These reviews are written by volunteer Master Gardeners, mainly from Fayette County. Information about the Fayette County Cooperative Extension Service’s Master Gardener program, see http://ces2.ca.uky.edu/fayette/MG .
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Timber Press $79.95 290 pages
The iris family includes not only all varieties of irises, but also other well-known plants like crocus, gladiolus and even freesia. The authors include all known representatives in the family, along with detailed scientific information about classification, culture and pollination. Samples from all over the world are included, with detailed descriptions, line illustrations and a section of color photographs. Goldblatt and Manning are particularly experienced in discovering new species found in South Africa, where they regularly locate new iris finds in the diverse and environmentally threatened Cape ecosystems.
Irises are monocots, which means that their leaves generally resemble large blades of grass, with parallel vein lines, and long sword-like blades that are the same on both sides. Ordinarily, the leaves and flowers grow in the rainy season, store energy in the rhizome, bulb or corm during the warm season, and go dormant during dry season. Our North American irises, for instance, grow and bloom in spring, store energy in summer, then go dormant throughout the winter. The flowers, which are usually found atop a tall stalk, are colorful and showy, with some requiring special pollinators. The study of flower-pollinator dynamics alone is fascinating.
This is not a book for easy reading, nor is it a “how-to” gardening guide. If you’re new to gardening, you’ll need to learn terminology and know basic plant biology to appreciate its full value. There is a wealth of information here for iris enthusiasts and botanists, including an identification guide and key, detailed descriptions of plant forms, along with supporting natural history and cultural usage sections. In addition to the expected plant profiles, the authors have also shared details about chromosome numbers and fragrances for iris family members from Acaste venusta to Zygotritonia praecox, and hundreds inbetween.
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Flights Against the Sunset Kenn Kaufman 
Houghton Mifflin 225 pages $24
Kaufman’s stories, of course, are about various birding adventures, either with other professionals or with groups he is leading. They cover the world, from the tip of Alaska on the Bering Sea in winter, to Africa, and on to the northern rim of Venezuela at a long-abandoned naturalists’ station 2/3 of a mile above sea level.
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Macro Photography for Gardeners and Nature Lovers: The Essential Guide to Digital Techniques 
Alan L. Detrick Timber Press 175 pages $24.95
Macro photography is a never-ending journey, up close and personal. It captures images that most folks walk by without a glance and can be done in the confines of a back yard garden or neighborhood park. The natural world’s small scale wonders can be made larger by using special equipment and different photographic techniques. Alan Detrick shows his readers how to accomplish this in Macro Photography for Gardeners and Nature Lovers.
Image stabilization is important when shooting at a macro level. This is built into many cameras, but a good tripod is recommended to prevent blurred pictures. Patience is also necessary as the movement of nature’s subjects rarely stops.
Detrick also emphasizes the importance of being aware of the entire image in the viewfinder. A minor shift in camera position can impact the quality of the photo. In addition to composition, correct exposure and quality lighting are two keys to good close-up photos.
More than 150 full color photographs will inspire any gardener or nature lover to experiment with macro photography. Although some point-and- shoot digital cameras are capable of taking macro photos, this book is primarily written for users of digital single-lens reflex cameras.
Marjorie Richards Leinbach, Fayette County
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Uncommon Fruits for Every Garden by Lee Reich, with illustrations by Vicki Herzfeld Arlein Timber Press 288 pages $16.99
I didn’t know that raisins grew on trees, and I remember jujubes as a kind of candy we used to eat at the movies. Yet, there are actually plants with those names. The raisin tree bears fruit in a form named a peduncle, or smaller fruit stalk, that swells into a “gnarled, meat mass” writes author Lee Reich. They don’t look very appetizing, but taste sweet with a hint of astringency. The Jujube is also known as the Chinese Date tree. Its fruit when dried resembles that of a date palm in appearance, texture and flavor; botanically they are unrelated. If you’re looking for something unusual or different to try, this is the book for you.
Reich has made the switch from plant and soil research with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Cornell University to writing, lecturing and garden consulting. He has written several books and has done articles for Organic Gardening, Horticulture, Martha Stewart Living, and the New York Times, as well as writing a gardening column for the Associated Press that appears biweekly in newspapers across the country. His color photos in the book capture the blossoms and fruit of the juneberry tree, pawpaw, lingonberries, hardy kiwis and others. The pen and ink illustrations done by Vicki Herzfeld Arlein clearly could compete with photographs. You could easily identify the plant or tree from the drawings.
Along with the illustrations, information that includes a description of the plant, its botanical name, plant type, how it is fertilized and when the fruit is ripe is provided. If you want to grow any of the plants or trees, mail order sources are given, and once you start growing, there is advice on pruning, propagation, cultivation, harvest and use.
Nan Starkweather, Fayette County
