Review by Martha Quillen
Gardening – June 2005 – Colorado Central Magazine
Rocky Mountain Garden Survival Guide
by Susan J. Tweit
Published by Fulcrum in 2004
ISBN 1-55591-507-8
BY THE TIME I’d read fifteen pages, I was sure that the Rocky Mountain Garden Survival Guide wasn’t for my type of gardening. (But that wasn’t totally surprising — since the book has a mere 121 pages including the index.)
It’s clear that Susan Tweit, of Salida, a former field ecologist and the author of many books on nature, believes in more planning than I will ever get around to. Tweit writes about zones and zone maps and determining your actual zone and ecosystem. Then she talks about how to “visualize the channels and patterns of air movement in your garden space,” and tells you how to create a site plan map of your garden environment, using graph paper with a ruler and measuring tape to draw in buildings, driveways, walks, topographic details, boulders, drainage areas, and soil conditions.
Later she tells you how to add the microzones, which show heat and light, and writes, “If you know your latitude and a bit of math, a chart that figures solar angle throughout the year can be helpful in calculating the size and movement of shade and sun.”
Tweit also explains how to evaluate and test your soil, and to measure your watering system’s delivery rate — by placing empty cans of the same size around your yard (as if my water pressure would be the same from day to day — and I would actually remember to turn the water on at the same time everyday).
Curiously, though, much of this small book really isn’t about gardening at all. Instead, the naturalist in Tweit wanders off subject to discussions about cumulonimbus clouds and lightning strikes, wildfires and tree-ring research, and my absolute favorite: the difference between caterpillars and grubs. As a matter of fact, I’m eagerly looking forward to a Tweit book on creepy-crawlies, because her descriptions of hovering hawk moths and ant societies are fascinating.
Although I suspect that there are lots of gardeners like myself, who aren’t nearly disciplined or dedicated enough for this author’s planting advice, anyone who enjoys Tweit’s Mountain Mail columns will find some information gems in this Garden Survival Guide.
And Tweit’s suggestions for low-allergy plant selections, deer resistant vegetation, and handling pests without pesticides should please even the most spontaneous gardeners.
