2.05.2010

Marvelous March

After the December issue, it is the March issue of Martha Stewart Living that I most anticipate in my mailbox. When it arrives, I know that spring is not far away. It awakens the horticulturalist in me: the houseplant-lover, the produce-seeker and the urban grower. Nature becomes my muse again.

I think the 2010 special gardening issue is one to love and admire. The editors have brought a new focus and energy to the pages, blending a luxuriant mix of cooking, growing, decorating, and even listening, in the pages. The main thrust of the magazine is based on the five senses in the garden: sight, touch, smell, taste and sound. Each sense is given its due time with a creative and informative editorial, embellished with beautiful photography and illustration.
The cover is not my favourite March cover by any means, but I do appreciate and enjoy its bright and organized hit of vibrancy. The editorials are such pleasures to read, including a column written by Martha about her porch at Bedford. The photography is scintillating and engaging, as always, even more so this year, I find. (Perhaps it's the ever-evolving grace of photographic technology.) Also nice to see is a very organic and natural touch of the hand in an article about songbirds. Illustrated in dreamy watercolours by Stan Fellows, the paintings depict some favourite garden birds as well as pictoral instructions on building a standard birdhouse.

5 comments:

Melanie@TheOldWhiteCottage said...

Oooh, the March issue is my favorite! Gives me spring fever every time ...

Unknown said...

Pretty surprising that the March Issue is not about Crafting or Knitting, as in corelation to the launch of the new book. Isn't the book supposed to show up in the end of February? How come?

Kenn said...

I agree with you on the cover, Andrew. Not my favorite, but it's always a welcome sight in my mailbox.. it means gardening season is soon to come! I hope you have more space this year to do a bit more container or urban gardening!

Anonymous said...

And I hope for you Easterners that this gardening season will be better than last.

Nadine C said...

I have every issue of MSL and look back at some the "vintage" covers and adore them. I love the magazine but I agree - this isn't the most attractive cover. It reminds me too much of the Body & Soul covers. I hope mine is in the mail today.