March 2023 MBR The Gardening Shelf

The Gardening Shelf

Cut Flowers, Foliage and Fruits of the Southeast
Lee Hemmings Carlton
The Globe Pequot Press
www.globepequot.com
9781493044429, $29.95, HC, 280pp

https://www.amazon.com/Cut-Flowers-Foliage-Fruits-Southeast/dp/1493044427

Synopsis: Native plants are the natural centerpieces of the American southeastern landscape, so why shouldn't they also be the centerpiece of the Southern table?

From the mountains of Southern Appalachia, into the Piedmont Plateau and all the way down to the Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plains, native plants provide an abundance of cut flowers, foliage, fruit, and berries that add regional character to any vase or wreath throughout the year.

With the publication of "Cut Flowers, Foliage and Fruits of the Southeast: Four Seasons of Floral Design", Lee Hemmings Carlton introduces readers to the beautiful bounty of the region along with growth information, seasonality, how to forage and harvest responsibly, and flower care, illustrated with vibrant photography. Also included is a descriptive field guide of native trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals, and vines that are essential for floral design.

With "Cut Flowers, Foliage and Fruits of the Southeast: Four Seasons of Floral Design" even the most novice of gardening enthusiasts can bring the landscape indoors with guides to create wreaths and vase arrangements. Of special note are the tutorials and primers that will teach the expert and novice alike to arrange gorgeous floral designs by season.

Critique: Beautifully, profusely, and informatively illustrated in full color throughout, "Cut Flowers, Foliage and Fruits of the Southeast: Four Seasons of Floral Design" is an ideal instructional textbook for established curriculums and DIY studies in South Regional Gardening in general, and Fruit/Flower Gardening in particular. Information enhanced for the reader with the inclusion of a five page Glossary, a two page Bibliography, and a seven page Index, "Cut Flowers, Foliage and Fruits of the Southeast: Four Seasons of Floral Design" is unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and academic library Gardening and Horticultural collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that it is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $28.45).

Editorial Note: Lee Hemmings Carlton (https://www.goldenrodgardens.net) is a horticulturist living and growing on the western side of Beech Mountain, N.C. Lee has been designing and installing plant-driven, site-specific, colorific gardens and landscapes in Georgia, Alabama, and the Carolinas for two decades. Lee incorporates native plants in all of her work, from cut flowers to landscaping and ever-popular wreaths and floral arrangements

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