The Potting Shed (Smith & Hawken)
Potting sheds may serve extremely practical purposes, but in Smith's elegiac text they are viewed in the poetic realm of a gardener's fervent dreams. Some basic advice is included in side boxes, which supply gardening tips. And Smith does endeavor to address all gardeners, even those who utilize kitchen tables to plant up their fresh packets of seeds for nurturing indoors under grow lights. But overall, a romantic image emerges of the traditional uses for these separate little structures often found tucked away out back somewhere, ostensibly to house tools or provide storage for supplies. Color photographs, beguiling prose, and quotes from literary figures add up to a captivating, old-fashioned impression of the potting shed as a private space for reverie.Alice Joyce