Thalassa CrusoResenhas

This is a great introduction to growing vegetables in North America. Published in 1975, so a bit too focused on using chemical fertilisers for today's tastes, but it has really helped me in planning next year's growing extravaganza.

Step-by-step guide to success with potted plants, hanging plants and window boxes. Originally published as Making Things Grow".

Did not address my principal concern, which is, why do I kill plants that are fresh from the store?
Unless, of course, they're dying already....
The main thing I need to remember more carefully is too make sure there's plenty of coarse matter in the soil when I repot. Root hairs need air.
Otherwise, this book does not seem all that special to me - I don't need to buy a copy - I'll just check for (newer) similar books from the library.

Friendly and informative sums up this book about houseplant care and propagation. It starts off with the basics, the covers everything from how to properly water and feed your plants, to getting rid of pests, repotting, growing new plants from seeds or cuttings, and how to keep them going solo if you're on vacation. The advice is abundant, useful and very practical. If you have any houseplants, or want to get started keeping a few, this book is invaluable.

from the Dogear Diary

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Even though it is a bit outdated, the basic advice on plant care is very applicable. Thalassa Cruso writes from her own experience gardening in her yard. She discusses all the basics, from simple landscaping design (and when to call in the experts) to making your own compost and improving the soil, successfully overwintering flowering bulbs (to get more than one season's bloom out of them), lawn care, growing hedges, establishing shrub borders, controlling weeds, managing ground covers and the essentials of gardening tools and workspace. I appreciated that she talks about when to simply give up on a plant, make compromises in how perfect the yard looks compared to how much work it takes, and how to find positives in negative situations you can't control. Cruso is very conscientious about the dangers of pesticides and chemical fertilizers, so she has lots of other methods for getting healthy plants using safe and practical methods. Overall, I found this book to be an exellent resource, and the friendly style in which it is written makes it easy to absorb all the information.

from the Dog Ear Diary

Thalassa Cruso is a gardener who hosted a TV show about plant care in the sixties. She writes in a friendly, conversational style that drew me in immediately. Her book spans an entire year of seasons in her garden, drawing from more than twenty years of experience to share her knowledge about plants. Cruso was never afraid try new things when traditional methods didn't work, and she carried out many experiments with plants to find out what types of soil and growing conditions they liked best. Her love of plants and nature shines through the pages, and it was really enjoyable to read. This was a delightful book, and I can't wait to read more by the same author. The only thing I felt it lacked was illustrations of the plants she discussed, as I was unfamiliar with some and would have liked to see their faces. But that's a very small flaw.

more at the Dog Ear Diary

This is a great introduction to growing vegetables in North America. Published in 1975, so a bit too focused on using chemical fertilisers for today's tastes, but it has really helped me in planning next year's growing extravaganza.

Thalassa Cruso, (Born 1909) known as "the Julia Child of horticulture," died June 11, 1997.

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