A multidisciplinary study of rural women; specifically, how literary practices of older rural women lead to powerful work in their community.

How women changed the American landscape from planting war victory gardens to saving the redwoods, beautifying the highway to creating horticultural standards. In 1904, Elizabeth Price Martin founded the Garden Club of Philadelphia. In 1913, twelve garden clubs in the eastern and central United States signed an agreement to form the Garden Guild. The Garden Guild would later become the Garden Club of America (GCA), now celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2013. GCA is a volunteer nonprofit organization comprised of 200 member clubs and approximately 18,000 members throughout the country. Comprised of all women, GCA has emerged as a national leader in the fields of horticulture, conservation, and civic improvement. As an example, in 1930, GCA was a key force in preserving the redwood forests of California, helping to create national awareness for the need to preserve these forests, along with contributing funds to purchase land on which they stood. The Garden Club of America Grove and the virgin forest tract of Canoe Creek contain some of the finest specimens of the redwood forests. The Garden Club of America is a centennial celebration of strong women who nurtured the country, helped spread the good word of gardening, and continue to plant seeds of awareness.

In this book, Sean Safford compares the recent history of Allentown, Pennsylvania, with that of Youngstown, Ohio. Allentown has seen a noticeable rebound over the course of the past twenty years. Facing a collapse of its steel-making firms, its economy has reinvented itself by transforming existing companies, building an entrepreneurial sector, and attracting inward investment. Youngstown was similar to Allentown in its industrial history, the composition of its labor force, and other important variables, and yet instead of adapting in the face of acute economic crisis, it fell into a mean race to the bottom.Challenging various theoretical perspectives on regional socioeconomic change, Why the Garden Club Couldn’t Save Youngstown argues that the structure of social networks among the cities’ economic, political, and civic leaders account for the divergent trajectories of post-industrial regions. It offers a probing historical explanation for the decline, fall, and unlikely rejuvenation of the Rust Belt. Emphasizing the power of social networks to shape action, determine access to and control over information and resources, define the contexts in which problems are viewed, and enable collective action in the face of externally generated crises, this book points toward present-day policy prescriptions for the ongoing plight of mature industrial regions in the U.S. and abroad.

"The Saved Seed shows the young child that seeds originally come from nature. The seed saved from carving a pumpkin at Halloween guides the child through the year with all the basic steps in gardening that allows [sic] it to grow into a vine with new pumpkins for the next Halloween."--Foreword.

Opening day of the Fleur-de-Lis Ladies Garden Club of the French Quarter gives fifty lucky women a chance to express their inner southern divas. As longtime member Stephanie Lewis steps into a luxurious condo to begin a new season of the garden club, she has no idea of the drama and life changes that await her. Stephanie, a community volunteer and socialite, is convinced that proper civilization ends at the New Orleans city limits. Her friends and fellow members consist of Gloria Vincent, a wealthy widow who manages two international businesses, and Dolores Delacroix, a successful business owner and master gardener who drinks like a sailor. As the roots of improbable friendships grow deeper, the women discover there is more to every life than what appears on the surface. When a chain of events transforms Stephanies life and the existence of the garden club forever, each of the women learns that she must first examine the past and face the present before she can ever embrace future possibilities. In this heartwarming story, the ladies of a French Quarter garden club depend upon reliance, grace, and the bonds of their sisterhood to courageously deal with lifes unexpected twists and turns. For more information visit: www.welcometothegardenclub.com.

“A Way to Garden prods us toward that ineffable place where we feel we belong; it’s a guide to living both in and out of the garden.” —The New York Times Book Review For Margaret Roach, gardening is more than a hobby, it’s a calling. Her unique approach, which she calls “horticultural how-to and woo-woo,” is a blend of vital information you need to memorize and intuitive steps you must simply feel and surrender to. In A Way to Garden, Roach imparts decades of garden wisdom on seasonal gardening, ornamental plants, vegetable gardening, design, gardening for wildlife, organic practices, and much more. She also challenges gardeners to think beyond their garden borders and to consider the ways gardening can enrich the world. Brimming with beautiful photographs of Roach’s own garden, A Way to Garden is practical, inspiring, and a must-have for every passionate gardener.

Since it was first published in 1929, more than eight decades ago, A Garden Book for Houston and the Texas Gulf Coast has been the authoritative go-to book on gardening for Houstonians and Texas Gulf Coast residents. This fifth revised edition, written and edited by Lynn M. Herbert, has been entirely updated, expanded, and colorfully redesigned. In the process, information in the book was reviewed by over 100 professionals in related fields and by knowledgeable resident gardeners, men and women who generously donated their efforts to make this an invaluable resource for seasoned gardeners as well as neophytes and newcomers to the region. This edition, still in its handbook format, propels its content into the twenty-first century with a new emphasis on environmentally friendly gardening and native plants, including: Exhaustive plant lists describing the newest varieties as well as old favorites, with essential designations of plants native to the Houston and Texas Gulf Coast area Easy-to-read tables, full of details about caring for hundreds of local plants User-friendly information about your soil and how to make it most productive Chapters on major plant categories joined by additional chapters devoted to in-depth tips on azaleas, cacti and other succulents, camellias, ferns, and roses, along with the all-new "Grasses and Bamboos" and "Palms and Cycads" chapters A new emphasis on "The Edible Garden" with expanded chapters covering "Herbs," "Vegetables," and "Fruit and Nut Trees" Complete landscape instructions on how to plan and design your garden to fit your lot and your lifestyle, from a shaded setting to a fragrant garden, an oasis by the Gulf, a container garden, or plants to attract birds and butterflies Updated ideas on drainage, pruning, watering, and lawns and lawn alternatives A newly revised look at coping with "Weather Extremes" such as freezes, hurricanes, or droughts An encyclopedic index that includes both botanical and common names 672 pages with 435 color photographs of flowers, plants, and gardens - the cream of the crop from the coastal area Beloved and consulted for generations and called by many the bible of Houston gardening, A Garden Book is now even more indispensable. This latest edition reaffirms the commitment of the River Oaks Garden Club to preserving our environment, promoting sustainability, and planting with a purpose. Book jacket.

THE STORY: For Rhoda Greenleaf gardening is all and the presidency of the local garden club her highest goal. But standing in her way is the incumbent, Lillybelle, who peppers her speech with French phrases and is a general pain in the neck. How to

Committing the perfect crime was just the beginning of their problems. When Paula, Eleanor, Alice and Jean – women of a certain age – plotted to steal the daily cash gate from the Brookfield Fair, they thought they'd split about $125,000. They pulled off the robbery without a hitch, without injuring anyone and without witnesses. But when they counted the money, they found they had nearly half a million dollars, far more than the fair reported stolen. In a matter of hours, the Garden Club Gang would find themselves in a battle of wits with the local and state police, a determined insurance investigator and the criminals looking for their money. Instead of a lark, the four women found themselves in danger, and dependent upon their own resources – and an unexpected ally – to outwit both the law and the crooks determined to find the money and silence those who stole it. The Garden Club Gang offers finely drawn portraits of four women with all-too-credible motives for doing highly unladylike things. If you're expecting a 'cozy', then be prepared for a cozy with quite a kick. The characters are memorable, the action is non-stop and the plot twists until the final page.