A Garden of Marvels: How We Discovered that Flowers Have Sex, Leaves Eat Air, and Other Secrets of Plants - Couverture souple

Kassinger, Ruth

Couverture souple

ISBN 10 : 0062049011 ISBN 13 : 9780062049018

Editeur : William Morrow Paperbacks, 2015

A propos du livre

Revue de presse :

“A sumptuously written history of greenhouse horticulture.” (Entertainment Weekly)

“Ms. Kassinger’s writing is chatty and intimate, but she has clearly done her library research.” (International Herald Tribune on Paradise Under Glass)

“The book [PARADISE UNDER GLASS] vividly chronicles her [Kassinger’s] initiation into the world of indoor gardening as well as the fascinating and unlikely histories of greenhouses and the flamboyant gardens they have housed...Kassinger’s lush writing and exotic stories will delight the armchair gardener and historian.” (Publishers Weekly)

“[M]y favorite gardening book of the year...But be warned... you might feel a need to start acquiring houseplants, or even a greenhouse.” (Boston Globe)

“Ms. Kassinger’s writing is chatty and intimate, but she has clearly done her library research.” (New York Times Book Review on PARADISE UNDER GLASS)

“[A] pleasant ramble through the world of plants . . . Kassinger weaves a huge amount of information into what still feels like a personal memoir, and by the end of this effortless afternoon stroll with her, readers will be startled to realize how much they have learned.” (Publishers Weekly (starred review) on A GARDEN OF MARVELS)

“A self-taught, infectiously enthusiastic home gardener... intrepid journalist and indefatigable plants woman, Kassinger ferrets out the most entertaining and educational aspects of plant science with a researcher’s fervor and a collector’s zeal... Kassinger has a knack for uncovering horticulture’s quirky side.” (Booklist on A GARDEN OF MARVELS)

“A delightful book, fun to read and share...” (Kirkus Reviews (starred review) on A GARDEN OF MARVELS)

“Kassinger has a knack for explaining without oversimplifying, so that xylem and phloem finally make sense, and the discovery of photosynthesis becomes an exciting event.” (Columbus Dispatch on A GARDEN OF MARVELS)

“Garden is a lively alternative to traditional botany books...” (Discover magazine on A GARDEN OF MARVELS)

Quatrième de couverture :

"This book was born of a murder, a murder I committed," Ruth Kassinger begins. The victim was a beloved kumquat tree that she decided to prune. The result? The tree turned brittle and brown. Why did the kumquat die when a rose bush and a crape myrtle similarly clipped had thrived? While she knew the basic rules of caring for indoor plants, Kassinger realized that she understood very little about plant physiology—how roots, stems, leaves, and flowers actually function. Determined not to repeat her failure, she set out to learn the fundamentals of botany in order to become a better gardener. A Garden of Marvels is the story of her wise and enchanting odyssey to discover the secret life of plants.

Kassinger retraces the progress of the first botanists, including Charles Darwin, who banished myths and misunderstandings and discovered that flowers have sex, leaves eat air, roots choose their food, and hormones make morning glories climb fence posts. She goes out into the world as well, visiting modern gardens, farms, and labs to discover the science behind extraordinary plants like one-ton pumpkins, truly black petunias, ferns that eat the arsenic in contaminated soil, biofuel grass that grows twelve feet tall, and the world's only photosynthesizing animal. Kassinger also introduces us to modern scientific research that offers hope for combatting climate change and alleviating world hunger. She then transfers her insights to her own garden.

Intertwining personal anecdotes, accessible science, and little-known history, A Garden of Marvels takes us on an eye-opening journey into Kassinger's garden—and yours—offering us a new appreciation of this exquisite gift of nature.

À propos de cette édition

• Éditeur: William Morrow Paperbacks
• Date d'édition: 2015
• ISBN 10: 0062049011
• ISBN 13: 9780062049018
• Reliure: Broché
• Nombre de pages: 416