Review of The Well-Tended Perennial Garden: Planting and Pruning Techniques [ILLUSTRATED] (Hardcover)

I am exceptionally pleased that 'The Well-Tended Perennial Garden' has gotten as many favorable reviews as it has, since I suspect it's charms and offerings are just a bit more subtle than your average glossy oversized gardening book. It is essential that you pay attention to the subtitle, as this is a book specializing in teaching us about setting up and planting perennials, and less about choosing or matching or even weeding perennials (the author does not like to weed!). If you flip through the book, you may be put off by the lack of illustrations accompanying the text. While I'm not a big fan of pictures in cookbooks, unless it's discussing a specific technique, I sort of miss them in gardening books. This volume is economically done, with all the glossies in a central rotogravure section. This is ok, because the real meat is in the lessons on planting and pruning. The only place I really miss them is in the encyclopedia of perennials, which is less a true comprehensive encyclopedia than a dictionary of pruning techniques by species. The final two appendices on plant maintanence schedules and lists of plants by care technique may be worth the price of the book for serious gardiners. This is easily the most useful book I've read on perennials.

Product Description
With more than 130,000 copies sold since the original publication, The Well-Tended Perennial Garden has proven itself to be one of the most useful tools a gardener can have. In this expanded edition more than 200 color photographs have been added, showing perennials in various border situations and providing images for each of the entries in the A-Z encyclopedia. In addition, there is a new 32-page journal section with room to enter details, notes, and observations about the requirements and performance of perennials in your own garden. Thousands of readers have commented that The Well-Tended Perennial Garden is one of the most useful and frequently consulted books in their gardening libraries. This new, expanded edition promises to be an even more effective ally in your quest to create a beautiful, healthy, well-maintained perennial garden.



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Review of Perennial Garden Design [ILLUSTRATED] (Hardcover)

There a a boatload of perennial books out there and many of them not so hot. This is an exception. Superior photography with excellent perennial shots showing composition and design. And, it's not just a picture book. The text is well worth the read.

Product Description
Perennials can form a key part of a garden's structure and are dynamic and colorful plants whose forms and textures can be used to alter moods and influence the way we respond to and use a garden. The first section of this book shows how to create garden schemes with perennials, and the second section looks at the best perennials for year-round planting and color effect. A third section considers how to use perennials in different styles of garden. The book is completed by a list of perennials for special purposes, and an A-Z directory with practical tips on all the plants included in the earlier chapters.



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Review of The Natural History of Medicinal Plants [ILLUSTRATED] (Hardcover)

Having an interest in the subject of medicinal plants, I have been looking for book that explained more about what compounds are in plants and how they affect not only people but nature as a whole. I was intrigued by the concept that plants produce these compounds as defense mechanisms for their own survival, and it is these same compounds that act as medicines (or poisons) when used by people. It also inadvertently explains plant companions for successful gardening. For instance, when Purple Sage leaves are crushed, they release a compound to nearby tomato plants to release their own insect inhibiting compounds. What a great book!



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Review of The Truth About Garden Remedies: What Works, What Doesn't, and Why (Paperback)

Finally, the book I've been waiting for! I'm an avid gardner and a curious person. I am always looking for remedies for the various challenges I have in my garden. Whether it's insects, fertilizer problems, slugs and so on, I'm looking for solutions and not just myths with no foundation in reality. In 'The Truth About Garden Remedies', Dr Gillman covers a wide range of problems that can be encountered by me and my fellow gardners. The difference in this book, unlike most of the books I've read on the subject is that the answers are supported by real science and conveyed in a way that is completely readable. What is even more exciting, is that Dr. Gillman isn't a stuffy reseacher that is unwilling to consider alternative remedies, there are plenty of them in this book. I can't wait to mix up one of the garlic recipes to repel those pesky Aphids! Thank you Dr Gillmam.



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