Book Description
In the modern suburban landscape, beautiful, green lawns are perhaps the most ubiquitous feature of all. It’s difficult to imagine a friendly neighborhood without broad, clean stretches of neatly shorn grass. More and more in recent years, those lawns are evolving into organic systems as homeowners — concerned about the long-term effects of chemicals on their children, their pets, and the environment — turn to natural methods to keep their yards healthy and inviting, and, yes, still green and lush, too.
Paul Tukey, a self-confessed mowing addict, answers the growing demand for organic grass with a comprehensive volume of natural lawncare information. Step by step, he takes readers through the many elements that work together to form a healthy, organic lawn. Well-treated soil, fed properly with compost and natural fertilizers, is the foundation of every great lawn. Plant it with a grass cultivar matched properly to the climate and sunlight, nourish the soil and grass with the proper amount of water, and maintain the height with a good mower equipped with a sharp blade. A beautiful, naturally maintained lawn can be as simple as that.
An organic, healthy lawn is the best defense against weeds and pests, but when unwanted visitors creep in, Tukey is ready with Weed and Thug ID Guides and advice on dispatching them naturally or learning to live with the benign offenders. Tukey also provides helpful advice for lawnkeepers making the transition from a synthetic to an organic lawn system. It’s all here — everything today’s homeowner needs to keep his lawn off drugs, and make it an inviting living and play area for the whole family.
Customer Reviews:
wonderful "how to".......2007-08-08
This book offers a comprehensive "how to" guide for organic lawn care if you are starting over with new grass or transitioning over to organics. It offers wonderful insight to proper lawn care and even contains a "schedule" to follow. THis book provides a weath of information that is understandable to a "beginner" like myself. Highly recommended.
georgew.......2007-07-09
Excellent and informative book. Not only does the author build a good case for organic lawn care and give specific organic lawn care practices, guidelines, and time tables; but he also includes basic lawn care cultural practices which homeowners need to know to have a successful lawn care strategy.
This is the book you're looking for.......2007-05-21
I'm trying to get started on an organic lawn. I've been to lots of (sometimes contradictory) websites, talked to local contractors, and ordered another lawn book. This book is becoming my manual for an organic lawn. It has a lot of detail, great pictures that are truly illustrative, and offers a complete approach to creating a healthy organic lawn.
It should also be noted that the author is not a crunchy hippy who is happy with a weed-filled patch of land. He is/was a professional landscaper who understands the appeal of a beautiful green lawn. He also understands that it can be created, and created better, without the application of synthetic chemicals. I think this gives the book credibility, as the reader can start from the assumption that a beautiful, healthy yard is the goal...an organic lawn is not assumed or allowed to be a substandard lawn.
Anyone can create a beautiful, healthy low-input lawn.......2007-05-15
Paul describes in plain English how to break the synthetic chemical addition for our lawns and gardens. In the book, Paul explains how organic methods can be used to work with nature (rather than against it) to create a beautiful, healthy low-input lawn. The book is clearly organized and can be used as a how-to manual for people who are new to organic methods or an excellent resource for experienced readers who want to try other apporaches. Paul's book also has some fantastic photos of brewing up some compost tea!
Want a great natural lawn? Get the book.......2007-04-27
I bought this book elsewhere and just got it today, and I must say its great. It breaks down everything you need to know, from soil prep, pesticides, weeds (included diagrams of weeds and pests), irrigation, fertilizers, etc. The information overall is detailed and easy to read. As another reviewer stated, it does follow a logical course. In the back is a list of organic companies that sell a variety of products. It also has a basic timetable of what you need to do for the first 3 years.
The ONLY flaw I could see is that this book is an overall national one. By that I mean its not location specific. They discuss topics and how it affects different grasses in the north and south, but if you want a geographic specific, this book won't do, but its still great to get. I am in FL and the University of Florida puts out a FL lawncare book, only its organic section is 2 pages. I'd supplement this book on Organics to a more location specific if you want some detailed info.
