3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Ortho's All About Annuals Review, January 21, 2005
I've seen Ortho's All About series for a few years now, and decided to purchase one of the guides to see how good they are. I bought All About Annuals by Ann Lovejoy and Leona Holdsworth Openshaw. This book is a slim 96 pages from title page to index, but it is surprisingly full of information. Most of the book is comprised of charts and the annual selection guide.
New gardeners would find this book to be very useful, especially if they don't know their annuals. The selection guide has a clear photo, Latin name, pronunciation, Common name, growing habit, and care information for each annual. More experienced gardeners would probably still be able to get some use from the more exotic annuals in the guide, but would probably be more excited by the annual seed starting chart. Lists of annuals for special spots, annual bloom time, and annual size would be useful for any gardener who wants a quick, easy guide.
Even though this book is small and doesn't include quite as many annuals as I'd hoped it would, it is clear, concise, and easy to use.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Ortho Garden Books ... I Love them all., January 27, 2010
I own almost every Otho book created... and use them so often, the books are now falling apart.
I have been gardening for nearly 20 years. I grow roses, annuals, perennials, herbs, vegetables, shrubs, trees, bulbs, etc.
(yup, I have a large garden).
Why do I like Ortho books so much? They are great "quick reference" books. Not only for soil, sun, fertilizer, water, hybrids, etc.etc .... they also tell me which bugs or fungus are most likely to attack a particular plant ... so, I often inspect plants for "their" particular problems ... which enables me to catch and cure the problem early.
But sometimes, a serious fungus or bug problem can appear "very quickly" and it is possible for the problem to destroy an entire garden in a day or two!
When that happens... I will use a "heavy-duty" toxic spray to kill or destroy the problem "instantly".... and these books help identify the problem and the instant cure.
I am not saying I do not use "natural /very safe" bug and fungus control. I do!
99% of the time, natural "cures" are my 1st. choice.... and best for my garden.
However, when a serious problem occurs in my garden, I will use toxic spray. BUT... I am VERY, VERY careful when spraying!!! Always read the directions completely !!!
I have lots of wildlife and good bugs I want in my garden... and do not want to harm or kill them.
One Example of a "good bug"... are Bee's. And bees are very sensitive to many sprays. (they will die easily from some of these sprays)... so again I say.... carefully read the labels. The labels will tell you what bugs and plants they can harm or kill... and the book/label will tell you how and when to spray to avoid harming these good bugs or your plants.
My way to avoid hurting bee's... (if the label says it is toxic to bee's)... I wait until dark ,(as soon as the bees are "in bed"). Then I put a battery powered headlight on my forehead ,(it looks stupid, but who cares), and then I spray only the plants that need it.... also... Do NOT spray "OPEN" flowers on the infected plant. Only spray the foliage/leaves.
If the disease has reached the flowers... remove the flowers.... and throw them in the trash. (do not compost the diseased flowers).
If you discover that a particular hybrid of plant is at "high risk" of developing a certain disease or is often attacked by a very bad bug... Spray the plant when it starts to form buds... and again just "BEFORE" the flower(s) open.
Actually, because the Ortho books tell you about the possible problems a particular plant will probably develop.... You can use the "Safe/Non-toxic" treatments before you even see any problem arise.
And 99% of the time, you can prevent a serious problem from ever happening.
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