Garden Book ReviewsGarden Book Reviews
The days of needing two weed books - one that loves 'em, one that hates 'em - is over! Grab Weeds: Friend or Foe? for a wonderful change of pace in the world of weeds! While Sally Roth certainly does not encourage rampant weed growth in our lawns and gardens, her new book takes a relaxed and reasonable approach to weeds in our lives. Here is all the info in one place - without the usual biases. Ms. Roth does an excellent job of providing the pros (friend? - chickweed - stellaria media - can be used in salads before flowering) and cons (foe? - lamb's quarters - chenopodium album - can produce 75,000 seeds per plant) of each weed and allows the gardener to be discerning enough to make her own decision. But then this book goes the extra step with its section on what to do with weeds - like gardening WITH them - wow - healing with them, crafting with them. Although Ms. Roth does get to herbicides she does so responsibly and only after she has provided information on mulching, hand weeding, hoeing, and flame-throwers(!?). Herbicides are discussed in an excellent chart that provides a breakdown by type of garden and then discusses what the typical weed problem in that garden may be, what active ingredient may be best to use including some brand names, a description of how the herbicide works, plus any health concerns and/or environmental concerns a gardener may have by using a specific active ingredient. While there are clear photos of the identified weeds, this book would be doubly useful had there been seedling pictures, particularly since Ms. Roth spends much time explaining how important it is to be preventative and to pull weeds very early on. A great gift book for any gardener!
Weeds: Friend or Foe? by Sally Roth. Reader's Digest Association 2002. ISBN#0-7621-0357-4
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Here is a book that covers every potential garden project you can think of - and shows them all to you for comparison. Not a typical garden book - information on specific plants and growing instructions are not the main themes here - there are step-by-step plans and project guides for countless garden improvements including building an arbor, creating focal points, planting fruit crops and caring for your water garden, to name a very few. By far the best part of this book is a section titled "What Looks Good When" that helps you plan a true 4-season garden. Subtitles include "Good Year Round" "Long Flowering Season" "Spring" all the way through "Autumn to Winter". How long have you waited for this?! Obviously not a comprehensive list but illustrated with color photos of the plants, it will inspire you to "fix" your two or three season garden and make it a dream all year round. The "What to Do When" section is a fabulous to-do checklist that is wonderfully organized by season to help you get all of your tasks done in a timely fashion. The American Horticultural Society has done a bang-up job of giving gardeners some of the best resources in years and done so with beautiful photos, great information and wonderful ideas.
The American Horticultural Society Gardening Manual Dorling Kindersley. 2000 ISBN#0-7894-5952-3
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If you love herbs, if you love cottage gardens, or country gardens, or flower gardens, then you will love Gardening with Herbs. While many garden books have great photos or good content (but rarely, it seems, both), Gardening with Herbs has married the two beautifully. A pleasant read, garden descriptions often include quotes from the gardeners themselves and usually at least a partial list of plants used. From a perennial garden in California to a lavender field turned topiary garden in the countryside of France there are ideas and incredible inspirations for any garden style.
Gardening With Herbs by Emelie Tolley and Chris Mead. Clarkson Potter Publishers. 1995 ISBN#0-5175-8332-1
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I hope that every gardener has at least heard of Let It Rot! - probably one of the top guides to composting for the home garden. Stu Campbell is able to take what, to newcomers, can be a daunting task and not only present us with the basics to feel comfortable but he also translates some of the scientific "mumbo-jumbo" of how and why compost works into layman's terms. He includes real "recipes" and approaches to try as well as suppling a list (though not nearly complete) of good materials to compost as well as what NOT to use. A short "troubleshooting" chapter called "Things You Might Worry About a Little" is a bit over the top for beginners but is part of what makes this book valuable for the seasoned composter. Let It Rot! is a not-to-technical, well-written, easy-to-read guide that takes the "yuck" out of your composting ideas! Perfect for beginners and a great refresher for near professional composters.
Let It Rot!: The Home Gardener's Guide to Composting by Stu Campbell. Storey Communications, Inc. 1975. ISBN#0-88266-049-7
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This Outdoor Life Book, while it follows the typical field guide format with nice glossy pages and clear, crisp color identification photos with full plant descriptions, is jam-packed with not only the picture, plant name, habitat, and identification details but goes in-depth to clearly define those PARTS of the plant that are edible and how to prepare them (sometimes even including simple recipes). This guide is the most detailed edible plant guide I have found and offers great "extras" like a quick key guide that allows you to identify if a plant is trail nibble, salad addition, cooked green, underground vegetable, fritter, raw fruit, cooked fruit, jams/jellies/sauces, syrup/sugar, candy, grain, nuts/seeds, flour/meal, hot beverage, cold beverage, pickle, seasoning, or thickener. The "Poisonous look-alikes" feature is an added attraction within each plant description and there is also an entire poisonous plant section so there will be no mistake that what you have found Mother Nature meant you to harvest. A fabulous handbook for gardeners, hikers, and cooks.
Edible Wild Plants: A North American Field Guide by Thomas S. Elias and Peter A. Dykeman. Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. 1990. ISBN#0-8069-7488-5
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Nothing makes a garden project book better than glossy photos and clear step-by-step instructions. The Living Wreath has both! This Martha (Stewart, that is) approved activity developed by Teddy Colbert, is an exciting way to look at "container" planting. Although the book sometimes seems to be a vehicle for promoting Teddy's living wreath products, including tools, materials and completed wreaths, her products are not necessary to create your own living wreath. Teddy's technique was created with succulent plant materials and the majority of the "how-to" section focuses on creating a succulent living wreath however, there are also inspirational examples of adaptions that include such creative ideas as a fresh herb "clock" for the kitchen, a living strawberry wreath, a fresh spring greens wreath (put it in the center of your dining table and let everyone "pick" their own salad!) plus several flowering wreaths with petunias and impatiens or a beautiful mix of flowering annuals. 50 wreaths are pictured in all. A great book for the "crafter" in ever gardener.
The Living Wreath by Teddy Colbert. Gibbs-Smith Publisher. 1996. ISBN#0-87905-700-9.Click HERE to buy The Living Wreath from