Also, the organic fertilizers doesn't include Cornmeal, but does mention Corn Gluten Meal. It would have been nice to include CM too. However, consider CM the same as CGM only without the preemergence weed properties.
I highly recommend the book.
Book Description
Smart gardeners know that soil is anything but an inert substance. Healthy soil is teeming with life — not just earthworms and insects, but a staggering multitude of bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms. When we use chemical fertilizers, we injure the microbial life that sustains healthy plants, and thus become increasingly dependent on an arsenal of artificial substances, many of them toxic to humans as well as other forms of life. But there is an alternative to this vicious circle: to garden in a way that strengthens, rather than destroys, the soil food web — the complex world of soil-dwelling organisms whose interactions create a nurturing environment for plants. By eschewing jargon and overly technical language, the authors make the benefits of cultivating the soil food web available to a wide audience, from devotees of organic gardening techniques to weekend gardeners who simply want to grow healthy, vigorous plants without resorting to chemicals.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent - have the best yard on the block with half the work!.......2007-10-10
This book is awesome for explaining the why behind organic gardening. It also tells you how to have an almost fertilizer-free lawn using microbes in compost tea and compost, and how to encourage the right kind of microbes for your various plants through the use of different kinds of mulches. It explains each step in the soil food web, how to identify any holes in your soil food web, and different steps you can take to improve the health and variety of microbes in your yard and garden. I was surprised at some common gardening practices which are actually bad for your yard!!! It was an enjoyable read with lots of interesting pictures, and made absolutely clear the importance of healthy soil when growing plants, and how to achieve it naturally and easily.
Very good book.......2007-09-30
I am a very seasoned gardener already using many of the techniques proposed by the book. However my approach was based on intuition and experience. This book explains how all fits together in a simpler and more accessible way than the Soil Microbiology treatises.
Strongly recommended for gardeners of all levels.
Learned a great deal about improving my gardens.......2007-09-18
I has astonished at how much new information this book covered. Just the section on new oxygen activated compost teas was worth the price of the book. Highly recommended. I am starting to use the teas and can't wait to see the results.
A must read for anyone who cares about the environment.......2007-07-07
As other reviewers noted this is a 5+ star book. I agree w/ their comments and really have little more to add. I think the authors are passionate about their subject, not only as shown by the book's interesting content, but the presentation of this book. They choose high quality paper (should it have been recycled???) with beautiful photos of the soil's hidden helpers. I read it in an afternoon as one would a novel and highlighted pssages as I went along for easy reference.
Easy reading and informative.......2007-06-27
I had to get this book for a botanical class I am taking. As I began to read this book I am grateful that this is the recommended text. It is pleasant to read and informative.
Amazon.com
If your neighbors' lawn always resembles a beautiful green carpet while yours looks like something that would cost Tiger Woods several shots, you could use some practical help. Trust the Dummies folks--you really can have a great lawn without breaking your back every weekend, spending a fortune on sod, or poisoning your pets. Lawn Care for Dummies takes you through all the steps: choosing the right grass, planting the seed or laying the sod, installing an irrigation system, fertilizing, aerating, watering, and mowing. It also helps you avoid (or conquer) the Big Three: weeds, pests, and disease. Finally, the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow--you get to enjoy your lawn! In the spirit of all Dummies books, there's a list of 10 lawn games at the end. Bocce, anyone?
Book Description
Only one thing is standing between you and a fabulous lawn: It's called Lawn Care For Dummies. If you want a spiffy and well-coifed lawn (and not the overgrown, unruly one that people comment on when they pass by your house), you'll find everything you need to know to help you make your lawn the most dazzling spectacle on the block.
