Book Review: Lavender

I want to make it quite clear that Ellen Spector Platt is a friend. I also want to make it perfectly clear that at this particular moment, I’m not very pleased with her.

She just sent me a copy of her new book, Lavender - published by Stackpole Books.

And it’s the kind of book I always wished I could have written.

Oh, it’s not that I don’t know how to grow lavender – I’ve grown many varieties for many years and even written about it in my own books and ebooks. But she’s taken it one silly step further. Not only does she tell you how to grow it and included a nice list of good varieties to grow, this pesky friend also gives you lovely photography (taken with the discriminating eye of folks who are overly fond of this plant). She gives you craft ideas (who knew you could make a Christmas tree that made use of lavender?) as well as cooking recipes (yeah, I knew you could cook with lavender – I do but not this much – personally I think she’s a bit obsessive about this subject).:-) She gives you sources for plants and seeds, the locations of major lavender festivals and not willing to stop there, she also passes along a few hints about landscaping with this – my favorite scented-plant.

She even shows you stunning pictures of her own rooftop gardens (which ensures we’ll be taking her up on her latest invitation to visit and use Chez Platt as our NYC base) which don’t make me at all envious. I mean whoever heard of making a scarecrow look beautiful and then brag it didn’t work likely because the scarecrow enjoys herself too much sitting in her cutting garden (which by the way is pretty sumptuous looking). How silly, scarecrows are supposed to be scary, not lavender-ladified. (which by the way -Lavender Lady – is the name of her scarecrow and who names a scarecrow?!) Whoever heard of making all these wreathy-things (yeah, I know the instructions make it sound easy)?

You know I might sound a bit grumpy by all this but I’m really not. I’m jealous. I wish my scarecrows were as gorgeous with lavender dripping all over them (and had names). I wish I had the patience to do wreathy-things. I really wish I had taken all these pictures and seen all these gardens. And I wish I had written this book – or could have written it.

I didn’t write this book – Ellen did.

Sigh.
Here’s where you can get your own copy If you’re the kind of gardener who loves good information, written in an entertaining and lush style, wants some great ideas for not only growing the plant but using the plant, this is a great book for you.

And I’ll probably forgive her soon.

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