & Amaryllises," at 7 p.m., Thursday, November 13. at Busy Bee Caf�, 4009 W. Broadway, Pearland. Free. Brazoria County Master Gardeners. For more details, call John at 713-818-8806.

Nacogdoches: SFA Gardens at Stephen F. Austin State University will host the monthly Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 13, in the Ina Brundrett Conservation Education Building at the Pineywoods Native Plant Center, 2900 Raguet St., Nacogdoches. Horticulturist Jenny Wegley will present "If I Hear Color One More Time, I'm Changing My Profession." Wegley graduated with a Bachelor of Science in horticulture from SFA and, after a short stint in retail, started at the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden in 2009. She is now director of horticulture there. The Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series is held the second Thursday of each month at the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture's SFA Pineywoods Native Plant Center. A rare plant raffle will be held after the program. The lecture is free and open to the public, but donations to the Theresa and Les Reeves lecture series fund always are appreciated. Parking is available at the nearby Raguet Elementary School, 2428 Raguet St., with continual shuttle service to the Ina Brundrett Conservation Education Building. For more information, call Elyce Rodewald at 936-468-1832 or email [email protected] .   

San Antonio: Cris Goloby, Adjunct Professor at St. Phillip's College Department of Hospitality, Tourism and Culinary Arts, and Continued Education Instructor will speak on herbs for holiday cooking and when to use dry/wet form the San Antonio Herb Society's November meeting. Demonstration and tasting. Meeting will be Thursday, November 13 starting at 6:30 p.m. at the San Antonio Garden Center, 3310 N. New Braunfels, San Antonio. Free and open to the public. For additional information, call 210-826-6860 or email [email protected].

Genoa: Monday, November 17, is Open Garden Day with Harris County Master Gardeners at Precinct 2, 8:30-11 a.m., at the Genoa Friendship Garden, 1202 Genoa Red Bluff Rd., Genoa. 9:30 a.m.: Educational Programs and Master Gardeners Q&A. Note: Gardens open and plants available for purchase every Monday, May-October. Free, children welcome. For more information, visit https://hcmga.tamu.edu.

San Antonio: At the November 20 Bexar County Master Gardeners (BCMG) Meeting, learn all about Heritage, Heirloom and Pass-along Plants with Jamie Daily. 1.5 CEUs for Master Gardeners. There will be a plant exchange, so bring plants and seeds to share. Meeting is free and open to the public at Colonies House Meeting Room, 3511 Colony Dr., San Antonio. Social at 6 p.m., followed by presentation and meeting. For additional information, call 210-467-6575.

Seguin: The Guadalupe Master Gardeners will meet on Thursday, November 20, at the Justice Center on 211 Court Street in Seguin. Dr. Kelly Lyons, assistant professor of biology at Trinity University, will be the guest speaker. Her research was on and she will be talking about native species plants, invasive plants and their impact on ecosystems. As new additions to ecosystems, many of these species become invasive, dramatically altering natural and managed ecosystems and homogenizing communities. Recently she was awarded a USDA grant to study links between invasive weeds and diverse native grasslands. The meeting will start at 7 p.m. after a social function starting at 6:30. For further information, visit www.guadalupecountymastergardeners.org or call 830-303-3889.  

Round Rock: The Round Rock Public Library, 216 E. Main St., Round Rock, presents "Seed Starting for Those with a Brown Thumb," from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 4. Many people are intimidated by the thought of having to start their own seeds for the garden or the landscape. Learn why starting your own seeds is easier, less costly and provides you with a wider choice of plants. The program will be conducted by Jeff Ferris, a gardener in Austin for more than 25 years, staff horticulturist and diagnostician at The Natural Gardener, certified Permaculturist, and instructor in the ACC Landscape and Horticulture program since 2008. Through Neighborhood Harvest Project, he co-founded the first public community garden in Round Rock - Unity Park Community Garden. Jeff is a frequent guest and occasional host of "John Dromgoole's Gardening Naturally" program on KLBJ radio, the longest running organic gardening show in the country. For more information, please contact Julie Chapa, 512-218-7014.  

Bryan: Future use of water and its impact on agriculture will be the focus of the 2014 Texas Plant Protection Association conference scheduled Dec. 10-11 at the Brazos Center, 3232 Briarcrest Drive, Bryan. Dr. Travis Miller, interim director for state operations with the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, will be one of the featured speakers during the opening general session Dec. 10. Dr. John Nielsen-Gammon, Texas state climatologist, and Carlos Rubinstein, chairman of the Texas Water Development Board, will also be general session featured speakers. Nielsen-Gammon will discuss climate variability and Rubinstein will give a Texas water outlook. Other presentations during the general session will focus on water conservation, comparative irrigation methods, agricultural innovations from industry in dealing with climate change, and a Texas farmer's perspective on dealing with water management. Afternoon sessions on Dec. 10 will include a look at the Texas drought's impact on wildlife, unmanned aerial vehicles in agriculture, and decision and precision applications of nitrogen. The second day of the conference will feature sessions on grain, cotton, horticulture/turf, and pasture and rangeland. A student poster contest will be held as well as an awards luncheon. For registration information, visit http://bit.ly/ZwpjOD.

Humble: Succulentarriums will be presented Wednesday, December 10, noon-2 p.m.

at the Mercer Arboretum & Botanic Gardens, 22306 Aldine Westfield Road, Humble.

Learn how to combine remarkable succulents, moss, and cacti with recycled glassware to create fun and fanciful display items for your home or office. These unique items also make great holiday gifts! For additional information or to make reservations, call Mercer Botanic Gardens at 281-443-8731.

Pearland: Ed Barrios will present "Gardening & Insects" at 7 p.m., Thursday, December 11 at Busy Bee Caf�, 4009 W. Broadway, Pearland. Free. Brazoria County Master Gardeners. For more details, call John at 713-818-8806.

• Many, many practical and timely garden tips that are for Texas - not Maine or California!
• Organic, earth friendly tips to make your garden grow and prosper
• Lots of space to record your own activities for future reference
• Planting dates and tips for vegetables, flowers, herbs, fruit and lawns

The Vegetable Book

By Dr. Sam Cotner

Finally, back by popular demand and in its fourth printing, the most informative and comprehensive "how-to" book on vegetable gardening in Texas (also, suitable for most other areas of the South) written by the late, great Dr. Sam Cotner, former head of horticulture at Texas A&M University and lifelong gardener. This interesting read has over 370 pages of detailed information on every crop, from Asparagus to Watermelon including problem/solving sections for each vegetable. If you want to maximize your enjoyment and success growing vegetables in Texas, this book is a "must have," whether you are a beginner or a seasoned gardener. Price $34.02

By William D. Adams

The best thing for tomato enthusiasts since the tomato itself! Adams draws on more than thirty years of experience to provide a complete, step-by-step guide to success in the tomato patch. Learn everything from soil preparation, planting, feeding, caging and watering. Liberally sprinkled with the author's easy humor and illustrated with his own excellent photographs, this must-have book has everything you'll need to assure a bumper crop! 189 pages. Lots of color photographs! Price: $31.94

($15.82 if ordered separately)

Remit payment to:

TG Books * PO Box 9005 * Waco, TX 76714

or call Toll-Free 1-800-727-9020

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