Wouldn't it be lovely to talk about books, tropical plants and conservatories with author and gardener Ruth Kassinger as we patiently wait for Spring to fully arrive in our backyards? Well, you can do just that on March 29 at Longwood Gardens in person (you'll need to purchase an admission ticket) or online (free!). Ruth's book Paradise Under Glass: An Amateur Creates a Conservatory Garden is the Community Read selection this year for Longwood Garden so you still have time to read before the 29th. You'll have to read about 15 pages a day.
More About Paradise Under Glass
Paradise Under Glass is a witty and absorbing memoir about one woman’s unlikely desire to build, stock, and tend a small conservatory in her suburban Maryland home.
Kassinger found herself in need of a positive path after the death of her sister, her home becoming an empty nest, and her own battle with breast cancer. A resident of Maryland, she visited the conservatory of the U.S. Botanic Garden in Washington D.C. and was inspired to add a much smaller-scale conservatory to her home. “It occurred to me that adding a conservatory to our house was just what I needed,” Kassinger says. “Warm and humid, beautiful, ever-green, peaceful and still, a conservatory would be the perfect antidote to the losses and changes of middle age. It would be my personal tropical paradise where nothing unexpected lurked in the landscape.”
Kassinger was definitely not a skilled indoor gardener before taking her conservatory leap. As an experienced writer and researcher, she knew she needed to learn about indoor gardens and how to grow indoor plants if she was to be successful—the results of which she shares in Paradise Under Glass. This wonderful combination of warm humor, personal anecdotes, and fascinating history makes for a terrific read.
More About Ruth Kassinger
Ruth Kassinger is an author and speaker who writes about the intersection of gardening, history, and science.
In addition to authoring three critically acclaimed books for adults and eight award-winning books for children, Ruth has written for The Washington Post, the Chicago Tribune, Health, National Geographic Explorer, and other publications. She speaks regularly at conferences, bookstores, and with book groups.
Ruth grew up Baltimore, and received a B.A. degree from Yale University and a Master’s degree from Johns Hopkins University. She and her husband live in suburban Maryland.
Thoughts About Paradise Under Glass
Since I read this book when my area was going through a combination of frequent snow storms and below zero weather (throw in a couple of loss of electricity situations) this was the perfect reading selection. And I must confess, reading about a non-gardener transforming a decrepit old deck into a conservatory had me googling "personal greenhouses".
It's tough to pinpoint what type of readers will enjoy Paradise Under Glass.
Gardeners? Check. Lots of fun plant growing info and plenty of science heavy information about everything from algae to plant cloning.
Historians? Check. Kassinger delves into the history of gardening and the plant industry and along the way touches on topics as varied as glass making, sea voyages, medicinal developments and scandals and feuds of the rich and famous.
Humorists? Check. As Kassinger bumbles along, trying to unravel the mysteries of gardening there are plenty of laugh out loud moments, particularly with the reactions of her surprised but loving family.
Memoirists? Check. This is about Kassinger's journey to create a greenhouse but it is also about her sister and her facing serious health challenges.
Dare I say that there is something for everyone? Because Kassinger is addressing so many topics this book is always fresh. One chapter you're reading about orangeries in the Victorian Age, the next chapter is about her sister's health problems, the next about Kassinger dangling from a skyscraper (OK, not technically dangling) as she tries to learn how a plant wall is created. There are also some vintage photos and illustrations as well as a how-to instructional for garden walls.
Paradise Under Glass seems to be a book that will receive a place of honor on a gardener's bookshelf, waiting for that cold, snowy day when they need to be reminded that things will begin growing again, someday. Even one chapter of this book can be a great pick-me-up for a garden lover banished to the house by the seasons. I loved it and will be reading it again!
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