My Favorite Plant by Jamaica Kincaid
As Heard on The Daily Gardener Podcast:
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast:
My Favorite Plant by Jamaica Kincaid
This book came out in 1998, and the subtitle is Writers and Gardeners on the Plants They Love.
In this charming anthology, Jamaica Kincaid has gathered an extraordinary bouquet of literary voices, each sharing their most beloved botanical companions. What makes this collection truly special is how it weaves together two deep human passions: the love of plants and the love of words.
Let me share two particularly captivating passages from the book.
First, listen to how Michael Pollan [POL-lan] describes the surprising allure of the castor bean:
There's something almost indecent about the castor bean's vitality - the way it rockets from seed to small tree in a single season, unfurling those preposterous dinner-plate leaves along the way. Everything about the plant is oversized and subtropical, which is precisely why I grow it in my temperate garden.
And here's Maxine Kumin [KYOO-min] reflecting on Thoreau's relationship with beans:
When Thoreau wrote about making 'the earth say beans instead of grass,' he wasn't just being clever with words. He was speaking to that profound moment when we realize we can coax the earth to speak our language through cultivation - when we understand that we can participate in creation.
This book is 336 pages of intimate plant portraits, each one revealing not just the character of a particular plant, but the heart of the writer who loves it.
From Christopher Lloyd's passionate defense of poppies to Marina Warner's nostalgic memories of the Guinée rose, each essay offers a unique window into the ways plants enrich our lives and capture our imaginations.
SI HORTUM IN HORTORIA PODCASTA IN BIBLIOTEHCA HABES, NIHIL DEERIT.
