The Explorer’s Garden: Rare and Unusual Perennials

His prose melts like butter, his wit is outrageous, his knowledge is inviting and accessible. Hinkley writes about plants with passion and humility, transforming hard earned data into pure delight. -- Ketzel Levine Plant Talk 20000201 Graced by the author's formidable knowledge of botany, the book promises to satisfy the most demanding tendencies of today's gardener. -- Alice Joyce Booklist 19990801 The whole world can be as close as your backyard when you look at it through Dan Hinkley's eyes. -- Kristine Moe Seattle Times 19990905 (The Explorer's Garden) is one of the truly great horticultural books of the twentieth century. It is fully as delectable as Ernest H. Wilson's A Naturalist in Western China (1913) or F. Kingdon Ward's Plant Hunting on the Edge of the World (1930), but one of the best things about it is that all the plants it describes are available to gardeners today... (It) devotes a proper amount of attention to plants that are currently in high fashion among truly dedicated gardeners... But what I found most exciting about this book is the great number of plants discussed in great detail that I have never even heard of. Reading about Saruma henryi, Stretopus amplexifolius, Disporopsis perneyi, and Triosteum himalayanum convinced me that gardening is inexhaustible, that we will never run out of new plants to try. -- Allen Lacy Homeground 19990201 This book will become a 'must have' for herbaceous plants enthusiasts. -- John Simmons Garden (Peterborough) 19991201 The horticultural cognoscenti throughout the Pacific Northwest have been panting for this book for months, which has only just been released. -- Steve Whysall Vancouver Sun 19991216 To review a book so meticulously compiled and so competently and wonderfully written is hardly a challenge. No biting criticisms are needed here. Quite simply, this book stands far and away from a(n)... ever-burgeoning mass of garden-oriented books. ... Even the omnipresent hardy geraniums are treated unconventionally, exposing the reader to new and unfamiliar cultivars. ... In short, buy this book for your horticultural library. Buy it for your friends. Buy it for Lynn Harrison's (and Dan's) sumptuous, flawless, and artistic photography. Buy it so Dan can write the follow-up woody plant volume! Most of all, however, buy this book to gain a better understanding of our lone planet's marvelous and awe-inspiring plant diversity and of each constituent species' uniqueness--this all contributing to a constant enrichment of our gardens. -- Todd Lasseigne Trillium 20000201 Hinkley has written a delightful and very informative book. ... Uncommon but striking species ... are presented with descriptions that convey why they have so thoroughly charmed the author. Many beautifully-printed color photographs are an additional, powerful attraction for the reader. ... Highly recommended. Choice 20000201 But for plant lovers, (the chapter titles) will come as beguiling invitations to read on. Trenton Times 20000102 Clearly any book containing so much that is new yet detailed, scholarly yet personal, is going to be indispensable for any serious gardener with suitable conditions--and few of us lack at least one moist and shady corner in which to experiment with some of Hinkley's recommendations. ... It hasn't been pre-packaged. It isn't formulaic. And, by heaven! It positively heaves and throbs with a love and knowledge of 'his' plants. Hortus 19990201 In this wonderful book on rare and unusual perennial Daniel Hinkley takes his readers on fascinating journeys of plant exploration and discovery. ... Quality first-hand information from someone who has observed the plants in the wild and grown them in the garden, all spiced with wit and insightful opinion. ... Is The Explorer's Garden one of the best books on perennials ever written? You bet it is. -- Carl Hahn American Gardener 20000501 This is truly an exciting book, not only for the sense of adventure which Hinkley conveys to his readers, but also for the joy he shares in his writing. -- Ethel Fried Manchester (CT) Journal Inquirer 19991206 Hinkley manages to educate us about these beauties and oddities without being intimidating. -- Valerie Easton Pacific Horticulture 20000301 This is just the kind of information we need to know... It is experienced guidance in choosing amongst the hosts of available plants. -- Valerie Easton Pacific Horticulture 20000309 This book will interest perennial lovers everywhere, extolling the virtues of plants that enjoy a cool, moisture-rich climate such as that encountered on the northwest coast. -- Jane Sterndale-Bennett Hardy Plant 19990310 The perennials in this book have come from all corners of the globe, North America, England, Chile, Nepal, China, Japan and other foreign lands. If you are wanting a preview of some newly discovered perennials that will be entering the culture of American gardens, this is the place to discover them. -- Russell Studebaker Tulsa World 19991120 The dean of modern-day plant hunters is Daniel J. Hinkley. So it's with great excitement that the gardening world greets his first book, The