Paradise Under Glass: An Amateur Creates a Conservatory Garden is the true story of an award-winning author’s transformation into an avid gardener after a spontaneous visit to the U.S. Botanic Garden Conservatory in Washington, DC during a time marked by personal loss and midlife changes.
Ruth Kassinger shares the ups and downs of her journey into gardening and the creation of a conservatory in her home. This entertaining memoir is more than an open journal. It is a fantastic history lesson. Kassinger discusses the history of plant exploration, glass houses, botany, pest control, the Biosphere, and a bit of botanical illustration too. She visits plant growers, nurseries and botanical gardens to discuss plants, gardening, and her conservatory with the experts. To assist readers with the many plant names she uses in the book, Kassinger provides a pronunciation guide in one of the appendices. In the other appendix, she supplies instructions on how to create a living wall.
Each chapter opens with a botanical illustration by artist Eva-Maria Ruhl. Ruhl is a member of the American Society of Botanical Artists and a graduate of the certificate program in botanical art at the Corcoran School of Art and Design. View Ruhl’s artwork and works-in-progress on her blog.
Ruth Kassinger’s wonderful new book is available at ArtPlantae Books.
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