Let authors Lance Walheim and the gardening experts at the National Gardening Association treat you and your yard to a megadose of lawn care information. In Lawn Care For Dummies, Walheim and the NGA give you the dirt on all the essentials, including how to
- Design a low-maintenance or a high-maintenance lawn
- Evaluate the pros and cons of planting a lawn from seed or starting one from sod
- Discover how often you need to water your lawn without under-watering it or waterlogging it
- Choose a mower that's right for your grass type
- Deal effectively with wicked weeds and pesky insects
- Create alternative lawns, such as ground cover plants, decks, and patios
Lawn Care For Dummies also features a beautiful color insert with photos illustrating the various types of lawns found in yards across the world.
Customer Reviews:
If I can do it , so can you..........2007-10-01
I didn't have a clue about landscape but had to learn really fast when I bought my house. This book has been my bible. It's great!
The name says it all.......2006-08-09
A good book that covers all the different info on grass. However, none of the informative paragraphs dig too deep.
Too Basic!.......2006-05-31
This book is really basic. I found that "How to Make Big Money Mowing Small Lawns" as a better resource. It had easy to understand charts. Simplistic pricing method. Simple to understand and extremely helpful/useful in earning extra income. This book offers unique and insightful ideas to help get you off the ground. It gives real life experience of the author will enable them to have insight into business that is fundamental to becoming entrepreneurial. An updated version is available at librarydepot.com
Very good book for starting a lawn.......2004-05-22
I planted my first lawn from scratch this Spring, and spent a lot of time reading and re-reading this book. The advice the book gave was great, particularly when it came to selecting the type of grass to plant for my particular needs and in my area.
The other reviewers are correct about the photos being not very useful, but they certainly are pretty! However, I found the author's descriptions of grass types to be very clear and putting pictures of grass types would have been redundant.
There were a few things that could have used more coverage, though. In particular, the description of the various options in boundaries and edgings was difficult to follow with very few pictures. Plus, the section on sprinklers touched on only about half of the types of sprinklers offered by my local garden center.
My neighbor across the street planted his lawn at the same time I did mine, but without the book. He's a nice guy, but his lawn is a joke! Maybe I'll loan him my book this Fall when he starts over....
Ok but not great.......2001-08-28
The few color pictures are pointless. There is some good information, but the section on revitalizing your lawn is too small. I was looking for a general reference, but they say to aerate but never mention when you should do this (I have read this in other books) and they don't mention other techniques that I have read other places. This book would be pretty good for someone starting from scratch. If you just want to improve your lawn, buy another book.
Average customer rating:
- Worth every penny for arborists and homeowners alike
- Another book on my Horticulture Short List
- Practical introduction for the novice arborist
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Pirone's Tree Maintenance
John R. Hartman ,
Thomas P. Pirone , and
Mary Ann Sall
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
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Similar Items:
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Arboriculture: Integrated Management of Landscape Trees, Shrubs, and Vines, Fourth Edition
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Diseases of Trees and Shrubs, Second Edition (Comstock Book)
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The Tree Doctor: A Guide to Tree Care and Maintenance
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Illustrated Guide to Pruning
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A Field Guide to Eastern Trees (Peterson Field Guides)
ASIN: 0195119916 |
Book Description
Praised by The New York Times as "an indispensable guide for the homeowner and the professional," Tree Maintenance has been the definitive source on maintenance of North American landscape trees for over fifty years, an essential reference not only for arborists, nurserymen, and landscape architects, but for all homeowners who want to keep their trees healthy and pest free. The Seventh Edition, now named in honor of Dr. P. P. Pirone, who authored the first five editions and co-authored the sixth, has been revised to reflect the enormous amount of new information available since the last edition, including the latest techniques in selecting, planting, and protecting trees. The authors explain how to evaluate the site (the soil, drainage, and exposure), how to select the right tree for that location, and how to prune, fertilize, and spray for pests. There is an extensive section on the diagnosis and control of tree pests and diseases, and on problems such as construction damage, gas injury, sunscald, leaf scorch, and air pollution. While the general structure of the sixth edition has been retained, there are several topics--notably hazardous trees and coping with tree pests and diseases--that have received greater attention than in previous versions of the book. The second half of the book comprises a systematic listing of the major landscape trees found in North America, describing the specific pests and diseases that attack each species. Well organized, clearly written, and beautifully illustrated with many new photographs, Pirone's Tree Maintenance is an encyclopedic resource, the first place to turn for information on dogwoods and elms, magnolias and redwoods, or any other tree growing in North America. Anyone serious about gardening will want this book on their shelf.
