Little Herb Gardens: Simple Secrets for Glorious Gardens--Indoors and Out (Paperback)

by Georgeanne Brennan (Author), Mimi Luebbermann (Author), Faith Echtermeyer (Photographer) "In a space as small as a windowsill, the edge of a fire escape, or a balcony corner, an herb garden can thrive..." (more)
Key Phrases: pat the surface smooth, pat down the surface, make sure your container, Plant Spring, Buy Year-round, Buy Seed (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
It's no wonder the best-selling Little Herb Gardens, now with a fresh new cover, has been so popular. Herbs are the instant gratification project of the gardening world, and people love to grow them. This friendly guide to homegrown herbs is perfect for beginners, featuring plans for simple garden projects ranging from outdoor garden beds to window boxes and container gardens. Growing instructions for over 30 herbs are rounded out with ideas for garden planning and maintenance. Tips on harvesting and cooking with nature's bounty make this charming volume as useful in the kitchen as it is in the garden. With colorful photographs and warm and informative text, Little Herb Gardens is inviting to gardeners, cooks, and herb novices alike.

About the Author
Georgeanne Brennan is a James Beard Award-winning author of numerous cooking and garden books. She lives in Northern California and France. Mimi Leubbermann is the author of a wide range of garden books, including Easy Orchids (0-8118-3553-7). She lives in Northern California. Faith Echtermeyer's garden photographs have appeared in many books. She lives in California's Napa Valley.

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (June 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811843092
• ISBN-13: 978-0811843096
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 7.9 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #316,862 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

69 of 70 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great little book....., September 18, 2002

By	Dianne Foster "Di" (USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Little Herb Gardens: Simple Secrets for Glorious Gardens--Indoors and OutA Garden Style Book (Paperback)

LITTLE HERB GARDENS is a great book for the novice. The authors have assembled a lovely collection of photographs and interspersed them with succinct text that explains how to identify and select easy to grow herbs; when and where to buy them (spring, fall, summer, nurseries or catalogs, plants or seeds); how to pot them (containers, soil, etc.); and where to place them (balconies, patios, or in small gardens).

This little book will inspire you to create a green space in a kitchen window, an assemblage before a patio or balcony door, or a collection of pots on the balcony. Herbs grow best in full sunlight, so if your balcony faces south, you are in luck. If you live in a town house or have a small patch of ground you can think more expansively, but this book does not really deal with garden design, or the issues associated with herb gardening. Herbs are frequently garden thugs that run amuck in the open. I suggest you find a more in-depth book such as RODALE'S ILLUSTRATED ENCYCLOPEDIA OF HERBS if you intend to go beyond pots and are thinking of growing mints, yarrows, violets, or some of the other "easy" to grow herbs suggested by this book. RODALE'S book also covers the poisonous aspects of herbs. (Some of them can kill you.)

The last section of LITTLE HERB GARDENS briefly covers kitchen uses of herbs including making herb-infused vinegars and herb-flavored sorbets. If you want to know more, once again you will have to turn to something more comprehensive such as THE COMPLETE BOOK OF HERBS by Lesley Bremness. Even if you can't grow herbs, you can buy them at the farmer's market and some food stores. LITTLE HERB GARDENS is not the only book available for learning how to grow herbs or use them, but it will get you started.

89 of 92 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Concise and Beautiful, June 15, 2000

By	Conscious Reader (Lummi Island, Washington, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Little Herb Gardens: Simple Secrets for Glorious Gardens--Indoors and OutA Garden Style Book (Paperback)

This book has it all--eye-pleasing photography and concise, useful information. The heart of the book is an herb-by-herb description of how to grow the plants. It's organized in a unique way according to where you could keep them--windowsill or fire escape, inside porch, outdoor pots, pantry, etc. There are suggestions for special ornamental techniques (such as topiary) and recipes for culinary herbs. Finally, the book lists seed and plant sources in the U.S. All in all, a real pleasure to read.

29 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A sweet useful gem of a book...., January 7, 2003

By	MotherLodeBeth "MotherLodeBeth" (Sierras of California) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Little Herb Gardens: Simple Secrets for Glorious Gardens--Indoors and OutA Garden Style Book (Paperback)

First let me admit I am biased, since this gem is written by someone I know and admire, here in Northern California. But it nonetheless a gem of a book with superb photographs as well as excellent advise on Do's and Don't of raising a variety of herbs. I also like the book because it shows that one can successfully raise year round fresh herbs, and do so on an acre or on a small patio. And the author also covers edible flowers another favorite of my families.