Jim Jermyn. The Himalayan Garden: Growing Plants from the Roof of the World. Timber Press. 2001.

Jermyn believes that understanding where plants grow naturally is the key to growing them well in our gardens. Therefore, he spends the first chapter discussing the "Ecological Divisions of the Himalaya" and includes a map showing exactly the geographical area covered in the book. Even if you are not familiar with the Himalayan mountain range, you may already know one of its important peaks: Mt. Everest. The Himalayan range stretches for 1500 miles and includes the temperate, subalpine and alpine climate zones. The author focuses his plant attention on those that will grow well in gardens. The next chapter discusses plant exploration in both the past and in the future.

Chapters 3 through 5 each talks about the plants growing in a specific climate zone. The temperate zone, covered in Chapter 3, is found between 6000 and 8000 feet above sea level. Plants from this range are used to growing in cool conditions even if they are in the full sun. Jermyn suggests they would be appropriate in our woodland or peat gardens. He carefully describes the trees and shrubs, bulbs, and herbaceous plants from this zone that would do well in our gardens. I like the way he starts with generalities and then moves on to discuss specific plant genera and/or species to grow.

Chapter 4 discusses the subalpine zone, which ranges from 8,000 to 13,000 feet above sea level. He suggests these plants would do well in bog gardens, rock gardens, or raised bed gardens. The alpine zone plants is the subject of Chapter 5. The alpine range is defined as 12,000 to 16,400 feet above sea level. This zone is the part of the mountain that lies above the tree line (where trees stop growing). These plants are most suited planted in pots, raised beds or troughs. Most will need soil that is slightly on the acid ph side.

Reading this book fascinated me partly because of the detail he provides for plants discussed. Many of his descriptions are accompanied by full colored photographs of the plant growing either in a garden or it its natural habitat. Here is just an example of a plant description:

Arenaria glanduligera is a gem amongst the vast genus of sandworts belonging to the Caryophyllaceae, the pink family. Although by no means the only member of the genus worth growing, it is the one most would clamber for. I have not found it at all difficult, either to raise from seed or to cultivate. Though no doubt I overfed it one season when the result was a surfeit of rich growth at the expense of flowers. The challenge is to grow it according to its true character. It is widely distributed at high elevations, up to 18,000 ft. (5490 m), in scree from Kashmir across the Himalayan massif into Bhutan. It is a loosely tufted plant producing solitary deep pink, dark-eyed flowers on short stems. Tuck the plants between stones in a rather lean soil mix and they should be free flowering and willing to set seed, which is the best means of propagation. [page 247]

This type of plant description is enough to make me crave the plant! Fortunately, chapter 6 talks about propagating the plants (hopefully from the rock garden seed exchanges) and chapter 7 covers diseases or pests that may prove to be problems. I was thinking about getting rid of my cold frame ( used to protect plants in the winter), but this book changed my mind. I'll definitely be trying my hand at growing some of the Himalayan plants for the next garden season.

Do I recommend this book? Eagerly! I don't know how any gardener, whether they are generalists or have a specific interest like rock gardening, could resist this book. It will delight you during a rainy evening or while sitting in front of a fire this winter. May I suggest you add it to your gift list for your favorite gardener?