Customer Reviews:
Worth every penny for arborists and homeowners alike.......2006-06-01
Printed by Oxford University Press, Pirone's Tree Maintenance has the heft and durability to withstand countless consultations. The text is informative beyond measure and very readable. The photography is black-and-white and didn't reproduce all that well, especially for small and detailed items; photos range from 'Fig. 7-15. Brush chipper and dump truck' (oh please...) to a hollowed-out, decayed Silver Maple resting comfortably on what appears to be a four-bedroom Dutch Colonial (illustrating the section on Identifying Hazard Trees). Good section on insects and diseases (with the caveat that the photos aren't that great); excellent tree-specific section. You will learn a lot from this book--it's a must if you want to rely on another source besides the local tree guy with a chainsaw.
Another book on my Horticulture Short List.......2005-08-30
Pirone's Tree Maintenance (Seventh Edition) is one of about a half dozen books I keep within arms reach. While Parts I and II provide a fantastic amount of information on the care of trees and identifying problem, it is Part III that I use the most. This section lists common insects, diseases, and problems associated with specific tree species. While by no means comprehensive, it is an excellent place to start when trying to figure out what is going on with a tree.
Like any such book, be careful when looking at the pesticide recomendations. Chemicals come and go and the labels change (and the authors remind you of that). There are several products that are off the market that are listed in this book.
Practical introduction for the novice arborist.......2000-05-25
This classic text gives a broad introduction to the field of tree management, including common health problems associated with trees and practical advice for solving them. It is an excellent primer for the novice arborist.
Book Description
A respected Western physician offers the first complete Ayurvedic approach to a healthy and comfortable menopause
A Woman's Best Medicine for Menopause is the first menopause guide based on the Ayurvedic approach to good health, recently popularized in the West by Depak Chopra. In it, Dr. Lonsdorf--who is both a Western-trained physician and a leading voice in Ayurveda approaches to women's health--acquaints you with the basic principles of Ayurvedic medicine. She provides quizzes and checklists that help you to determine which risk factors you should be most concerned about and for understanding why you are experiencing specific symptoms.
Dr. Lonsdorf shows you how to develop comprehensive personalized programs based on differing risk factors and symptoms. She even describes proven natural methods developed and refined by women over the course of 3,000 years to keep looking beautiful. Includes a foreword by Dr. Rama Kant Mishra.
Average customer rating:
- Great for "regular people" despite a couple of goofs!
- Mostly good for garden formation ideas, but needs help.
- It genuinely does make a few mistakes
- A Real Keeper and Invaluable Source
- Engaging, well written reference... with a few gaps
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Easy Care Native Plants: A Guide to Selecting and Using Beautiful American Flowers, Shrubs, and Trees in Gardens and Landscapes
Patricia A. Taylor
Manufacturer: Henry Holt and Co.
