http://dev.coolspringspress.com Inspiration, Ideas, & Opinions from Design Fanatics en-us Wed, 09 May 2012 12:12:19 CDT Like other publishers, Cool Springs Press basically has two ways of developing products: we come up with an idea and locate an author, or an author has a proposal in mind and comes to us. When we develop a product, one of the first questions we ask ourselves is, who will read it? The second question we ask ourselves is, why would anyone read it, meaning why is it special or different from similar books? (I am using the word "read" but you could replace that with the word "want" because it could be a nonbook product.) We receive many proposals. http://dev.coolspringspress.com/blog/post.php?id=162 http://dev.coolspringspress.com/blog/post.php?id=162 Sat, 05 May 2012 00:00:00 CDT Elzer-Peters insists that gardning is easy and 192 pages of detailed, step-by-step instructions, illustrations, and a glossary of terms, will prevent the seasonal heartache of trial and error and the intimidation of blank space. Beginner's Illustrated Guide to Gardening: Techniques to Help You Get Started (Cool Springs Press, February 2012) is Elzer-Peters' blueprint and contains everything she's gleaned over decades of passionate gardening. It's the steps to a "pretty garden" where healthier, larger and more beautiful plants mix with a weed-free lawn and strong evergreen bones. Elzer-Peters' garden is a mixture of well-planned, thoughtful gardening with a good dose of "just http://dev.coolspringspress.com/blog/post.php?id=204 http://dev.coolspringspress.com/blog/post.php?id=204 Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 CDT Claire Splan knows well the joys and pains of fruit and veggie gardening in California. "We tend to think we can grow anything," she laughs. With more than a dozen hardiness zones and many more microclimates, Californians tend to test the limits of what California sun, soil, and water can produce; but Splan insists that the risk-taking side of California gardening has led to some exciting leaps forward. It is in this spirit of discovery with a solid mix of classic, tried-and-true gardening know-how that Splan releases California Fruit & Vegetable Gardening: Plant, Grow, and Eat the Best Edibles for http://dev.coolspringspress.com/blog/post.php?id=205 http://dev.coolspringspress.com/blog/post.php?id=205 Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:00:00 CDT Charlie Nardozzi, nationally recognized garden writer, speaker, and television personality, knows well the joys and pains of fruit and veggie gardening in the Northeast. "We can't do anything about the soil and weather, but we can take action and protect our plants," says Nardozzi. With a personal garden filled with veggies that support an ethnic cuisine, Nardozzi has packed heirloom tomatoes and eggplant alongside edamame and cilantro. Towered by a much-loved 'Dwarf Northstar' cherry tree, Nardozzi's garden is primed for casual grazing and fresh eating. It is in this spirit of experimental gardening with a solid mix of classic, tried-and-true http://dev.coolspringspress.com/blog/post.php?id=210 http://dev.coolspringspress.com/blog/post.php?id=210 Wed, 25 Apr 2012 00:00:00 CDT Allan Armitage, widely regarded as one of the giants of the horticulture industry, released the long-awaited third edition of his classic Herbaceous Perennial Plants: A Treatise on Their Identification, Culture and Garden Attributes, in 2008. A quick garden-shelf classic, the title is now available in digital format; a must-have for any gardener, horticulture student, or garden industry professional. The updated 3rd edition includes new introductions alongside a long compilation of garden mainstays. Plants with the Armitage seal of approval and staying power mix with new cultivars that will delight any level of gardener. The 3rd edition has been heralded as a http://dev.coolspringspress.com/blog/post.php?id=156 http://dev.coolspringspress.com/blog/post.php?id=156 Fri, 20 Apr 2012 00:00:00 CDT Greg Grant, award-winning horticulturist and seventh-generation Texan, knows well the joys and pains of fruit and veggie gardening in Texas. "Severe drought, intense heat, scorched earth - "we've got it all," laughs Grant. Yet infamous Texas temperatures do nothing to dampen Grant's thriving garden of "field crops" a