The Book of Weeds

By Ken Thompson
DK Publishing, $18.00, 320 pages

The tone of this book appears to marry tragedy and comedy; on one hand, the author extols the virtues of some plants that many call “weeds,” but on the other, he provides multiple methods of how to eradicate those which have none. Ken Thompson leaves the English university lecture behind to sit down with the reader at a garden table under some wisteria; he casually launches into a series of informative monologues on weed increase, moderating explosive growth and chuckles about his own inability to deal with them.
Between a debate on prevention, VS purging, and a list of edible weeds dwell entertaining quotes from past garden-greats. Many Californians will appreciate the chapter “A Pain in the Grass,” an aptly-named section on lawn spoilers. The numerous photographs of common weeds are welcome, enabling easy identification. Frustrated gardeners will cherish the strategies for making “nuisance” plants beneficial… or at least tolerable.
The overall philosophy this book conveys is that weeds are merely normal plants that have been sorely misplaced. In Sacramento, at least, this idea rings true; in nearly every empty lot sprouts scads of the yellow mustard “weed,” a plant which in other areas is lovingly harvested to make an internationally admired condiment.

Reviewed by Meredith Greene