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Similar Items:
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Native Plants of the Northeast: A Guide for Gardening and Conservation
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Native Plant Primer, The: Trees, Shrubs, and Wildflowers for Natural Gardens
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Native Trees, Shrubs, and Vines: A Guide to Using, Growing, and Propagating North American Woody Plants
ASIN: 0805038612 |
Book Description
North America's magnificent plant life has a peculiar history in that it is generally regarded as weedy material in its native meadows and woodlands and viewed as a horticultural treasure trove abroad. In Easy Care Native Plants, Patricia A. Taylor seeks to change this situation by emphasizing the elegant beauty, rather than the common naturalness, of American flora and by urging gardeners to capture the exquisite essence of its blossoms and foliage in artistic compositions.The book is divided into three sections, each filled with color photographs and containing special lists of plant recommendations from horticultural experits in the United States, Canada, and Europe. These suggestions include natives for city patios and decks, shrubs for winter interest, colorful flowers for drought situations, and prairie plants for a formal front yard display.The first section reviews the history and current use of native American plants and includes a brief primer on garden design. The second presents profiles of eighteen public and private gardens in Canada and the United States and highlights the crucial role of horticultural organizations and garden clubs in spreading the good news about native flora.The last section is devoted to detailed descriptions of over 500 plants, chosen not only for their handsone appearance but also for their ability to flourish without the use of pesticides or fertilizers. With them, gardeners everywhere will have yearlong beauty requiring minimal maintenance.While many of the plants cited in the book are little known, all are commercially propagated and available. The Appendix lists sources for each plant category and describes a select number of mail-order firms, including ordering information.Easy Care Native Plants has been written and designed to be a usable, definitive resource for the full specturm of those who love and appreciate beautiful plants, from weekend gardeners to landscape designers and architects.
Customer Reviews:
Great for "regular people" despite a couple of goofs! .......2006-08-24
The outstanding characteristic of this book is that it is USABLE by regular, non-professional busy people who love gardening and nature and especially want to respect native plant communities and plant with sensitivity to their own region.
The Bittersweet confusion is terrible, but it is offset by good organization, good photos, and short descriptions on the outside of pages.
Another outstanding feature is that the author includes trees, shrubs, and vines, as well as flowers. This increases the value of this book significantly.
Flowers are wonderful, but people need to get a bit beyond flowers--flowers--flowers. For example, many butterfly species depend upon TREES as host plants and then use flowers for nectar. The distinctive Red Admiral uses trees at all stages of life and leaves the flowers for others.
Thanks to the author for a good down-to-earth reference that answers practical "ordinary" questions. I have recommended this book to a number of people in "wildlife/habitat gardening" classes and have given several as gifts . . . inserting a note about the Bittersweet :-)!
P.S. Yeah, I really should change that ridiculous name. I was under the influence of busy visiting grandchildren when I first reviewed a book here. . . and we do have a great goofy time!
Mostly good for garden formation ideas, but needs help........2005-04-03
I bought this older used book (1996) and find it remains quite relevant. One of the reasons we gardeners end up planting invasive species is because they are easy to grow. In EASY CARE NATIVE PLANTS Patricia Taylor addresses one of the biggest issues for gardeners... "I would grow native species, but I don't have time."
Well, Taylor suggests low maintenance creatures that will be no more work than the invasive plants you intended to install. With Taylor, we visit public and private gardens where individuals are making a difference one plant at a time. From these gardeners, we learn how to construct various gardens including a woodlands garden, a drought tolerant native garden, and a front yard native garden. Taylor provides lists of plants for each of these gardens. For a complementary book, you might consider buying both Taylor's book and 100 EASY-TO-GROW NATIVE PLANTS by Lorraine Johnson which is a kind of annotated plant directory (although it focuses mainly on non-woody plants, whereas Taylor includes trees, shrubs and plants). Alternatively, you can contact the US Fish and Wildlife Service for a free monograph on plant invaders and substitutes at www.nfwf.org. Do that and you are sure to find 'Celastrus orbiculatus' or Oriental Bittersweet on the "No-no" list. Also the latter monograph suggests several native alternatives to bittersweet, such as 'Campsis radicans' (trumpet vine) and 'Passiflora incarnata' or Passion Vine.
It genuinely does make a few mistakes.......2001-06-26
Not to belabor a nitpicker's criticism, but this book does include a few gaffes that compromise its use as a reference. I do very much enjoy the book, and my review below reflects that. But it just gets some things wrong.
For example, the species of Bittersweet southern gardeners have trouble with is Celastrus Orbiculatus -- oriental bittersweet. Yep, it's highly invasive, and yes, it can "consume entire forests" as this author says "bittersweet" does. The native American Species is Celastrus Scandens. The two differ in the position of the berries on the vine, partly... and they also differ in that the native one isn't swallowing entire forests. They're hard for an intelligent amateur to tell apart when looking at an individual plant... which is exactly the problem that this book has, too.
