Customer Reviews

Gardening in the Humid South

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

As a recent transplant to the south, I found this book not only entertaining but extremely informative. Take two old men, several theories on gardening and an unlimited number of pages for arguing and you've got Gardening in the Humid South. Ed and Leon have never steered me wrong, and they're a hoot to boot!

I bought this book as I love most books that pertain to Southern gardening. I have most of Michael Dirr's books, for example, and and love them all. This book is quite a bit different - it has a lot of chapters that pertain to garden planning, soil preparation, fertilizers, weed eradication, tools, pots and the like. There is less specific information about particular plants here than I expected - the chapter on shrubs is only 7 pages long, to give an example. There are very few photographs of plants or trees, and these are in black and white. So, it depends on what you want in a garden book to decide if this is for you.

Living in climates where the humidity is high, is as difficult on plants as it is humans. O'Rourke provides lots of useful information on creating gardens that withstand the challenge of heavy air.

New to Louisiana, I was looking for a book that would tell me what plants would do well in my yard and vegetable garden. There is very little about specific plants; lots about soil preparation, etc., and lots of argument between the two authors about what is best. I don't need argument or entertainment, I need information.

This book is not only entertaining to read, it is very informative! Definitely helpful to read before you even start digging. I constantly come back to it for reference.

If you have any questions about gardening in the humid South, this is the book for you. If you want to know when to plant tomatoes, it's in there. Set out seedlings? It's in there. A list of plants that behave well (or poorly) in our climate? It's in there. The book is a good read, not just a dry academic tome; you will laugh as you learn from these guys-keeping in mind that their decades of experience will only help you. Having said all of that, the most helpful part of the book is the month-by-month calendar of what to do when and what hassles to expect. There is more knowledge in this book than in most college courses in Horticulture, AND it is specific to the South which, as you know, makes it more valuable (for us) than most gardening books. Get this book, use it wisely and look like a professional.