NOTED PLANTSWOMAN, HERB AUTHORITY, AUTHOR AND LECTURER
JO ANN GARDNER
BOOKS WRITTEN BY JO ANN GARDNER
Seeds of Transcencence: Understanding the Hebrew Bible Through Plants
394 pages, full color throughout. Decalogue Books, 2014.
A unique approach to understanding the Bible from the ground up, literally. Accessible to all. The 36 chapters are arranged around the weekly Sabbath readings with an in-depth analysis of the text and full portraits of over 60 plants or groups with their symbolism, herbal uses, and ecological role in the land. Understanding the material world of the Bible, of its shepherds and farmers and the plants they used and lived among, helps us to understand the spiritual vision of the Hebrew Bible.
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Living with Herbs: A Treasury of Useful Plants for the Home and Garden
288 pages, attractive Elayne Sears line drawings throughout. Countryman Press, 2012, $18.95, softcover.
A personal account based on my life experience on a small, self-reliant farm. A new edition of the 1997 classic includes all the information to grow, preserve, and use common and unusual herbs as well as wild plants and herbal shrubs for edible landscaping.
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Gardens of Use & Delight: Uniting the Practical and Beautiful in an Integrated Landscape
304 pages, Elayne Sears beautiful watercolors throughout. Fulcrum Publishing, 2002. $29.95, deluxe softcover.
Herbs in Bloom: A Guide to Growing Herbs as Ornamental Plants
394 pages, full color throughout. Timber Press, 1998, 2005. $24.95, softcover.
What began as reclaiming a bare back-country farm at the end of a dirt road blossomed into a lush cottage garden-style panorana of fruits, vegetables, herbs, flowers, and roses, all created on a shoe-string. Our experiences can guide others looking for low-tech, inexpensive ways to create a satisfying landscape in harmony with its little piece of ground. Detailed growing directions, raised beds, recipes and directions sprinkled throughout.
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An A-Z selection of 80 flowering herbs and related plants of interest, bringing the total to over 700 plants that add color, perfume, beneficial insects, and bring hummingbirds and butterflies to the garden. Detailed information on growing from seed, cuttings, advice on site selection, soils, transplanting, and landscaping suggestions, and combinations.
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Heirloom Flower Gardens: Rediscovering and Designing with Classic Ornamentals
Second edition, 335 pages, 24 color photos, many taken in my garden, line drawings, softcover, 2001, Chelsea Green Publishing. Out-of-print but available on internet sites.
This book offers a great selection of easy-going heirloom annuals, herbs, perennials, bulbs, shrubs, vines, and lots of roses. Included are invaluable dated cultivars for those interested in historical landscaping.
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Elegant Silvers
311 pages, full color throughout. Timber Press, 2005, $34.95, hardcover.
Out-of-print but available on internet sites.
An encyclopedic account and study of silver plants from silver-white to gleaming blue, for sun and shade, from frost hardy to tender. Chapters devoted to the botany and history of silvers, as well as designing with them. Entires include full growing instructions and the best cultivars.
The Old-Fashioned Fruit Garden: The Best Way to Grow, Preserve and Bake with Small Fruit
75 recipes, 185 pages, full color throughout. Skyhorse Publishing, 2012, $14.95, softcover.
An updated version of the 1989 classic, it is low tech and stresses using each fruit's natural pectin to make perfect jams and jellies. Included are tree fruits, wild fruits, and many companion recipes such as English muffins and yogurt.
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Old-Fashioned Jams, Jellies, and Sweet Preserves
This is a new improved edition of the Old-Fashioned Fruit Garden with the same great recipes that has made this little book a classic for decades. Accessible and friendly with a treasure of directions for fruits, preserves and all the delicious things that go with them, to carry you through the preserving season.