Explorer's Garden: Rare and Unusual Perennials. Avant Gardener 19991110 Anyone who has ventured beyond the long-established favorite perennials ... and tried some less known and less grown beauties ... should be enthralled at finding so many new and enticing treasures, many of which can be tried in his or her garden. -- Jean S. Wexler Vineyard Gazette 20000114 If you've ever read Dan Hinkley's yearly catalog then you are familiar with his wonderful prose which exudes with enthusiasm. -- Gary Keim Hybrid 20000316 If you've ever read Dan Hinkley's yearly catalog then you are familiar with his wonderful prose which exudes with enthusiasm. -- Gary Keim Hybrid 20000316 The book is delightfully written, beautifully illustrated. -- Paula Panich Dirt 20000418 This is a marvelous volume of permanent value which belongs in the library of all who eschew the ordinary. -- John Swenson Current Books on Gardening and Botany 20000418 More than just a handy reference, it's a compete guide to the plants he's discovered in his explorations. -- Janice Guerrasio Log Homes Illustrated 20000501 It is hard to imagine that anyone other than Hinkley, who has personally grown more than 9000 plants (and most of those included in this book), could offer better advice on hardiness, cultivation, and propagation. -- Patricia Jonas Plants and Gardens News 20000501 To review a book so meticulously compiled and so competently and wonderfully written is hardly a challenge. No biting criticisms are needed here. Quite simply, this book stands far and away from a largely mediocre and often poorly edited, ever-burgeoning mass of garden-oriented books. -- Todd Lasseigne Rock Garden Quarterly 20000510 This key figure in America's gardening renaissance shares the excitement of first encountering a plant in its native habitat, and offers useful advice on the assets each plant brings to the garden and on how it is best cultivated and propagated. -- James A. Baggett Rebecca's Garden 20000531 His [Dan Hinkley's] enthusiasm shines ... Great! -- Marty Figley Michigan Observer and Eccentric 20000525 Like Hinkley's voluminous Heronswood Nursery Catalog, this book, written with inimitable style and wit, comprises a virtual candy store for collectors and plant addicts. -- Larry Lee University of California Botanical Garden Newsletter 20000727 His writing is a fine balance of sensitive description, story-telling, and hands-on knowledge of the plants, flavoured with the excitement of discovery. -- Ann Milovsoroff Pappus 20001004 It is a marvelous collection ... It is a story of a man's wonderment in the plant kingdom, how it started and where it is still leading. -- Lani Morris Into the Garden 20000805 Any plant lover will savor this book. American Herb Association Quarterly Newsletter 20001005 [Dan Hinkley's] depth of knowledge, breadth of humor, and exuberant love for all things green -- or, for that matter, variegated -- translate well to the printed page, making this intriguing and informative new volume a must-have for anyone who wants to know more about unusual garden plants. -- Steve Silk Fine Gardening 20001027 A must book for the plant collector and those in the trade that deal with unusual plants. -- Bill Funkhouser Perennial Notes 20000326 I recommend this book ... for any really keen gardeners in your circle. Daily Telegraph (London) 20001228 Witty text that is a true delight to read. His enthusiasm is contagious ... A must book for the plant collector and those in the trade that deal with unusual plants. -- Bill Funkhouser Perennial Notes 20000413 This is a picture book to read; a plant list to drool over; a collector's dream come true. Read it with awe. -- Mary Hoffman Hardy Plant Society of Oregon Bulletin 20010615 A wonderful safari through the lands of the uncommon ... Good photography and a good read. Green Thumb Chatter 20010525 For the serious perennial gardener this book will be educational and inspirational. University of Vermont Extension Book of the Month 20021105 Dan is an engaging writer and passionate plantsman. -- Lili Singer Southern California Horticultural Society Newsletter 20030218 A wonderful gift for a gardener, it will inspire long, sweet green daydreams, and undoubtedly lead to the creative expansion of the garden come spring. -- Natalie Walsh Schenectady Daily Gazette 20031009 Engaging, witty prose. -- Karen Hugg Northwest Garden News 20041108 Reading the book is like taking a plant hunting trip with Hinkley. -- Pat Rubin Sacramento Bee 20050326 This is a plantsman's book, written for plant-lovers. ... There is no better source of information and inspiration than this volume. -- Tom Karwin Monterey County Herald 20061007 Hinkley, like all serious gardeners, knows that to understand how a plant behaves, you must first see how it grows in its native environment. -- Diana Dickinson Country Gardens 20090801 (Dan Hinckley's) ability to convey his excitement and joy at the discovery of such plants with the possibility of introducing some of them into temperate gardens around the world is vividly expressed in his book. Beautiful photographs by Lynne Harrison complement the writing. -- Beth Chatto, Gardens Illustrated