6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
City concrete thumbs can become green thumbs with Barbara Feldt's book, August 8, 2005
This review is from: Garden Your City (Hardcover)
Are you a concrete thumb but a wannabe green thumb? Do you yearn to have green or bloom in and around your city habitat, whether a window box, fire escape, balcony garden or around a tree in front? Perhaps you've even had a more ambitious dream to convert a back courtyard or a modest space on your roof into a private garden?
Yes, you can create your own green oasis in a concrete desert and with relatively little time, money and without a fancy landscape architect. All it takes is desire, passion and Barbara Hobens Feldt's Garden Your City.
Ms. Feldt, now an active member of the nationwide urban gardening community has been transforming neglected urban spaces into people-friendly, educational and beautiful gardens. No space is too small, dark or horrible to reclaim and put a plant "where they're not supposed to be." But she's not just a Barbara Appleseed, she's also a motivational advocate to get every scrap of unused City space gardened. In order to accomplish that. She's ready to share her gardening knowledge as based on "the best teachers of all ---desire, experience, mistakes and success." Having started her first garden on the fire escape of her Hell's Kitchen apartment, she can speak in simple terms to the untutored.
Leaving no soil unturned, she directs you through: discovering your garden space; analyzing your climate conditions; planning all elements from the planting layout, water soil requirements; basic supplies; what to plant and how to get it (economically) whether trees, plants, vegetables, herbs; how to plant, weed, compost, even how to attract birds and butterflies.
Practical-minded, she coddles you each step of the way, from guiding through how to get building approval (insurance is usually covered; it's been proven to at 15% to 20% of the selling price of coops/condos), setting up a simple journal, giving you drawings of plans you can follow and, developing a simple budget (even providing the sources to help you stay on it).
Garden your City with its charming line drawings and Barbara's voice cheering from every page, makes your garden adventure fun. It's her personal gardening journal cum bible, adapted especially for you.
She takes the mystery out of City gardening while adding the poetry. She talks of "nourishing our city ...transforming our streetscape ... reveling in the beauty you helped create ...getting back much more than you sow." As a coop owner, inspired to develop our back courtyard space, I can promise you, her book delivers what it preaches.
Judith Carrington
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Green cities, May 19, 2005
This review is from: Garden Your City (Hardcover)
What a terrific guide for the person who wants to see green growing in the urban landscape. A joy for beginners as well as experts. And, yes, it sounds trivial: But what a lovely cover!
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3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Treat Yourself and Get Gardening, July 16, 2006
This review is from: Garden Your City (Hardcover)
Practical ideas for urban to rural gardens. From how to choose the best plants for your space to easy tips for growing seeds, this how-and where-to has it all. Great community volunteer association, hostess, or first home gift. Check out Table of Contents and celebrity comments (including NYC's Mayor Mike Bloomberg's review) on gardenyourcity.com - and how do I know this? I'm the author and a gardener! Have fun and add beauty by gardening for yourself and wildlife!
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