Herb Gardening for Dummies [Paperback]

Karan Davis Cutler (Author), Kathleen Fisher (Author), National Gardening Association (Author)

Book Description

Series: For Dummies (Computer/Tech) | Publication Date: February 9, 2000

If you like to garden and haven’t yet explored the wonderful world of herbs, you don’t know what you’re missing. For starters, herbs are both beautiful and practical. There’s no prettier blue flower than borage’s—celebrated since the fourteenth century as a mood elevator and “emboldener of the heart”—and no more fascinating foliage than santolina’s, which is good for treating bites, skin problems, worms, and discouraging moths. As for freshness and variety, nothing on a supermarket spice shelf can compare to the savory delights you’ll find in your own herb garden. And as an added bonus, as an herb gardener, you are the inheritor of a rich body of fascinating, often wacky folklore going back thousands of years—for instance, did you know that parsley grows better for a wicked gardener than for a virtuous one?

Your guide to creating a garden that smells and tastes as good as it looks, Herb Gardening For Dummies fills you in on everything you need to know to:

• Understand the different types of herbs
• Landscape with herbs
• Cultivate herbs indoors and in containers
• Harvest and preserve your herbs
• Use herbs for cooking, potpourris, health, or teas

Written by award-winning garden writer Kathleen Fisher with the support and participation of the experts at The National Gardening Association, Herb Gardening For Dummies:

• Tells the story of herbs, including where they grow, how they were used in the past, and how they’re used today
• Fills you in on what every herb gardener needs to know about soil and location
• Shows you, step by step, how to plan and design an herb garden of any size
• Features an A-to-Z Encyclopedia of Herbs that includes specific information on how to plant, grow, preserve and use sixty-five different herbs
• Is packed with tips and tricks on how to harvest herbs, propagate new plants, and prepare for next year
• Includes a gallery of stunning full-color photos of herbs in full bloom

If you delight in dill, cherish chevril, or go bonkers for basil, Herb Gardening For Dummies is the book for you.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

A decent starting place for those new to the fascinating world of herbs, Herb Gardening for Dummies covers everything from garden design (traditional knots to a simple window box) to proper care, feeding, and usage of these versatile plants. The plant encyclopedia is cleverly written, informative, and gives ideas on how to use these little critters once you've harvested them--the authors are considerably more cautious than herbal guides written by professional naturopaths, which can be a good thing for newcomers to the field. Organic methods of pest control and fertilization are emphasized, as these plants are often grown for human consumption. Choosing the right plants for your growing conditions and interest level is important, and there's lots of helpful advice on these topics.

The downside to this book is its lack of pictures. There are lots of line drawings, but they tend to show particular stages of a process, rather than each step. Color photos are limited to one section, and since the photos are separate from the descriptions, they don't add much value to the book. With bullet-point lists, icons for highlighting categories like "ecofriendly" or "time-saving," and simple tables and charts, how-to photos aren't essential. For folks who learn best with straightforward reading, the presentation won't be an issue, but if pictorial aids are what you need for learning, look elsewhere. --Jill Lightner

From the Publisher

Features color photos and an encyclopedia of herbs!

Discover how to:

Understand the different types of herbs

Landscape with herbs

Cultivate herbs indoors and in containers

Harvest and preserve your herbs

Use herbs for cooking, potpourris, and healthful teas!

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 392 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies (February 9, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764552007
• ISBN-13: 978-0764552007
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #793,377 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Karan Davis Cutler is the author/editor of three garden books--Vines (Camden House), Salad Gardens (Brooklyn Botanic Garden), and Tantalizing Tomatoes (Brooklyn Botanic Garden)--and the author of many garden articles. She worked as the managing editor of Harrowsmith Country Life for six years and was a newspaper garden columnist for the Rutland Herald and Barre Times Argus from 1987 through 1991. She has received eight Quill & Trowell awards for outstanding writing from the Garden Writers Association of America. While tending gardens in northern Ohio and then in Vermont, she has grown nearly every vegetable in this book.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Really Good....But Better Alternative For Container Gardens, March 6, 2011

By 

Ambergris "John Thomas" (New England.....USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 50 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Herb Gardening For Dummies (For Dummies (Home & Garden)) (Paperback)

(What's this?)

I will admit up front that I am a self confessed Dummie book fan. I own perhaps a dozen of them ranging from bird feeding to weather. I not only find them extremely comprehensive in their particular subject matter, but also they always seem to present their material with a humorous touch thrown in. They are interesting and educational, but also amusing and entertaining as well. This latest of the series that I picked up is no exception. Herb gardening is something of an idea that I have been batting around for some time now. I'm as much into the idea of it for fun and something to do as I am the potential bounty I hopefully will receive. Which I feel I have a lot in common with other folks in that respect as to liking gardening as a hobby. My only problem when it comes to any gardening with me personally is that I have little actual acreage to deal with that can be cultivated. That, and that I also have to admit that I am lazy, and have a nice big deck just begging for a contained herb garden. Although this dummie book devotes an entire chapter to container gardening, it still falls very much short of another book I have that deals specifically with growing herbs in pots. Magee and Stuckeys book which I have enclosed a link too. The dummie book would be my first choice if your intention is to dig and maintain a full fledged ground based herb garden. It's chock full of hints, info, illustrations, step by step guides, you name it as beginning and maintaining your own. And like all dummie books I have read in the past, it begins with their assuming you have never even heard of a herb garden. If you're a little more experienced than that, you can skip a couple of the opening chapters. But I would suggest you read them anyway. Their very informative and entertaining. But if like me you are interested in keeping your herb garden of the clean, lower maintenance variety container type, I would highly suggest you check out the Magee/Stucky book which in my opinion is the quintessential guide to all forms of container gardening. The dummie book unfortunately covers it all, and just falls a little short in that area. Happy gardening!... PS: By the way, the dummie series also has a book out on container gardening as well, but I have not picked it up or read any of it yet. I have no doubt that it is probably as good as the others in the series, and I would recommend checking out the reviews on it as well. McGee & Stuckey's Bountiful Container: Create Container Gardens of Vegetables, Herbs, Fruits, and Edible Flowers

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book!, March 17, 2010

By 

Ann L. Mackenzie (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Herb Gardening for Dummies (Paperback)

This is a great book for someone planning an herb garden. There are descriptions of herbs, help in planning a garden, soil needs, plant diseases, ways to preserve herbs, info on medicinal herbs and more. I love the Dummies books because they're always well-written and informative and this book is no exception. A lot of fun to read and very helpful.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars I learned a lot!, March 17, 2011

By 

Keith A. Preble (Raleigh, NC USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Herb Gardening For Dummies (For Dummies (Home & Garden)) (Paperback)

(What's this?)

Generally not a fan of the "...for Dummies" books because I think that they simplify things too much, but I have to admit that I learned a lot from this book. Every summer I try to grow my own herbs, and sometimes I have success and sometimes I do not. Herbs can be very nutritious when combined in dishes, and for someone like me who likes to cook, I found this book will surely be a good reference when it starts to warm up! This book really helped me to understand why some things that I grow don't succeed while others do. I also really liked the section about where the various herbs come from (didn't know that aloe was part of the onion family). Always love a book that can teach me something new. Pretty decent publication!