Gardening with Ed Hume: Northwest Gardening Made Easy [Paperback]

Ed Hume (Author), James Hume (Photographer)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 10, 2003

In addition to hosting the weekly syndicated radio program ?Gardening with Ed Hume, the author is the host of ?Gardening in America,? the longest-running television gardening show in the U.S. ?In this, gardening expert Ed Hume?s first book, he gathers his experience and wisdom into a single encyclopedic manual. His gardening motto? Keep it simple. Hume shows readers that anyone can have a gorgeous garden that blooms in spring and summer and looks great in fall and winter ? a garden that doesn?t need constant tending. The book contains special chapters on lawns, perennials, bulbs, fertilizers, and ground covers; includes 100 color photos, lists such as the best plants to grow under evergreen trees and a list of fragrant flowers; and offers tips on protecting plants during cold weather. A thorough, user-friendly guide to gardening in the Pacific Northwest that covers all the basics in a friendly, non-technical way ? and a good read regardless of zip code.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This is a book to give to new gardeners, transplanted gardeners or experienced gardeners...Ed Hume understands how to keep gardening simple and easy." --Marianne Binetti, Seattle Post-Intelligencer "Looking for the perfect green lawn? Need a grou --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

A popular lecturer throughout the United States and Canada, Ed Hume lives in Lakewood, WA. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Sasquatch Books (February 10, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1570613281
• ISBN-13: 978-1570613289
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,522,302 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Pleasant reading but not much depth, March 6, 2006

By 

a reader (Western Washington) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gardening with Ed Hume: Northwest Gardening Made Easy (Paperback)

If you like to hear Ed Hume talk about gardening, this book is a perfect extension of his style. The type is set well and the photos are gorgeous. He presents his vast knowledge in a casual but very organized way. But there really aren't many special insights that one might expect from an experienced gardener.

I found that I could read a whole chapter and feel like I had only read the back of a seed packet. That's because his essential message is that it's easy--maybe a little too easy. For example, nearly every time he recommends a fertilizer, he says to use a rose, or all-purpose, or vegetable fertilizer. In a topic where we're inundated with specialized data and miracle-of-the-month formuae, it's refreshing to hear some one say to basically just grab a box and use it. But it also doesn't provide very much except to remind us to relax and enjoy gardening. That message could fit on, well, the back of a seed packet.

If you're looking for an organic approach, this is not a book for you. He incorporates much of the wisdom of organic into his approach, but he certainly doesn't eschew the application of synthetic chemicals, nor does he distinguish between them and their alternatives.

It's a nice winter read and a well-rounded compilation of lots the commonsense truisms that Northwest gardeners absorb over time. For those times you need a fussier approach, Steve Solomon's _Growing Vegetables West of the Cascades_ is a substantial and essential guide.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Relaxed and informal how-to, October 6, 2003

By 

Valerie Adolph "Coast Journal" (Pacific Northwest) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Gardening with Ed Hume: Northwest Gardening Made Easy (Paperback)

Ed Hume is recognized as one of the foremost garden authorities in the north west. His television show "Gardening in America" is watched by millions who appreciate his down-to-earth, practical gardening advice. Reading this book is much like watching his T.V. show - he shares information in a very relaxed, direct fashion. The advantage of the book is that the reader can keep checking back whenever the information is required.

The writer has organized his material well, moving from a general topic - landscaping - to chapters on different categories of plants, trees, shrubs, bulbs etc., with a final couple of chapters on composting and protecting plants from creatures. Each chapter has been further divided into sections and sub-sections so the search for information is simple. Better still, the information is supplied in digestible nuggets so the reader doesn't have to plough through excess verbiage.

Much of the book is taken up with "encyclopedias", for example "shrub encyclopedia", which takes up almost half of the 48 pages given to shrubs. These are not encyclopedias, of course, they're just plant lists with some helpful notes beside each species. I'm not a great fan of plant lists, even when they're called encyclopedias, they appear to me to be just an easy way to fatten out a book.

That, said, this is a very useful and readable book for the gardener in the Pacific North West. Buy it for your garden library - you'll find yourself using it often.

5.0 out of 5 stars Ed Hume, September 28, 2009

By 

KellBell (Everson,Wa USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Gardening with Ed Hume: Northwest Gardening Made Easy (Paperback)

LOVE this book. Checked it out of our local library and had to have it. Very easy to follow and great for Washington gardeners. One of my favorite gardening books!