No this isn’t a post about gardening—but stay tuned if you’re a nature lover. Some of you may not be aware of Timber’s extensive and rich list of books about the Pacific Northwest. We publish books on bugs, flowers, mushrooms, natural history, Timberline Lodge, city walks, geology, and much more. Now we want to publish a book about wolves. Yes, it’s a bit of an open secret, but there ARE wolves that have made it all the way from reintroduction in Yellowstone National Park to the Cascade forests in the shadows of Portland and Seattle. We’ve even put a photograph of one of these wolves on the cover of Wildlife of the Pacific Northwest (available in May).
Author Dave Moskowitz is writing the definitive account of these wolves’ lives and travels. It’s an enormous undertaking, and he is seeking funds for the extensive travel, research, and photography needed. We think Dave’s book will be vital to the protection of this endangered species, whose coexistence with urban Northwesterners will be in peril if rumors and lack of science win the day.
As a kid, I can remember feeling dubious whenever my parents tried to convince me that something educational could also be fun. I felt like they were trying to dupe me into doing the “smart” thing rather than hanging out with my friends or playing with my toys.
As an adult, I’ve learned that fun and educational don’t have to be mutually exclusive and as senior publicist I get to combine both by organizing bookstore events for my authors. I attended one such event last week at Powell’s Books with David Deardorff and Kathryn Wadsworth (or, “The Plant Doctors”, as we call them around the office), authors of What’s Wrong With My Plant? (And How Do I Fix It?).
We were a little concerned that turnout would be hampered by the pelting rain and wind, but Portland gardeners rarely let the rain deter them. If they did, Portland wouldn’t be such a thriving gardening community. The crowd was lively, asking lots of questions:
“Why are my camellia buds brown?”—Probably because of last week’s cold snap.
“How do you get rid of mealy bugs?”—Sanitize the plant by removing affected leaves then spray with insecticidal soap several times a week until the pests are gone.
The audience had fun passing silk roses around with various maladies painted on them and following the flow charts in the book to “diagnose” them, and we learned a bunch of new tricks to prevent plants from going the way of the compost pile.
David and Kathryn are currently on tour along the West Coast. Keep up with their schedule here if you are interested in a little educational fun!
As a member of the Official Group of People Who Like Succulents, I was as pleased and inspired as anyone when Debra Lee Baldwin’s new book, Succulent Container Gardens, came out. (I had the added perk of seeing the book far in advance of the actual publication date, too. Ah, the advantages of working in publishing.)
Part of my job in the marketing department at Timber calls for me and my fellow marketers to come up with ideas for how to spread the word about a new book. After all, if no one knows about a book, no one buys a book — a fact that never even occurred to me previous to this job. (People find out about books via osmosis, right?)
For this particular book, we decided that a “how-to” video would be a fun project. We thought that if Debra could give a quick demonstration on how to put together a succulent container garden, people would see how easy (and gorgeous) it can be, and be inspired to plant their own containers. And we would start a SUCCULENT REVOLUTION!! (You have to think big.)
So that’s what we did, and we are very pleased with the way the video came out.
I love the title of this book. It lends itself to all sorts of vocal inflections, from “arch” to “zoned out”. And it’s tough to abbreviate, meaning that when it is spoken of around the office it often comes out really fast, as in: “SoYouWannaBeAGardenDesigner.” That, or every word is pronounced carefully, distinctly, with perfect enunciation.
But the title is purely a bonus. I’ve never personally felt the urge to be a garden designer, but I was thoroughly impressed by this book. Love Albrecht Howard’s writing is so clear, friendly, and informative — I felt that I could apply her excellent advice to any creative or business venture and have a better chance of success. Ms. Howard manages that difficult combination of being encouraging, tactful, and practical. She does not pretend that it will be easy, but she makes you believe that even the hard stuff is important, and that you can make it through the hard stuff, and do it well.
Here’s the table of contents. She even has chapters on leaving the business, and how to deal with self-doubt. I don’t think I have any friends who aspire to be garden designers, but the minute I discover that ambition, I already know exactly what to get them.
Thanks to all who participated in our macro photography contest. It was such a pleasure looking through all the wonderful pictures that were submitted, and while many of you commented that you “really needed some help”, I think you’re selling yourselves short.
Village Books in Bellingham, Washington, hosted our first bookstore appearance of the Great ‘Here Come the Plant Docs’ Book Tour of 2010. There is something very comforting about beginning such a venture talking about a book surrounded by good books, in the company of bibliophiles and phytophiles.
On this, my first trip to Bellingham, I discovered what a delightful town it is. Kathy, at the Village Inn, greeted us with an enthusiastic, “Oh, I should have recognized you. I have your book.” Making us feel a little like the Olympic athletes who were also staying there (overflow from the games in Vancouver, just across the border).
Naturally this welcome warmed my heart immediately and made me very predisposed to love Bellingham.
Spring is a lovely season, full of flowers and briskness and things growing. My only beef with spring is that it goes by way too fast. Nascar has nothing on spring. I’ve scarcely had a chance to see that the plum tree in my backyard is budding:
When WHAM!! It is in full flower and starting to drop petals like faux snow.
This guest post was written by David Deardorff and Kathryn Wadsworth, authors of What’s Wrong with My Plant?, and originally appeared on their blog. Kathryn and David are currently touring the West coast to solve plant problems and promote their book.
Spring is here. Friends already lay out their soaker hoses, sow seeds indoors, and move seedlings out into their cold-frames. We’re going to miss all that this year, as we travel to talk about our book, and other topics from the green world. We won’t bemoan the loss too much. Surely an exciting journey lies ahead. David and I love a road trip.
The second event on our book tour is behind us. David and I gave a talk at the Port Townsend, WA public library. This low-key chat with our “homies” in the town where we live was a perfect send-off for the tour.
At the library we talked about how we developed the book –- our book –- from inchoate thoughts about the questions we must ask when someone else asks us, “What’s Wrong With My Plant?” A very common question, by the way.
I have wanted to make a terrarium for a while now. They’re suddenly so popular—you can buy them in cute boutiques, at nurseries, and can even use them as ornaments! They are uniquely stylish—a perfect mash up of science experiment and 1970s houseplant kitsch. Just what I need to brighten up my living room.
The first step was finding the right glass. A true terrarium should be fully or partially enclosed. And though I found several pieces of glassware at a thrift store that fit the bill, only one of the two pieces was even partially enclosed. The second piece was the wrong shape, but too beautiful to pass up. And it was a perfect fit for the teak bowl I had bought on a prior thrift store outing.
Mar 19, 2010 
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