FOR GARDENERS, winter is a time to rest and read, to gather information about seeds, plants and soil from books and other gardeners.

“Gardening Among Friends: Practical Essays by Master Gardeners,” edited by Barbara J. Euser, is perfect for anyone who loves or wants to love his or her garden. Just released, Elizabeth Murray, author of “Cultivating Sacred Space: Gardening for the Soul,” describes the book as “Like chatting with garden gurus É delightful and informative.”

Euser has selected 65 practical essays by Marin Master Gardeners from the weekly Master Gardener columns in the Marin Independent Journal and organized them into chapters from “Habitat Gardening” to “Garden Design,” with an appendix that demystifies botanical names so that you, too, can speak “plant.”

The black-and-white sketches adorning the pages as well as the stylish cover were done by Master Gardener Maggie Agro.

The first chapter covers attracting butterflies, bees and birds to your garden. Other chapters cover water usage, favorite flowers, produce, maintenance and seasonal activities. These writer-friends share their garden secrets and confess their failures.

Along with practical advice from experienced gardeners there are wonderful nuggets
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of information and history. I discovered not all dates grow on palm trees. They also grow on jujube (Ziziphes jujube) trees. I thought jujubes were a sweet chewy candy that came in a box from the grocery store. Euser extols the virtues of the jujube (accent on the middle syllable): drought tolerant, resistant to pests, graceful in form and producing 400 varieties of dates, “giving much pleasure for little effort.”

William Bentley writes, “without pollinators we wouldn’t be here” and with that dire warning goes on to explain that our native bees are in danger of disappearing. Should we care? Yes, indeed! Our own existence is at stake.

Have you ever noticed yellow jackets do not fly after dark? Elizabeth Patterson suggests meals al fresco be enjoyed after sunset.

I never thought asparagus interesting, although it is one of my favorite vegetables, but Patterson’s essay on how to grow this tasty green shoot of a fern is indeed worth reading.

Want to cure olives? Charlotte Torgovitsky will tell you how. If you are having trouble with your lemon tree, Virginia Havel will help you out with a detailed, if discouraging, account of citrus problems. Lee Oliphant tells you just how to do vermiculture (worm composting). Diane Lynch writes more than you want to know about rodents, but all you need to know to thwart them. Melissa Gebhart loves bulbs because they are so easy. She wants people to know that if you plant bulbs this year you’ll have flowers for years to come.

I have to confess the editor included one of my columns in the book. It was, in fact, my first column, and although I have written for publication for many years, I felt I was taking an intimidating plunge into writing about gardening. My subject (suggested by Katie Martin) was garden maintenance; my title “Clean your house in the spring; clean your garden in the fall.” Instead of reporting on others, I had an opportunity to talk about my experience for a change.

Skipping through the book for information is easily done. The writing is breezy but convincing and most of all practical. Plants are fascinating and these authors share their thoughts and their experiences with these lovely, living things.

I strongly recommend this book to all gardeners, novice and experienced. “Gardening Among Friends” is available at the University of California Cooperative Extension office, 1682 Novato Blvd., Suite 150B in Novato or from Book Passage in Corte Madera and all major book stores nationwide for $18.75.

This was taken from an article that I found on the net but I neglected to list the url when I pasted it a few days ago.