Sunday's media madness...

With Fall arriving quickly its time to look towards having a quiet blanket of white for the garden, or is it? I came across a book called The Garden in Winter: Plant for Beauty and Interest in the Quiet Season by Suzy Bales. If you live in an area that gets brown, grey or white in the Winter this is the book to check out. The author gives you ideas for planting a winter garden so you can enjoy your views in in every month, June or January, in all seasons. She also has ideas to change and light up the view from your windows and how to bring the outdoors in for the holidays. The ideas in this book are extremely creative and will keep you smiling all through the year.

* Product Description:

Most of us think of winter as the time when the garden sleeps and our attention turns to indoor activities. Yet Better Homes & Gardens contributing editor Suzy Bales lures us to the windows, the garden paths, and outdoor areas to witness the beauty and vitality of the winter garden.

The possibilities for creating interest in the winter landscape are considerable. Through Suzy’s eyes, you’ll discover the intriguing patterns of tree bark; the sculptural shapes created by trees, arching vines, shrubs, and seed heads of perennials and grasses; the outline of outdoor structures, containers, and ornaments; and the unexpected but welcome dashes of color added by conifers, berries, early bulbs, and yes, even flowers. Suzy provides details on the best plants and cultivars to choose and explains how to group them for the most arresting vignettes.

Suzy devotes an entire chapter sharing her secrets for creating one-of-a-kind holiday wreaths, unique centerpieces and mantel arrangements, and striking outdoor features with greens, interesting branches, berries, cones, and seedpods from her winter garden. Sometimes whimsical, always useful, her suggestions and ideas bring the outdoors in to brighten the darkest time of year.

You will also find descriptions of places and people who celebrate winter in unusual ways, such as Les Blake, the creator of "fire and ice" sculptures in Alaska, or the village of Cooperstown, New York, that decorates for the holidays with a flourish.

This book overflows with ideas for transforming your views in winter. Plan for the quiet season by following the suggestions of garden enthusiast Suzy Bales and your garden will continue to delight you through the year.

* About the Author:

SUZY BALES is a contributing editor at Better Homes and Gardens and the author of Suzy Bales' Down to Earth Gardener. She divides her time between Manhattan and Oyster Bay on Long Island, where she maintains her extensive gardens.

* Information from Amazon.com

If you would like a peek inside the book you can see it at Amazon, but for the lowest price on a new go to eBooksWeb.net where I found it for only $2.76, if you don’t mind a used copy you can find one in like new condition at Amazon for $0.01 with $3.99 shipping.

Hope you all have a fantastic Sunday!

C.Q.