Good Weed Bad Weed is a friendly, authoritative, easy-to-use guide to the uninvited plants in our yard: who they are, how to control them safely - and why it's a good idea to love some of them just the way they are (including a chart for how best to let our labor-intensive lawns “go native”). Weed expert Nancy Gift considers 50 of the most interesting and noteworthy weeds in our lives, with generous helpings of full-color photos, humor and some tasty weed recipes. Presented in the same format as our popular field guide to garden insects, Good Bug Bad Bug, with heavy matte-laminated pages and concealed-wire binding for handy use outside. An attractive gift book for adults and curious kids alike.
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Book Description
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Editorial Reviews
From the Back Cover
Who Are You Calling A Weed? . . .
Are you worried about all the weeds in your yard? Well, set your mind at ease. Weed scientist Nancy Gift will show you surprising ways that weeds can enrich your life. It might be time to let your yard go a little bit “native.”
Good Weed Bad Weed is the quick and easy, authoritative weed ID book, featuring 44 of North America’s most common uninvited guests – the good, the bad, and the not-so-bad – along with some tasty weed recipes (purslane salad, anyone?).
“Finally…the ultimate guide to weeds: from the bad to the good, and even great. I love this book! A must for every homeowner and gardener.”
– Doug Oster, author of Tomatoes Garlic Basil; co-author of Grow Organic,
“Nancy has a way of making us rethink our attitudes about weeds. In fact, I began to feel proud of my acres of nitrogen-fixing clover and a bit remiss that I did not harvest my purslane for dinner.”
– Jeneen Wiche, garden writer, radio host
About the Author
Nancy Gift is an assistant professor of environmental studies and acting director of The Rachel Carson Institute at Chatham University in Pittsburgh. Previously, she wrote a book of garden essays, A Weed by Any Other Name: The Virtues of a Messy Lawn, or Learning to Love the Plants We Don't Plant (Beacon Press, May 2009).
Praise for A Weed by Any Other Name:
NY Times Book Review, Dominique Browning: “I can thank Gift, a highly trained weed scientist, for the day I gave up on my lawn and planted clover."
The Ethicurean, Holly Hickman: "Gift knows her stuff.”
The Midwest Book Review: “...a read that anybody who wants a new philosophy of lawn care will love.”
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
I'm not much of a plant guy, and I pretty much thought all weeds should be placed on the most wanted list and killed on sight. In my view of the world, the only good weed was a dead one. The simple way (and the wrong way) is to look at this book as a field guide to weeds. It is just not that simple. It is a narrative. It tells the story of weeds, both from the perspective of science and a person who just wants to tell the story of weeds. The subtle humor and personal aspects make this book a read, yes a read. The photos go way beyond the field guide standard. They are art photos that should be enlarged and hanging in my house. Nobody reads field guides cover-to-cover-------except for this one. Being in the NE, I'm actually looking forward to spring to see what the heck weeds have been growing in my yard. Now I know which one to kill on sight and which one to spare for another day. Who knew?
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
"Good Weed Bad Weed" is an accessible beginner's guide to weed identification. And to the delight of the busy gardener, it offers a unique perspective on weeds, pointing out that not all of them are as bad as we think, and that it will be fine to leave most of them right where they are.
As a weed ID guide, this book is appropriate for the gardener who is just starting out, and seems to be written with the environmentally conscientious homeowner in mind. Featuring photos of 44 weeds common to the urban or suburban garden or yard, "Good Weed Bad Weed" helps the casual observer decide which weeds to pull upon sight and which not to stress over (and even encourage). And one of my favorite parts of the book, because it is so quirky, is that it turns into an oddball recipe book near the end, giving recipes for dishes like Purslane & Potato Salad, and Weedy Foxtail Tabouli (which made the free copy I received even more delicious).
For the novice outdoorsman, the real gem of the book is the accompanying photographs it offers as it walks the reader through notoriously "bad" weeds, such as poison ivy and ragweed, the "not-so-bad" weeds, such as morning glory, and the "good" weeds, such as edible and omega-3 rich purslane. The book is spiral bound, which makes it easy to flip through and to keep on a page when you are comparing weeds in your backyard to the pictures in the book. For the reader who has never been able to put names to the weeds in her backyard, this is a tremendous aid.
Keep in mind that this book is not a field guide for professionals. In other words, you will not find botanical sketches of each weed in its seedling and then mature stages, or featuring a close-up of its leaves, flowers or fruit. In addition, it is easy to disagree with some of the good/bad designations (although Dr. Gift places Chickweed in the Good category, my grandmother swears it is a nuisance, for example. Also, "not-so-bad" morning glory has been taking over my garden this summer).
