Here in the South for the next several months, the Death Star is set on high beam, so it’s time to quit trying so hard. Drop your shovel and pruners, grab a cold one, and plop down with an entertaining book. And have I got a good one to share with you!

Perfect for poolside or a shady front porch (or even better, in front of an open refrigerator), The Grumpy Gardener (Oxmoor House, 2017) by Steve Bender is anything but grumpy. As Southern Living‘s longtime garden editor (he retired as editor in 2016 but continues to write for the magazine), Bender cultivated a curmudgeonly, beer-lovin’, self-aggrandizing, and unapologetic persona for his gardening columns, to surprising and often hilarious effect. If you think it would be dull to read about mole control or the proper technique for pruning crepe myrtles, you’ve never read the Grump.

His latest book, subtitled An A to Z Guide from the Galaxy’s Most Irritable Green Thumb, is guaranteed to elicit snorts of laughter, even as you pick up helpful gardening advice. Bender has alphabetically organized his articles, blog posts, and answers to readers’ questions on topics ranging from “Agave” to “Dorm Room Plants” and “Tomato Haters” to “Xeriscaping.” Pretty much anything you might have wondered about gardening in the hot and buggy South shows up here, and Bender’s straight-shooting advice is slathered with plenty of irreverent attitude. Here’s a snippet from “Death by Deer: 13 Garden Plants Deer Will Utterly Destroy”:

“Hostas, daylilies, and roses. To a deer, these are fresh-caught Maine lobster served with melted Irish butter. They will scarf down every one they see, even when not offered a suitable wine pairing. You might think thorny roses would be undesirable, but you don’t know Bambi. To him, a little physical pain is more than worth the emotional trauma he’s going to cause you. Don’t even think of planting these three plants in deer country unless your garden is surrounded by an electric fence the size of the one in Jurassic Park. Hope there’s not a power outage.”

Forget the deer. A power outage in summer means no A/C!

Summer in the South may be no laughing matter, but The Grumpy Gardener is. Pick up a copy to amuse and educate yourself while you await the first cool breath of fall.

Disclosure: Steve Bender has recommended my books and blog to his readers. Oxmoor House sent me a copy of The Grumpy Gardener for review. I reviewed it at my own discretion and without any compensation. This post, as with everything at Digging, is my own personal opinion.

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Digging Deeper: News and Upcoming Events

Give a listen to Hothouse, “a new podcast about design, ecology, and the way we garden now,” hosted by Austin landscape designer Leah Churner. Tune in for her in-depth and insightful interviews with regional gardening experts like Central Texas Gardener‘s Linda Lehmusvirta, author Jenny Peterson, and designer Colleen Dieter. As with my own Garden Spark speaker series, Hothouse is cultivating gardening conversations for thinking gardeners (as I like to call us) in the Austin area.

Texas Hill Country friends and travelers, read The Texas Wildflower, a terrific new digital magazine featuring the people, businesses, culture, and scenery of our region. Published by San Antonio-based Pamela Price, whom I’ve followed online for years because of our shared interest in gardening (in fact, my book is included in her “Favorite Hill Country Garden Things”), the magazine will inspire you to get out and explore our unique and beautiful region. Subscribe to The Texas Wildflower today.

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