In "Paradise Under Glass: An Amateur Creates a Conservatory Garden," boomer journalist Ruth Kassinger tells the story of her journey from brown thumb to green, as she studies conservatories, tells their stories and makes one of her own.
On a cold, gray evening, in the wake of her sister's death, her own battled with breast cancer and her children's departure for college, Kassinger wandered into the U.S. Botanic Garden in Washington. It was a trip that changed her life. She suddenly found herself with a desire to create a conservatory inside her own home.
Kassinger journeyed across the country talking with plant enthusiasts, butterfly breeders, and commercial growers and gradually created her own Eden––including a living wall––while learning lessons about loss and letting go, nurturing and rebirth, love and serenity.
"Gradually, it occurred to me that adding a conservatory onto our house was just what I needed. Warm and humid, beautiful, evergreen, 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."I have three copies of this delightful book and I will send them to three randomly selected Garden Variety readers who post a comment here. Include your email address so I can contact you if you win!
Photos courtesy of Ruth Kassinger