Zoned out of the garden The subtitle on the cover of Sunset magazine says "living in the west," which makes sense for a publication that focuses on life in California and the Southwest. Unfortunately for Minnesota readers, the same warm-climate bias shows up in Sunset's "Big Book of Garden Designs" ($19.95, paperback).
The gardens are simple and attractive, with easy-to-read plans and beautiful photos, but most of the designs are aimed at warmer climates than ours. New gardeners might also be confused by Sunset's use of nontraditional climate zones, which puts the Twin Cities in zone 43 instead of our usual zone 4.
Still, this is a fine book to use as a guide to begin thinking about how to combine colors, textures and heights in the garden.
MARY JANE SMETANKA
A trip through gnome-man's land In "Gnomeland: An Introduction to the Little People" (Firefly, $29.95), Margaret Egleton attempts to raise the lowly garden figure from kitsch to high art. Does she succeed? I'm not sure, but she certainly does entertain.
This fully illustrated gnome tome includes a history of the gnome, information on the principal makers and photo spreads of over-the-top, colorful collections in back yards and gardens. There are tales of footloose gnomes photographed around the globe, as well as antique gnomes, modern gnomes and old gnome postcards. Of course, no book on gnomenclature could exclude gnomes used in political satire. And, yes, there is a George W. Bush garden gnome.
If you know a gardener who needs a smile, present him with a copy.
JARRETT SMITH