There's a HUGE difference between American chestnuts -- enormous trees now nearly gone from their native range due to blight -- and the shrubby asiatic Chestnuts that were brought in by nurseries and that carried the blight into this country in the first place. That's exactly the sort of distinction a gardener interested in native plants wants to know about, and it's basically the one this book misses with the two Bittersweets. In a lot of cases it's that sort of thing that got us into native gardening in the first place. So, see, it's bad to make this kind of error in a book on native plants.
Again, this is a decent book that just slips up in a few spots.
A Real Keeper and Invaluable Source.......2001-03-05
This is a top-notch gardening book, one that all gardeners can use to enrich their properties. While some may find recommendations by plant experts to be a disadvantage, I like knowing that top horticulturists have carefully selected the plants in this book (southern gardeners tell me that Taylor is right on the mark in describing the American bittersweet). The garden profiles, particularly, for me, the California one, are not only good reads but also packed with useful information. The book is designed to be useful - very easy to look for a yellow flower that blooms all summer or a small shrub with white spring flowers. I turn to it again and again to learn about and find beautiful, interesting and low maintenance plants. I have bought and given 14 of these books as gifts to friends and have received unanimous 5 star reviews from the recipients!
Engaging, well written reference... with a few gaps.......2000-02-26
This is a good choice for the beginning native gardener who needs a sense of the range of native plants available. It's a pleasant browse, and provides a representative sample of the choices you might make with natives. I appreciated the straightforward tone of the writer, who studiously avoided the pretensions of some of the more unctious coffeetable books. Let's just say she's gardening in urban New Jersey, not in northern California, and leave it at that.
On the other hand, there are some gaps in Ms. Taylor's knowledge that make this a less than definitive reference. The short version is that she's often recommending a plant based on the sendup of an arboretum or public garden with which she's corresponded, and that sometimes she hasn't done the research to back that recommendation up. For an egregious example, she describes the American form of Bittersweet (Celastrus Scandens) in a way that clearly demonstrates that she doesn't know the difference between it and the invasive asian form. That sort of slip is a real problem, both philosophically and practically, for someone who's into native plants. Oops.
All in all, I'd say this is a useful book that gets you interested in the plants, but that you should do a healthy amount of leg work elsewhere before you plant. The research is half the fun anyway...
For another native plant reference, with less species but more reliable context and detail, try C. Colston Burrell's A Gardener's Encyclopedia of Wildflowers.
Book Description
Essential reading for those who desire a beautiful garden without the back-breaking work,
The Low-Maintenance Garden is the guide to enjoying your garden rather than spending hours toiling in it. This book shows how to minimize and simplify gardening tasks, and over time create a virtually maintenance-free garden.
Packed with planting plans, charts, ideas and step-by-step techniques for minimizing work,
The Low-Maintenance Garden is beautifully laid out with easy-to-access information for every type and size of garden. In addition to many full-color photographs and illustrations, the book features:
- Easy Surfaces and Structures - creating an easy-care surface in the garden
- Easy Planting Solutions - low-maintenance plants for a wide range of situations
- Transforming Gardens to Lower Maintenance - how to turn any size garden into a low-maintenance garden
- Low-Maintenance Techniques - essential tips on reducing time spent on basic gardening chores
- Directory of Easy-Care Plants - from trouble-free trees to easy grasses and water plants
With real-life case studies and many tips and suggestions, gardeners can now recapture leisure time.
Customer Reviews:
Low-Maintenance... helpful to the amateur.......2000-05-23
If you want to work in the yard or garden, but don't have time... OR even if you don't want to work in the yard or garden and enjoy the simply pleasures of a well landscaped yard... this book is for you. There are ideas and designs for walkways, small ponds, fountains, rasied beds, and seating areas. Picking the right plants is most important and this book helps to narrow the choices. There is also a section on how to minimize your chores. And of course there are some photos that help you get the creative juices going for ideas on everything from Japanese Gardens to Urban Jungles... Good Resource!
