Unlike any other gardening book I know, with its Old World charm, its down-to-earth practicality, its whimsy and sophistication.Brooke Astor,The New York Times Book Review

A classic in the literature of the garden, Green Thoughts is a beautifully written and highly original collection of seventy-two essays, alphabetically arranged, on topics ranging from Annuals and Artichokes to Weeds and Wildflowers. An amateur gardener for over thirty years, Eleanor Pernyi draws upon her wide-ranging knowledge of gardening lore to create a delightful, witty blend of how-to advice, informed opinion, historical insight, and philosophical musing. There are entries in praise of earthworms and in protest of rock gardens, a treatise on the sexual politics of tending plants, and a paean to the salubrious effect of gardening (see Longevity ). Twenty years after its initial publication, Green Thoughts remains as much a joy to