Synopses & Reviews
Although the garden may beckon as strongly as ever, the tasks involved -- pulling weeds, pushing wheelbarrows, digging holes, moving heavy pots -- become increasingly difficult, or even impossible, with advancing age. But the idea of giving it up is unthinkable for most gardeners. So what's the alternative?
In Gardening for a Lifetime, Sydney Eddison draws on her own forty years of gardening to provide a practical and encouraging roadmap for scaling back while keeping up with the gardening activities that each gardener loves most. Like replacing demanding plants like delphiniums with sturdy, relatively carefree perennials like sedums, rudbeckias, and daylilies. Or taking the leap and hiring help -- another pair of hands, even for a few hours a week, goes a long way toward getting a big job done. Or maybe it makes sense to get rid of high-maintenance trees, shrubs, or perennials.
This edition features a new chapter in which Sydney's struggles with hip and back problems
force her to walk the walk. As a friend of hers says, "Last summer you wrote the book. Now, I'm happy to
see that you've read it." Gentle, personable, and practical, Gardening for a Lifetime will be welcomed by all gardeners looking to transform gardening from a list of daunting chores into the rewarding, joy-filled activity it was meant to be.
Review
Sydney Eddison has long shared with readers…her experiences maintaining her garden in Connecticut. Now shes using those experiences to help older gardeners like herself continue to pursue their passion as they age. Connecticut Gardener Magazine
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Eddisons thoughtful reflections are timely for countless gardeners who are approaching the time in their lives when a garden sanctuary can feel like a burden. Garden Rant
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Sydney Eddison is my kind of garden writer, now passing along wisdom acquired from 50 years. No BS, no rhetoric. Trust this writer; she knows what shes talking about. Akron Beacon Journal
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While this book is meant for gardeners who are getting older, its relevant reading for anyone who may not have endless supplies of time, energy and money to devote to their garden. LandscapeDesignWeb.com
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"Anyone who's gardened for a long time will want to read Sydney Eddison's new book" Philadelphia Inquirer
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I found it liberating to be given an excuse to ditch some of my backbreaking chores. Whos waiting to grow old? Im preparing for the future right now. You can tuck this perfect gift into your basket... TheDailyBasics.com
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'Her advice is both practical and creative.' --New York Times Book Review
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"Her advice is both practical and creative." Winston-Salem Journal
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All of us need to begin addressing these issues, and this [book] is a gentle way to get started. MuckAbout.com
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A delightful read with many helpful hints about simplifying garden maintenance. The Providence Journal
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A very personal book with many nuggets of information. All The Dirt On Gardening.com
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A lovely read for those of us who can no longer put 16 hours a day into the garden. California Country Magazine
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While many of the practices included in the book speak to the older gardener, those with mobility issues, no matter their age, will find Eddisons ideas both gentle and practical. NY Times Book Review
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Practical, imaginative and delightful... Hartford Courant
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Her book is packed with insights that readers will find helpful, whether they're nearing a certain age or simply trying to plan their gardens well. On Point, NPR
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Gardens change, and so do we—our time, our needs, our energy. Sydney tells us how to roll with the changes…how to garden for life without getting lost in the weeds. NotesFromASmallGarden.com
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An excellent and thoughtful new book...a must read both for now (after all, who doesnt want to garden smarter?) and for your future gardening self. She is practical, humorous and clear-sighted. Booklist
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[Eddison] writes with wisdom and experience. Are you looking for anything more? Philadelphia Inquirer
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Anyone who's gardened for a long time will want to read Sydney Eddison's new book. DesignNJ
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“Practical advice and heartfelt anecdotes on how to transform gardening into a labor of love.”
Synopsis
Sooner or later, every older gardener faces a similar challenge. At some point, we all find ourselves asking "If I can't get out there and dig, plant, and prune as I used to, what am I going to do?"The garden has been an everyday part of Sydney Eddison's life for over forty years. It has witnessed the changing of seasons, her greatest joys, and her deepest sorrows. The garden and the gardener have aged and changed together. Gardening for a Lifetime is a touching memoir about having to scale back after widowhood and painful joints made it impossible to keep up with a large country garden.
Intermixing personal experience with practical gardening tips, Eddison has written an encouraging roadmap for accepting and embracing a new and simpler way of gardening. Elegant black and white illustrations evoke Eddison's everyday joy, sorrow, and contentment in the garden. Gentle, personable, and practical, Gardening for a Lifetime helps transform gardening from a list of daunting chores into the rewarding, joy-filled activity it was meant to be.
Synopsis
Gentle, personable, and practical, "Gardening for a Lifetime" helps transform gardening from a list of daunting chores into the rewarding, joy-filled activity it is meant to be.
About the Author
Sydney Eddison has written six other books on gardening. She has been honored by National Garden Clubs Inc. with their Award of Excellence for 2010. For her work as a writer, gardener, and lecturer, she has also received the Connecticut Horticultural Society's Gustav A. L. Melquist Award in 2002; the New England Wild Flower Society's Kathryn S. Taylor Award in 2005; and in 2006, The Federated Garden Clubs of Connecticut's Bronze Medal. Her garden has been featured in magazines and on television. A former scene designer and drama teacher, Eddison lectures widely and is a frequent contributor to
Fine Gardening magazine and other publications.