Lastly, this is not a definitive guide. As Dr. Gift mentions, "Good Weed Bad Weed" covers only the most common urban and suburban weeds, and is helpful only in a certain setting (the "semi-manicured" garden or lawn). It is simply meant to suggest for the newbie which weeds might be harmful, which weeds might only annoy you, and which weeds could be moved down on the priority list of things to worry about in your garden.
As a weed ID guide, this book is appropriate for the gardener who is just starting out, and seems to be written with the environmentally conscientious homeowner in mind. Featuring photos of 44 weeds common to the urban or suburban garden or yard, "Good Weed Bad Weed" helps the casual observer decide which weeds to pull upon sight and which not to stress over (and even encourage). And one of my favorite parts of the book, because it is so quirky, is that it turns into an oddball recipe book near the end, giving recipes for dishes like Purslane & Potato Salad, and Weedy Foxtail Tabouli (which made the free copy I received even more delicious).
For the novice outdoorsman, the real gem of the book is the accompanying photographs it offers as it walks the reader through notoriously "bad" weeds, such as poison ivy and ragweed, the "not-so-bad" weeds, such as morning glory, and the "good" weeds, such as edible and omega-3 rich purslane. The book is spiral bound, which makes it easy to flip through and to keep on a page when you are comparing weeds in your backyard to the pictures in the book. For the reader who has never been able to put names to the weeds in her backyard, this is a tremendous aid.
Keep in mind that this book is not a field guide for professionals. In other words, you will not find botanical sketches of each weed in its seedling and then mature stages, or featuring a close-up of its leaves, flowers or fruit. In addition, it is easy to disagree with some of the good/bad designations (although Dr. Gift places Chickweed in the Good category, my grandmother swears it is a nuisance, for example. Also, "not-so-bad" morning glory has been taking over my garden this summer).
Lastly, this is not a definitive guide. As Dr. Gift mentions, "Good Weed Bad Weed" covers only the most common urban and suburban weeds, and is helpful only in a certain setting (the "semi-manicured" garden or lawn). It is simply meant to suggest for the newbie which weeds might be harmful, which weeds might only annoy you, and which weeds could be moved down on the priority list of things to worry about in your garden.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
By mikecq
Amazon Verified Purchase
I moved to KY several years ago and always wondered if plants I see in the garden was planted by the person living here before. Some were pretty some were not. I kept pestering my wife and neighbors but they kept ignoring me. This book has it all.. Now when I go to the garden to weed, I just take this handy and sturdy book to help me weed..
Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
OK
Not quite as useful as the insect version. It does help with some identification. I think the properties of wild plants listed is not otherwise unknown. Read more
Published 24 days ago by Cat
5.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting Book
This is a very interesting book. It has enabled me to figure out what is growing in my yard and if I need to get rid of it. It has good photos and helpful descriptions.
Published 29 days ago by Stacy Colussy
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Weed is not always Bad
Very helpful for identifying plants and for choosing which plants to keep. The idea of allowing some "weeds" can enhance a property.
Published 3 months ago by Doris R., Foster
5.0 out of 5 stars
Extremely helpful guide
We use this book as a handy reference for determining which common weeds, i.e. plants, are actually helpful. I say "we" because it is picked up by many people who visit our house. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Melissa Bell
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Reference
Who knew that some weeds can help your veggie garden, I didn't! A great book to take to the garden with you and then you will know who is who among your veggies and lawn, great... Read more
Published 17 months ago by Old Wilderness
4.0 out of 5 stars
Very good book that could have been a little better
The only quibble I have with this book is that (IMHO anyway) there are a number of weeds classified as "good" (meaning relatively innocuous) that (again IMHO) should be placed in... Read more
Published 21 months ago by island gardener
5.0 out of 5 stars
A dandy little book........
I was not sure what to expect, but I will say I was pleasantly surprised. I really like the way Nancy approached this topic. Read more
Published 23 months ago by Ruskyg
5.0 out of 5 stars
I'm eating my way through this book...
Who would even begin to imagine that a book on good/bad weeds would have a great recipe section! I'm actually thinking of planting some weedy foxtail just so I can try the Weedy... Read more
Published 23 months ago by JPOP
4.0 out of 5 stars
Like a garden walk with a friend
This has to be the most personal guide book ever written. I feel like the author is walking around my garden with me, pointing out what's what and telling stories about weeds,... Read more
Published 23 months ago by Mary Whitney
5.0 out of 5 stars
Nice size with good mixture of anecdotes and facts
I found this book very useful. It has great pictures of every plant talked about that really help you compare them with what you have in your yard. Read more
Published 23 months ago by Samuel Burns
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