Book Description
It’s big and beautiful, and the only course you need to cultivate bonsais successfully. From the author of the acclaimed Bonsai for Beginners, this comprehensive, easy-to-follow instructional guide covers the basics and way beyond. One step at a time, he helps gardeners develop the necessary skills to create and maintain a beautifully shaped miniature potted tree. Everything imaginable is here, from choosing a suitable plant to wiring, pruning, and aging techniques, and finally expert tips on care. With its impressively large format, pages brimming with photos of dozens of specimens at different stages of growth, and preferred design techniques from world-famous bonsai artists, this is without a doubt the definitive reference on the subject.
PRAISE FOR BONSAI FOR BEGINNERS:
"A thoroughly illustrated reference that will captivate and educate newcomers to the art...a wealth of personal insights accompanied by illustrations that are refreshing in their clarity and in the depth of the accompanying explanations."—Bonsai Online.
Customer Reviews:
great book.......2007-07-23
This is one of the Bonsai books that is worth having. Very informative. Great pictures and well written
Disappointed Beginner.......2007-07-05
Both reviews here and in various Bonsai forums around the internet led me to choose this as my first bonsai book. Unfortunately, I was rather disappointed with the book. Here's a few reasons why:
- there are "lessons" from various bonsai artists around the world ... oddly, there are none from any Japanese artists. Granted it wasn't the Japanese that started it, but there's a reason that practically all bonsai terms are in Japanese, and not Chinese, English, or Vietnamese.
- there is a limited index, but there is no glossary, and terms are used without prior reference. A simple diagram of tree anatomy would be interesting.
- there is a lot of varied focus on advanced techniques (shari, jin), but little information on basic things like how to thicken trunks or how to reduce leaf size.
- I found the tree reference section fairly limited. Granted, Coussins is Scottish, and he does cover the basics. But it would have been nice to see reference to some of the alternatives - especially for those like me who live in the Southern Hemisphere and/or the tropics.
- I thought the book poorly organized and felt really incoherent. For example, he talks about the suitability of various trees for different styles, but this is before he discusses the various traditional styles. There are other examples, but I can't remember them at the moment.
- Most of the pictures were of excellent quality, while some looked like poor quality colour printouts. There were however, a couple of photos which I marveled that they got into print - one because it has a very strong lens flare, and the other because the colours were not aligned properly. Furthermore, some pictures were repeated or simply didn't match the caption. In one place, a tree was made a centerfold, which really detracted from the photo, as the main trunk was hidden in the binding. Maybe it's not Mr. Coussins' fault, but with this book, Sterling's reputation has become tarnished, for me.
- There was some good information on pots, which I really looked forward to as a professional potter trained in Japan, but the section was not especially helpful as it seemed more like a "here's my collection, isn't it great?". Some of this material also seemed like it would fit better in a magazine than in a book. I also thought that many of the pots were unattractive, or inappropriate for the trees they held - but to be fair, that's largely personal taste.
Well, I think that about sums it up. Hope this was helpful.
Good Book.......2007-06-03
The book has a several projects and step by step instructions the material and the quality of the pictures is very good complete inf. a little of everything it`s a must have
more like Bonsai preschool.......2007-05-23
There are better books out there to choose fromBonsai School: The Complete Course in Care, Training & Maintenance
bonsai school.......2007-05-12
The books arrived in very good shape and within a great time frame.
