Better Homes and Gardens Step-By-Step Yard Care (Better Homes & Gardens Step-By-Step) [Paperback]

Better Homes and Gardens (Author), Liz Ball (Author)

Book Description

Series: Better Homes & Gardens Step-By-Step | Publication Date: January 2000

165 pages

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This book offers excellent guidance for the homeowner who is planning a lawn, whether in a Northern or a Southern plant environment. Included are clear directions for selecting grass and planting a yard; information on mowing, feeding, and aerating the lawn; and tips on controlling weeds, pests, and diseases. If you prefer ground cover, ornamental grasses, or vines, they're here, too. You will also find information about trees and shrubs and the challenges associated with them. Finally, if you want to do some work with walks, walls, fences, or outdoor lighting, you'll find information on these projects. Clear photos and text are used to explain how to care for your yard. An ideal book for a beginner; expect demand when your gardening season begins.
-Dale Luchsinger, Milwaukee Area Technical Coll. Lib.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Combined with 400 color photographs illustrating 50 yard-care techniques are more than 100 time-saving and weather-related tips from garden experts. The book is organized by plant groups: lawns, lawn alternatives, and trees and shrubs. The section on lawns gives instructions on selecting grasses, laying sod, starting a lawn from seed, using plugs and sprigs, repairing damaged lawns, mowing, feeding, aerating, and pest and disease control. The pages devoted to lawn alternatives focus on choosing and planting a ground cover, ornamental grasses and vines, and planting on a slope. The section on trees and shrubs informs gardeners how to choose, plant, prune, shape, and renovate them. There also is helpful information on creating a front yard (choosing materials for a walk; creating walls, fences, and entryways; and selecting outdoor lighting). A chapter on yard basics deals with such subjects as using the right tools and with fertilizing, composting, and mulching. At the end of each chapter is a checklist of related chores for both northern and southern regions of the country. George Cohen

Product Details

• Paperback: 168 pages
• Publisher: Better Homes and Gardens Books (January 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0696210312
• ISBN-13: 978-0696210310
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 9.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #651,438 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A "colorful" and excellent book!, August 3, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Better Homes and Gardens Step-By-Step Yard Care (Better Homes & Gardens Step-By-Step) (Paperback)

This book contains almost everything you need to know about yard care. It has not only great information, but also color photographs that guide you through every critical step from lawn care to tree planting. It even shows you how to use the right tools. This book covers a very wide range of topics in yard care, and I particularly found the section on trees and shrubs helpful. This is a wonderful book that I would recommend to every gardener, especially the first-time homeowner.

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Information for Any Yard Care Enthusiast, September 2, 2010

By 

Eric Boyer (Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Better Homes and Gardens Step-By-Step Yard Care (Better Homes & Gardens Step-By-Step) (Paperback)

This is an excellent book for any yard care enthusiast, from beginner to experienced. It covers pretty much all aspects of lawn care in a mostly-organized manner. The book is divided into 5 chapters: lawns, lawn alternatives (groundcovers), trees and shrubs, "creating a great front yard", and yard basics. The book has a great layout, with lots of pictures and excellent organization of information. Text is organized very well on the page, with many insets and boxes dividing the text. This means that it is easy to go back to find information, which makes it a great reference book.

Each chapter covers pretty much all aspects of the given topic in a logical, ordered manner. For example, the lawns chapter first talks about which grass type to choose, then how to plant it (whether it's seed, sod, or plugs), followed by a discussion of other topics such as mowing, aerating, weeding, controlling pests, etc. The book could definitely have much more detail and content, but it is great as it is because this allows the book to be short and concise.

There are a few things about this book that I don't like. For example, the chapters aren't in the best order. Chapter 5 is a good introduction to climate, weather, tools, feeding plants, and other basic topics, many of which are talked about in earlier chapters. So, it would make a lot more sense to have this chapter at the beginning so that the reader knows these basic topics before jumping right into the main material in earlier chapters. Also, the book assumes that the reader knows a fair bit about yard care already because it often doesn't define certain topics, concepts, or methods. Defining stuff more thoroughly or having a glossary would really help. A third problem I find with the book is that it often talks about plants without giving photos of them.

Overall, this is an excellent book and I would recommend it to anyone interested in gardening and yard care, whether they're experienced or not. It provides a good overview of most yard care topics without going into excessive detail. It has some minor issues, but they barely detract from the book's quality.