backyard bursting with corn, peas, tomatoes, herbs, berries, and butterbeans. With a little orchard tucked beside a chicken coop, Grant loves nothing more than to graze his way through his beautiful landscape and fresh eggs. With Grant's just-released Texas Fruit & Vegetable Gardening: Plant, Grow, and Eat the Best Edibles for Texas Gardens http://dev.coolspringspress.com/blog/post.php?id=211 http://dev.coolspringspress.com/blog/post.php?id=211 Fri, 20 Apr 2012 00:00:00 CDT Barbara Wise, Director of Garden Installation for the Nashville-based Southern Land Company, has for decades designed, planted, and maintained the gardens, window boxes, and patio and porch containers of her clients, fulfilling their seasonal expectations of massive color and texture. Her container combinations are famous for their raving color, dramatic depth, sensory overload, and groupings that defy the elements. And despite what appears to be a "for professionals only" look, Wise insists that container gardening is the perfect starting point for beginner gardeners, those who need baby-steps, those who crumble in nurseries and leave empty-handed, and those who fear dirt http://dev.coolspringspress.com/blog/post.php?id=206 http://dev.coolspringspress.com/blog/post.php?id=206 Sun, 15 Apr 2012 00:00:00 CDT The just-released The Visitor's Guide to American Gardens: Garden Walks, Garden Talks & Garden Events (Cool Springs Press, September 2011) is set to make a garden industry and garden tourism splash. Featuring more than 400 U.S. and Canadian botanic gardens, public gardens and city parks, the guide is the first garden title to use a smart phone scannable QR code that links to every featured garden's website. Readers and browsers are able to access real-time garden event information, attractions, special collections, children and master programs, and even directions. "We believe this is the first time QR codes have been used in http://dev.coolspringspress.com/blog/post.php?id=212 http://dev.coolspringspress.com/blog/post.php?id=212 Fri, 07 Oct 2011 00:00:00 CDT Ray French, product director of Floragem, one the of most successful plant propagation companies in the world, is author of How to Grow Your Own Tobacco: From Seed to Smoke (Cool Springs Press, September 2011). French is a master grower - with a complete and pure understanding of the ancient practice of creating the perfect soil. His growing habits are uncompromised and of the classic form: plant on time, create good soil, water with precision, prepare the climate, and watch the sun. He knows exactly how to grow. French's horticultural interests are vast and mixed. In any given season, French's travels http://dev.coolspringspress.com/blog/post.php?id=209 http://dev.coolspringspress.com/blog/post.php?id=209 Sat, 01 Oct 2011 00:00:00 CDT Vertical gardening is arguably the trendiest garden practice the industry has witnessed in years. With the nation's forward-thinking gardeners and designers pushing the limits of what is actually possible by steadily planting the sides of walls, fences, and homes, vertical gardening has become the next frontier. Layering-up is the new secret weapon to maximizing small space, adding outdoor nooks and 'rooms' and ramping up curb appeal that goes beyond the traditional bed and container. The in vogue practice has trickled out of high-end design firms into middle America and squarely in the typical, horizontal beds of the average gardener. But http://dev.coolspringspress.com/blog/post.php?id=208 http://dev.coolspringspress.com/blog/post.php?id=208 Fri, 25 Mar 2011 00:00:00 CDT Garden Rules is a compendium of the basic rules that every gardener who has ever grown a 15-foot "dwarf" or tried to grasp the details of a USDA Hardiness Zone map, will value. Jenkins and Brownell believe there are stops between inspiration and full-out landscape design-like buying perfect gloves, avoiding Big Box bargain bins, and knowing when to put up the hose. "The expectation for a beautiful garden and a perfectly manicured lawn can seem a bit overwhelming at times," says Brownell. "But there is a timeless set of gardening rules that can truly demystify the entire experience." Garden Rules http://dev.coolspringspress.com/blog/post.php?id=207 http://dev.coolspringspress.com/blog/post.php?id=207 Thu, 10 Mar 2011 00:00:00 CDT