One of the wonderful aspects of gardening is that advice and observations from 40 years ago remain largely valid and relevant today, and that was certainly the case in returning to this book, one of my favorite gardening volumes.

Lacy, who died at 80 in 2015 was a philosophy professor who turned his bright mind and analytic personality to garden writing.  Compilations of his columns from Horticulture magazine, the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times filled 10 books, and ‘Farther Afield’, his second book, is one of my favorites.  I found it in the ‘gardens’ section of my Vermont library and enjoyed several days of pretending to be in the spring/summer gardens of our Brownsville property while reading it.

The book is divided into six sections dealing with visits to hybridizers in Costa Rica, England, and Florida, favorite plants from his own gardens, visits to others’ gardens, books on gardening, and random observations which he labels “Tidbits, Observations, Dreams, and Practicalities”.  Lacy writes in a straightforward manner with a hint of humor and many practical suggestions, quite appropriate to his topic.  As usual, I came away from his book with a list of plants that I’d like to introduce to my Vermont gardens, most excitedly the Connecticut Yankee delphinium and perennial cyclamens.  I also ended up with a list of five gardens/garden centers I’d like to visit, but given the 40 year gap between Lacy’s writing and today I’d not be surprised to find some of them gone.

Reading about gardening in the depth of the cold and dark of winter is a special treat, and reading Lacy is a similar pleasure.  Highly recommended for anyone who is eager to get their hands back into the soil.