Customer Reviews

Easy Answers for Great Gardens: 500 Tips, Techniques, and Outlandish Ideas

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No color photos to drool over and get distracted by--just practical advice from a real person who understands how to juggle gardening chores and joys with other parts of a busy life. Martha Stewart she is not! As in her other books, Marianne Binetti has lots of unusual little shortcuts for saving time, money and energy that are as useful for the experienced gardener as for the beginner. The chapter on roses is excellent for folks like me, who love these flowers but don't have the time to baby them. Lots of disease-resistant types are listed, as well as some really useful tips contributed by readers of her newspaper column.

The original blurb I read about this book was misleading. I thought it was going to be about using unusual containers. I bought it for my sister. Now I have to get her another one. I started reading it and read it cover to cover. It was great! Very practical, imaginative, and common sensical. I wish I had had this when I was actually living in Tacoma, WA. But you don't have to live in the Pacific Northwest to derive a great deal of benefit from this book. I am putting some of her suggestions to use and in 3 short weeks am already seeing the difference they make. Thanks for writing this book!

Marianne Binetti has done it again! "Easy Answers for Great Gardens" is easy to read and with great advice! I found this book potted full of helpful hints and new ideas. Marianne Binetti writes with such wit, you can't help but laugh as you learn. The clear chapter divisions makes it easy to weed through the bounty of information to target key problems or questions that you may have. "Easy Answers for Great Gardens" provides thorough step by step advice and clear instruction coupled with urging for the reader to use their own creative license to add their personal flair to any garden. This helps make it even more fun to create and enjoy the garden of your dreams. Binetti caters to those who wish to keep the creation and maintenance of their garden simple and cost-efficient without sacrificing beauty. The tips I've used so far from this book have helped me do just that! The "quick and easy" theme extends into the very format of this book. As a busy mother I am often uprooted from my cozy chair, so I found the question and answer format with highlighted tips and ideas a great way to pick up great information in the often short periods I have to read. This book would make an excellent gift for a novice gardener in need of easy to read and follow advice, or a super reading boost of inspiration for an aged green thumb looking to find new ways to enjoy the look and care of their garden. I give 'Easy Answers for Great Gardens" to very green thumbs up!

Marianne Binetti has done it again! "Easy Answers for Great Gardens" is an easy read with great advice! This book is potted full of helpful tips and ideas to fertilize the mind of gardeners be they novice or an aged green thumb. Binetti writes with such wit and wisdom, you can't help but laugh as you learn. The chapter catagories make it easy to weed through the bounty of imformation to target specific problems or questions the home gardener may have. Binetti's advice cleary caters to those looking to make the most the most of their precious time and money yet still be able to enjoy a fabulous looking garden. The convenient question and answer format extends this concept into the very reading of this book. As a busy mother, I am constantly uprooted from a cozy chair and I find the format of this book a great way to find great ideas and new solutions even if your schedule allows only a few minutes at a time to savor this excellent book. "Easy Answers for Great Gardens" is the perfect gift for a new gardener or a super pick-me-up for the more experienced gardener who needs a total make-over or just a few fun new ideas. I give Marianne Binetti two very green thumbs up!

This book focuses on giving the reader easy answers for more carefree gardening. This is not the writer's first gardening book and she has a syndicated gardening column and is featured on HGTV and the Discovery Channel. Her forte is giving practical gardening advice in easy-to-read, light-hearted small doses. This book consists of 500 tips, techniques and outlandish ideas; it also contains the kind of energy and enthusiasm that makes you want to go out and implement the ideas right away.

Many of the tips and ideas are based on questions she has answered in her newspaper column. The answers are cheeky and irreverent. When asked "How much should I fertilize my trees?" the writer answers "The easy answer...Just forget it." After a couple of paragraphs explaining why fertilizing trees isn't a good idea she concludes, "Make your trees lean, mean and independent." And that illustrates the whole point of the book - don't stress over garden chores that you hate and plants that don't do well for you - gardening should be a pleasure, not a pain.

The writer's light touch keeps the reader energized and coming back for more. She uses the term "carefree" quite often and points out that, while gardening is work, we should enjoy it more and worry about it less. If a plant doesn't do well it's OK to dig it up and throw it out.

The question and answer format works well in this book, as do the many sidebars. The material is well organized and upbeat throughout.. The writer is knowledgeable and up-to-date on recent research. My quibble with this book is the amateurish interior design and the poor copy editing. The writer deserved better.

Gardening is a great pastime, but it can be a bit overwhelming to start. "Easy Answers for Great Gardens: 500 Tips, Techniques, and Outlandish Ideas" is an introductory guide to the world of gardening, meant to help readers get their start and then some. Gardening does not have to be hours of tedious hard work; it can actually be quite fun and have many beneficial results. Written in a simple question and answer format, "Easy Answers for Great Gardens" has much knowledge to be drawn, and is highly recommended.

This book focuses on giving the reader easy answers for more carefree gardening. This is not the writer's first gardening book and she has a syndicated gardening column and is featured on HGTV and the Discovery Channel. Her forte is giving practical gardening advice in easy-to-read, light-hearted small doses. This book consists of 500 tips, techniques and outlandish ideas; it also contains the kind of energy and enthusiasm that makes you want to go out and implement the ideas right away.

Many of the tips and ideas are based on questions she has answered in her newspaper column. The answers are cheeky and irreverent. When asked "How much should I fertilize my trees?" the writer answers "The easy answer...Just forget it." After a couple of paragraphs explaining why fertilizing trees isn't a good idea she concludes, "Make your trees lean, mean and independent." And that illustrates the whole point of the book - don't stress over garden chores that you hate and plants that don't do well for you - gardening should be a pleasure, not a pain.

The writer's light touch keeps the reader energized and coming back for more. She uses the term "carefree" quite often and points out that, while gardening is work, we should enjoy it more and worry about it less. If a plant doesn't do well it's OK to dig it up and throw it out.

The question and answer format works well in this book, as do the many sidebars. The material is well organized and upbeat throughout. The writer is knowledgeable and up-to-date on recent research. My quibble with this book is the amateurish interior design and the poor copy editing. The writer deserved better.