Customer Reviews

Gardener's Quiz Book

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The Gardener's Quiz Book is a must for amateur gardeners like me. The quiz format provides an exciting challenge, the answers are informative and helpful. Drawings and occasional surprises add humor, making it fun to read.

University of Vermont Professor emeritus Norman Pellett has self-published a fun, affordable and educational read, asking 20 questions relating to plants in each of 10 chapters on various topics, then providing answers and brief discussion. It is a book you can read in small bits, anywhere throughout, and be amused and learn some facts you may have wondered (or not) about plants. You'll come away much more educated about gardening and plants, and as a result should have better success.

Chapters include most the topics gardeners will encounter, beginning with botany, propagation, soils, and plant nutrition, and continuing through various plant groups such as vegetables, fruits, annuals, perennials, trees and shrubs. It concludes with a chapter on insects and diseases. Questions in many cases resemble those you may encounter in a class on the subject, yet with very understandable and readable answers for a lay person gardener. Just opening to nutrition, you'll see the question, "Which causes soils to become more acid?" Choices are rain, pine needles, and frequent fertilizer. (The answer is, as is often the case, it depends, with discussion of how each works.) You'll find questions from "What do earthworms eat?" "What is the difference between dirt and soil?" to questions on which plants are best for certain situations. Other questions are just fun, such as word jumbles and perennials with animal names. Each chapter has simple humorous artwork of the author.

How important are plants? The book is very clever in proposing questions that anyone should know about. It got me to think curiously about some topic and then I had to guess what the answer was. When reading the answer I was much more interested in going forth and learning more about the life of plants and how important they are to us all. I really wish I had this book as a child since most books hammer in knowledge. I recommend this book for children and to even horticulturists since it covers all areas and stimulates the curiosity to want to know more about plants and in creating a healthier garden. The cartoon drawings are pretty good too.

What a great format- Quick, easy read! Great for those who like trivia AND gardening! Great way to learn more about gardening for those of us interested but not all that knowledgable and without much time. And can be read alone or played as a trivia game- a way to interest kids in gardening too!

This is a refreshing little book. It makes learning about plants and gardening fun. Nice bite-sized morsels that stimulate interest and learning. The author's use of humor is a welcome addition to educational fare. I hope the author will issue another book such as this; if he does I will certainly purchase and read it.