He's got my number

Has it been too long since I've mooned over Henry Mitchell in public? Oh yes it has. Talk to me, baby:

A gardening friend of mine has quite lost her mind — not that it distresses her much — and no longer makes an effort to conceal her madness.
. . . .
She was very bad about garden centers; we all noticed that from the beginning. She would go on some stated mission of acquiring a sack of peat moss, but would surreptitiously (entering stealthily at night, I suspect) bring home several flats of snapdragons and the Lord only knows what else.
. . . .
She no longer hid her packets of seed. They sat there in great rows. She had two hundred packets of seed at once — eggplant, tomatoes, thunbergias, snapdragons, zinnias, and endless other things.

"Do you think you have room for eggplants?" her saner friends would say — before it finally dawned on them that she knew she was mad, and did not wish to be sane.
. . . .
Where the produce of two hundred packs of seed, growing madly in the basement, is supposed to be planted in this garden, nobody knows.
. . . .
My friend, as I say, does not seem to suffer much. She is tremendously busy throughout the year, and has mastered the fine art of the scalpel, opening little slits here and there for one more plant, and she has become expert at last rites for the dying. On the whole, she is happier than she was before this madness set in.

From Henry Mitchell, One Man's Garden (pub. info here).

Comments

[avril]

I love Henry Mitchell and his droll humor, although I haven't read One Man's Garden yet. I'm still doling out On Gardening month by month as I don't want it to end. Thanks for the Sarton links, I'll be sure to check them out!

[Helen]

Thank you for the Henry Mitchell--my all time favorite. I lived in Washington DC in the late 70's/early 80's when his column was appearing weekly in the Washington Post. I knew nothing at all about gardening but he taught me how to look at plants. Every Sunday I'd read a column and Monday, walking to work, I would suddenly see a certain type of plant in the gardens I passed--and I knew what it was and why it was special. I've never stopped gardening since then.

[Chan S.]

Avril, I know exactly what you mean about rationing Henry Mitchell. My sequence was: The Essential Earthman, then One Man's Garden, then (after a self-imposed wait) On Gardening. The good news is that I re-read him all the time and get even more out of the pieces the second (or more) time around.
Helen, how wonderful it must have been to read Henry Mitchell in the Post as his columns were published. As you can probably tell, he's had a huge impact on me and this blog.

[Kathy]

I just don't know how you find time to re-read anybody at the height of gardening season . . . oh, so that's what that bookshelf over the toilet tank is for! I love Henry Mitchell, too. Have you ever read Notes from Madoo by Robert Dash?

[Chan S.]

The height of gardening season: exactly when I get a little bit of a whole lotta nothing done. (Hey, how did you figure out where I hide from the kids?) I have not read Notes from Madoo...just looked up an excerpt...looks great...just what I need...another book I simply must read. Thanks!

[Kathy]

And you are in luck: it is still being offered by EdwardRHamilton.com for $2.95. Too bad they charge more than that to ship it. Oh well, you'll just have to find another book or two to augment your order. They charge one flat rate for shipping no matter how many books you buy--a real incentive to buy lots!

[Chan S.]

Woo hoo! (Oh gosh, how will I ever find another book or two (or three) to add to my order? :D) Thank you thank you, Kathy.

[Helen]

You can justify reading Henry Mitchell during gardening season by the fact that he weaves good plant lists into his descriptions. I've used him for old roses, spring bulbs and peonies. (All happily still blooming in a garden in a house we've sold). I don't get to start over until this fall but am looking forward to it--a great excuse to re-read his guidance.