jdigi

Amy Stewart is as entertaining and informative in writing as she is in person. A great wit and a knowledgeable gardener. I am enjoying the flocks of robins this spring, knowing they are in the yard because of the earthworms. And the earthworms are in the yard becaused the soil is getting better. I would love to have a copy of _The Earth Moved_ on my bookshelf both as a reference and an inspiration.

What a great subject and resource. Less turf should be on everyone's to-do list. There is less mowing to be sure, but there is the opportunity to be creative, involved, and better educated about the possibilities. A view is not a lawn. The photos you have shared are wonderful. What an inspiration.

You have done a lovely job. You have reminded all of us that it's a good idea to plan for your own view from the porch and from the windows--how wonderful to look out and see all the color.

I am reading (with a dictionary next to me) in scientific papers that we could help plants and the climate by keeping all the water that reaches our property on our property. It has to do with recharging the water table and saturating the soil.

One reason to promote the idea of native plants is they co-evolved with the habitat and survive with little extra care because the plants help the soil hold moisture.

Lawns are a design statement from another time that needs to be revisited. I wouldn't want to rake leaves from gravel, and I understand gravel is excellent for seed germination from volunteers. That said, this garden is outstanding with varying heights and textures. I like the empty pots which seem to say the gardener is open to and ready for new things.

I agree with WirtalaK. Here is a link. The article says it is a good shade ground cover that can be grown indoors.

http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/newsletters/hortupdate/2008/sep08/ChocPts.html

Thank you to all the people who work and donate time and money to keep houses and gardens such as these open to the public. Michelle, this is a great choice for your camera. Looking forward to the pictures.

I used to carefully dig up weeds, making sure to get all of the root so it wouldn't grow back. Little did I know I was uncovering more weed seeds and letting soil nutrients escape. Then I discovered the stirrup hoe at a garage sale, spent $2 and listened to the lecture on its use. I can clean up the paths and most of the vegetable beds in under an hour, standing up, without getting my hands dirty, and without disturbing the soil.

When you present both sides of issues and allow people to come to their own conclusions, people will still have opinions, hopefully, better informed opinions. I certainly don't have answers, but I do have lots of questions. The better informed we are, the more we think about important issues, the more people involved in the discussion, the better chances we have for a quality outcome. Scientists don't always agree. Gardeners don't always agree. Farmers don't always agree. Collectively, we stand a better chance of influencing government.

There have been advances in horticulture/agriculture that have made life easier and possible for millions of people. If there is a line we should not cross with scientific advancement, where is that line? Since man first learned to grow crops and build semi-permanent homes, man has been devising ways to protect the yield. Early man kept the seeds from the best, the biggest, the more productive plants. Early man chose which features/benefits/strengths he wanted for next year's food crops. Wild plants became "cultivated" and those home grown plants were no longer the same as their wild cousins. Isn't this genetic modification on the slow plan?

If I don't win this book, I will find way to still read it.

Wouldn't it be just wonderful to have a copy of this book. This is the future. Inspirational! I hope I win.

Ideas from experts are always inspiring. Then I feel motivated to get up and get busy. This book looks like a winner!