quoted material in Bulbs for Garden Habitats

Lee Poulsen wpoulsen@pacbell.net
Sun, 27 Mar 2005 22:50:50 PST
I don't want Judy to be distressed, and I will state for the record, 
that the procedure she just described, is exactly what she did with me. 
I have no idea if anything I wrote ended up in her book, but she did 
ask me for permission and showed me the final version of what she had 
written using what I had said. I like the idea of a book that is based 
on many people's actual experiences gardening rather than relying only 
on various authorities' writings of how various species should be 
grown. Also, the regional experience is IMO invaluable.

I don't know what others' experiences with Judy were.

--Lee Poulsen
Pasadena area, California, USDA Zone 9-10

On Mar 27, 2005, at 7:27 PM, Judy Glattstein wrote:

> I am deeply distressed by Jane McGary's comments, that I used material
> she and other members of PBS posted on our forums without permission 
> and
> in an inappropriate manner.
>
> Those of you I asked for this invaluable assistance know who you are,
> and the procedure I followed in using your information. For our other
> members, it went like this:
>
> As the book got under way, I discovered material appropriate to my
> manuscript on the PBS forum. The method I followed was to privately
> e-mail the individual who made the original posting, asking if it might
> be used. If permission had been refused, that would have been the end 
> of
> it. Graciously, permission was always granted. I generally asked
> additional questions as follow-up, often with further questions to the
> additional reply. When the material was developed into text, it was
> always sent to each person for their approval, frequently making
> adjustments as requested. Finally, I specifically asked everybody for
> permission to use that final draft material in the book.
>
> Every individual whose experiences are included is mentioned by name,
> unless they asked that I not do so. Their information is frequently
> given as lengthy quotes. My intention was not, is not, never was to
> present the material as my own experience. I did rely on the expertise
> of members who live in regions outside my own, preferring actual
> gardening experience - my own included - to just book research.
>
> I am not an expert on hostas, and have no idea where that came from. 
> The
> PBS web site address was changed after the manuscript was copy edited
> and proof pages reviewed, so impossible to change / update. I provided 
> a
> bibliography, Timber Press scrapped it. Heck, I didn't even get to
> choose the book's title.
>
> I do not pretend to the depth of knowledge about bulbs that many of our
> members have to offer. What I do have is a fondness for bulbs, corms,
> tubers, and all the other plants with lumpy underground storage
> structures. I want to share that appreciation with the general 
> gardening
> public, to urge them to explore regionally appropriate "bulbs" and to
> give up on the homogenization of our gardens, where, for example,
> refrigerated tulips are stuffed into California gardens.
>
> Garden journalist - yes, I write books and magazine articles. I also
> teach and lecture on various gardening topics at the New York Botanical
> Garden, for professional horticultural organizations and also to garden
> clubs. Someone has to welcome the beginning gardeners starting down the
> garden path. With this book I wanted to encourage them to explore 
> beyond
> the plastic bags of bulbs in the big box stores and discover the
> diversity of bulbs that are available to embellish their gardens
> wherever they might be: in the Northeast, Deep South, Texas,
> Mediterranean climate, and so on.
>
> If Jane McGary did not want to be quoted, that would have been fine.
> When she said, in answer to my request, that she didn't have time to
> reply at length I assured her that I could work with just what she had
> posted in the PBS forum. Further, she had the opportunity to review 
> what
> would be included in my text. Any material she provided is attributed 
> to
> her. There is nothing I can do at this point other than to say again
> that I am distressed by her comments. I truly believe that the rest of
> you who did participate and are included in Bulbs for Garden Habitats
> will be as pleased with the book as am I.
>
> I do sincerely hope that Jane will have someone other than herself
> review my book for the Bulletin of the North American Rock Garden
> Society. Unless, that is, she thinks it of so little interest to the
> NARGS members that it will not be reviewed at all.
>
> Judy Glattstein
>
>
>
>
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