Hortus Miscellaneous
A Gardener’s Hodgepodge of Information & Instruction, by Lorene Edwards Forkner & Linda Plato, Sasquatch Books, 2007
“The trouble with gardening is that it does not remain an avocation. It becomes an obsession.”
Phyllis McGinley (1905-1978), American Poet
Most gardening books and journals are made up of facts and material that to the mere mortal appear to embody the concept of arcane with a capital A. Lunar cycles, weather patterns, design principles that include not only three dimensions but also are further complicated by notions of time and space, color theory, taste tests, discipline, disease, pestilence, and physical labor – lots of physical labor, greed, envy, as well as most of the other deadly sins, and so much more – all held together by the thread of what many consider a dead language. Who cares?! We do.
Throughout history gardeners have recorded their discoveries, their tips, their successes, and their disappointments. This most ancient craft began as a physical necessity for survival, evolved to address domestic décor, and some would say has even been elevated to high art in the hands of the right creator. Hard science, mud-stained potting shed notes, old wives’ tales, folklore and superstition, happenstance, and habit have all contributed to this body of knowledge that we gardeners find so compelling. We are assured by the discovery that nothing in the garden itself has really changed – the sun, a seed, some moisture, and you have begun. It is our culture and our selves that change in response to making a garden, and that is a process of endless fascination. Plant the world and grow yourself.
Lorene Edwards Forkner, January 2007, from the preface to Hortus Miscellaneous
Coauthor Linda Plato was a garden designer whose work was featured on HGTV and at the Northwest Flower & Garden Show. She also wrote about gardening for Seattle Homes & Lifestyle and Pacific Horticulture, among other publications. She was fascinated with reference works from childhood on and spent a number of years at Microsoft as an editor and program manager converting print reference works into digital formats. Plato succumbed to metastatic breast cancer in 2005.
