Many wonderful gardening books have crossed my desk over the years -- dozens I consider incredibly useful.  But if I had to pick my most favorite, it would be Dr. William C. Welch & Greg Grant's Heirloom Gardening in the South" (Texas A&M University Press). 

 

Why? Because it deepened my appreciation of my own garden. It broadened my awareness of the deep historical roots my plants boasted, giving added meaning to individual aspects, cultural significance I had only given passing awareness to before. 

 

It was a change in perspective moment I treasure as much as I treasure Bill and Greg as longtime friends. What a great gift they gave me -- over and beyond a personal delight that my own Mexican, French & English heritage are included in his Big Eight!

 

I knew the history of bottle trees and the origin of prolific crinum lilies (great lazy gardener plants!), but began to see both with an even deeper appreciation. Both served as such important symbols of security for centuries for people on another continent far away.  

 

Native plants were finally "in vogue" on the retail front when this book was published in 2011.  I had always viewed native plants, especially wildflowers, as "my kind of" plants. No one feeds, waters, pampers or protects them and yet they are beautiful year after year. Only problem was, they usually weren't sold in nurseries. Slowly-but-surely they were appearing on the shelves thanks to then-fledgling groups like the Native Plant Society of Texas.

Bill (right) & Greg's book helped me move past my "selfish" love affair into far-more-actively researching individual plants to see how they were used for medicinal or ceremonial purposes. Not that I advised folks then or now to necessarily use them that way. But, rather, to encourage treasuring a plant's historical significance while utilizing its garden usefulness. In short, they made gardening a lot more fun for me!