Book Description
Trees, shrubs, and hedges are the bones, or essential framework, of any landscape design. Complete Trees, Shrubs Hedges explains how to select the finest plants for specific growing conditions, as well as plants that look good together. Over 550 color photographs and 165 illustrations provide instruction and inspiration to landscape for four-season interest, color, and beauty. Descriptions of over 1,000 of the best plants are included best because they are beautiful, low-maintenance, pest- and disease-resistant, and available at local nurseries and home centers. Complete Trees, Shrubs Hedges provides all the necessary information to add privacy, shade, color, and texture to the landscape all year round
Customer Reviews:
A primer worth owning.......2007-03-08
This book is a little distracting because it groups descriptions of trees by their scientific name, which sort of promises a thorough examination of each type of tree, but this book is not very comprehensive in its coverage of either the species it covers or the species readily available to the home gardener. This book has good information on garden design and sincerely beautiful photos. I am consistently happy with any gardening book from this publisher, and although this book provides little more than a cursory overview, it does contain helpful information and attractive illustrations.
Stay woody.......2006-03-02
Jacqueline Heriteau tells how to choose woody plants. She also tells how to get COMPLETE TREES, SHRUBS & HEDGES off to a good start. Then she tells what'll be needed for a healthy, long life.
The way to do that's by answering three questions. [1] Do I have the correct plant for what I have in mind? In other words, do I want a woody plant because of its ability to fence off spaces, such as acanthus and yew shrubs do so well? Or its bark such as eastern ninebark shrub, hickory, and Kentucky coffee? Or fall color such as American sweet gum, ash, birch, black gum, Franklin, hornbeam, shumard oak, smoke, and tulip? Or flowerings such as cinquefoil and summersweet shrubs, redbud, sourwood, swamp magnolia? Or fruits such as serviceberry shrub? Or leaves such as live oak Virginiana, and leucothoe and oak leaf hydrangea shrubs? Or winter interest such as incense cedar? [2] Do I have it in the correct soil, as part of the correct environment? Of course, a woody plant such as American yellowwood, like lavender, makes not-so-correct, poorer soils better. It`s friendly to nitrogen-fixing bacteria which naturally make soils fertile. [3] Will I give it the correct care?
For in landscaping it's important to balance evergreen with deciduous plants, as well as present and future size with space. Then it just comes down to following a pruning schedule; meeting light and water needs; using compost and mulches; and watering. But there'll be constant worries over diseases and pests, of which the most challenging will undoubtedly be deer!
The author offers readers a beautifully illustrated, organized and written book. She fills each page with clear, helpful information and interesting stories. She ends with a much-appreciated glossary and a fine index. What's not to like?
Book Description
Fresh ideas on caring for all aspects of the outdoor areas around a home—from plants and the garden to the deck, patio, and driveway.
Focused on what, when, and how to care for the yard.
Extension-quality information in an easy to use step-by-step format.
Highlights caring for the landscape to create comfortable and low-stress outdoor living.
Customer Reviews:
Everything you need to know about your lawn........2007-07-17
This book is excellent. It has everything you need to know about your lawn, from grass, weeds and plants to tools, stonework and sprinklers. I find myself referencing it all of the time. An indispensable book.
Good value.......2006-11-03
I have checked the local sear's store for the book and eventually bought from amazon. Same quality but cheaper at amazon. Good value.
Makes a great housewarming gift!.......2006-04-04
I actually ordered this book through a book club when we bought our house. It has been so useful to me that I have been buying it for others as a gift when they buy their first homes.
Books:
- The Well-Designed Mixed Garden: Building Beds and Borders with Trees, Shrubs, Perennials, Annuals, and Bulbs
- The Well-Tended Perennial Garden: Planting and Pruning Techniques
- Trails for the Twenty-First Century: Planning, Design, and Management Manual for Multi-Use Trails
- Unlimited Access: An FBI Agent Inside the Clinton White House
- Versailles
- Walks, Walls & Patios: Plan, Design & Build
- Windows Vista Inside Out
- Wise Woman Herbal for the Childbearing Year (Wise Woman Herbal Series, Book 1) (Wise Woman Herbal Series : No. 1)
- World Vegetables: Principles, Production and Nutritive Values
- 1001 All-natural Secrets to a Pest-free Property
Books Index
Books Home
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