Customer Reviews

Better Homes and Gardens Complete Guide to Flower Gardening

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book has all the information you need to keep your garden looking great. It has tips on how to plan your garden, buy your plants, do the actual planting, and maintain your garden. And as all Better Homes and Gardens books, everything is presented in an easy to read and reference format with great how to pictures. The best part of the book is the plant encyclopedia. The encylopedia is a fairly complete listing of all annuals, perennials, bulbs, shrubs, grasses, and trees with pictures, common names, botanical names, breif descriptions, and planting conditions. A must have reference for every gardener and budding gardener.

First, let me explain, my husband is the gardener, I am the book reader, so we really got together on this one. He moves the perennials and shrubs around and changes the garden plan so often that I wouldn't dare attempt to cross the garden at night without fear of running smack into a Burning Bush! The ultimate result of his long and dedicated devotion to the garden has produced some spectatular results and much can be attributed to this terrific book.

First of all, it told him everything he was doing wrong, and his response to that was, "Oh my ..., I've been working on this for five years and made every mistake in the book!" Secondly, it told him how to do it right. The book covers absolutely everything from planning, choosing the proper plants for the proper location and soil, and how to create symmetry in your garden. The photography is beautiful and the encyclopedia of garden plants is worth its weight in gold!

Three cheers for Better Homes and Gardens for giving us this "can't do without it book." Every gardener, hobbyist or professional, will find something of value here, and hopefully, you will learn where to put the Burning Bush....before it goes into the ground.

The "Better Homes And Gardens Complete Guide To Flower Gardening" is the most comprehensive guide I have come across for the novice or experienced gardener. The book is organized so that you can fully understand the different types of flowers needed for the type of soil, light, and moisture conditions in your yard. It explains in detail the different styles of gardens, so that you may design your garden according to the many landscape examples provided in the book, or use the knowledge learned from the book to design your own. My favorite section of the book is the organized catalog of the different types of flowers and grasses, detailing their growth patterns and environmental needs, as well as a color picture of each plant. Without this book my yard would still be a vast wasteland of crabgrass and wild violets and clover! Needless to say, I LOVE THIS BOOK! Now when I walk out my door, I can stop and smell the roses!

Of all the many flower gardening books I have, this one is THE BEST. It has everything you need to know in easy reference formats. Fabulous useful lists like "Long-Blooming Perennials" and "Easy Care Annuals" and "plants for wet or boggy sites" and "shade loving plants" and lists by color, shape and height are part of the first section of the book, then the last section is an encyclopedia of annuals and perennials that tells all you need to know in a short section for each plant. There is much more. I use this more than any other garden book.

A "must have" gardening book. If flower gardening is your thing, you will definitely benifite from the information contained in his book. Full color photos and complete descriptions coupled with well written-easy to understand-growing tips,make this an excelent referance book. I use mine all the time.

The most complete and informative source for selecting, designing and cultivating a gorgeous flower garden. I keep buying new books--but keep going back to this one for inspiration

This was my first and only flower gardening guide. I used it as a novice gardener and still constantly refer to it, 6 years later. It is very easy to use and has a large bank of information on individual flowering plants. It has a picture for every plant, which is helpful and lots of very usable information on each plant. I use it as a guide to what to buy, how to plant and maintain my flowers. (It does not include information on bushes and shrubs.) It is an easy to use and very helpful guide for flowering plants.

I highly recommend this book , if you are an inexperienced, or even experienced gardener. This book is full of helpful tips and detailed instructions on everything from location to disease and insect advice for flowers.

it would have been alot better if it had a picture for each flower that they had listed i would say this book is "ok" seems kinda outdated also.

I'm happy with this book and glad I bought it, despite its age (1995). Best features are the colorful photos, layout, and 395 useful pages. First half consists of different gardens, e.g., cottage-look, formal English gardens, herbs, hummingbird gardens, rock gardens, etc. Back half is separate sections listing perennials, annuals, bulbs, roses, ferns, etc., and this layout is easy to locate and read about individual species. Another positive are the many listings throughout the book, e.g., butterfly attracting flowers, blue-purple hued flowers, fragrant flowers, etc. Each of these lists segments down into perennials, annuals, bulbs, and bloom season. Basically, this book is a good reference tool, and full of colors that makes it pleasant to use.