I don’t know about you, but I find that if I don’t make it a ritual to stop working, and put aside digital devices on a regular basis, I’m likely to see entire weeks melt away on I’m not sure what. The Cocktail Hour Garden is about creating environments for that purpose. I explain how we can all make space in the evening hours to reconnect with other people and the natural world. It’s about building a landscape that appeals to the senses. It’s about feeding body, mind and soul with the plants we place in gardens and containers. This book invites you to a cocktail party in your own backyard…whether it’s with an alcoholic beverage or a glass of sparkling water garnished with a sprig of thyme. Come sit outdoors in the evening, take a deep breath and celebrate life.

I’ll confess that 80% of the myths in this book are things that I once thought were true. As a young gardener I thought that oak leaves and pine needles made soil acidic. I was told that I needed to put a layer of rocks in the bottom of pots “for drainage.” And yes, for many years my husband and I planted marigolds in the vegetable garden to keep bugs away. Now I know better. Coffee for Roses dispels myths that we’ve bought into in a fond, we’ve-all-been-there way. It’s a book where we can laugh with recognition while we look at our plants and gardens with delightfully opened eyes.