qebo's 2017 non-fiction

Let's see if I can do better this year. The bar couldn't be lower. :-)

January
#01: Gathering Moss by Robin Wall Kimmerer -- (Jan 1) - ROOT
#02: The Magical World of Moss Gardening by Annie Martin -- (Jan 4) - ROOT

#01: Gathering Moss by Robin Wall Kimmerer -- (Jan 1) - ROOT

why now: Preparation for a brief presentation as required by a Master Gardener program. Also I've had it around for awhile; it was an inspiration/reference for The Signature of All Things which I read a few years ago and would recommend enthusiastically.

I'm seeking basic information about moss, and this is not exactly a how-to guide. The style is more mystical communing with nature. However, the author is a bryologist and knows her stuff in depth, so embedded within a context of evolution and ecosystems are botanical details relevant to gardening. As an anti-how-to, a chapter about a wealthy landowner whose ostensible "ecosystem restoration" consisted of extracting elements of existing ecosystems (mature trees with 20' root balls, rocks covered in moss) and transporting them to his property for admiration. The most enjoyable sections are descriptions of scientific experiments involving meticulous patience. And the line drawings are lovely.

#02: The Magical World of Moss Gardening by Annie Martin -- (Jan 4) - ROOT

why now: Preparation for a brief presentation as required by a Master Gardener program.

This book covers basic botany, but it is mostly a how-to. The author runs a mossery in North Carolina, and her thing is moss garden design and cultivation. The book abounds with photos of moss gardens if you want inspiration. The most useful sections are: various ways to propagate moss (tip: moss milkshakes aren't all that effective; the recommendation is to tear off small fragments, arrange them with gaps between, and press them onto the surface), photos and descriptions of 25 common and suitable species (narrowed down from the 12,000 or so that have been officially classified), and a list of native plants on a small scale.