The Self-Taught Gardener [Paperback]

Sydney Eddison (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 1998

The next best thing to knowing all about gardening is having a friend who's an expert on the subject--and horticulturalist Sydney Eddison is just that friend. In a neighborly, over-the-fence manner that will appeal to novices and practiced gardeners alike, she offers experienced, personal advice on every aspect of gardening. But this guide is more than just a technical handbook, for Eddison's true gift is her overwhelming love of gardening, a love she communicates in an innovative format that reflects the way a gardener gradually builds skills and ambitions. Teaching you how to tap into your own instinctive sense of design, color and form, how to avoid common mistakes, and how to learn from others, Eddison offers a wealth of practical tips on helping plants flourish, while providing invaluable lists of sturdy, versatile, and beautiful plants that will anchor your garden for years to come. Intimate and amiable, The Self-Taught Gardener will encourage you to plunge right into planning and planting, and to find within yourself the potential for creating the garden you've always wanted.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Eddison's congenial guide provides novices with equal parts inspirational support and practical counsel as the popular garden writer achieves her aim to be the "gardening friend" that new gardeners need. Shepherding her charges along on the great adventure of making a garden, Eddison reveals lessons learned over the years while caring for her own Connecticut landscape. Intermingled are details of design elements and plant culture in gardens tended by Eddison's accomplished gardening cohorts. Pondering the planning and planting of a garden, eager beginners will find mentor Eddison's love of gardening contagious, understanding just how the garden serves as a creative expression of one's life. Although opinionated and unafraid to state her own position on any number of issues emphatically, Eddison gives new gardeners permission to trust their instincts, if only to learn from their mistakes. Alice Joyce --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (March 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140245553
• ISBN-13: 978-0140245554
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,266,552 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

For her work as a writer, gardener, and lecturer, Sydney Eddison received the Connecticut Horticultural Society's Gustav A. L. Melquist Award in 2002; the New England Wild Flower Society's Kathryn S. Taylor Award in 2005; The Federated Garden Clubs of Connecticut's Bronze Medal in 2006; and in 2010, the National Garden Clubs Award of Excellence. Her garden has been featured in magazines and on television. A former scene designer and drama teacher, Eddison lectures widely and continues to teach a course on color at the New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, New York.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent and friendly resource for novice to expert, September 23, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Self-Taught Gardener: Lessons from a Country Garden (Hardcover)

For fans of other books by Sydney Eddison, this one will not disappoint. The motif of the book is that Sydney is that "expert friend" who is always one step, but only one step, ahead of where you are. This book covers all the things you would be wondering about in a logical, easy to follow order. It makes for excellent start-to-finish reading, and will also be an excellent reference over the years. Written in a congenial, friendly style, this book is a wonderful mix of anecdote, scientific detail, and good common sense born of years of learning on the part of the author. She has done a great service by getting it all down on paper and will certainly make the way that much easier for many who follow.

This book should be read with pencil in hand, as the sheer number of ideas and insights you will have while reading it will need to be captured.

All in all, a wonderful book for those wondering "what do I do now" as well as those with years of experience. Of particular note: the two chapters on "Easy perennials for shade" and "Easy perennials for sun" give you the confidence of where to start when planning your own garden, and form the basis for a lifetime of future learning.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Perfect Book for a New (Or Old) Gardener, February 19, 1998

By 

Greg (New York City) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Self-Taught Gardener: Lessons from a Country Garden (Hardcover)

I cannot begin to recommend this book enough. As a new (and admittedly obsessive) gardener, I've purchased some $500 of gardening books in the last few months. This author takes you by the hand, with encouragement, wit and guidance, and leads you into gardening without fear. I've been fretting about color combinations, mistakes, whether I should buy three of a plant (or one or six.......), etc. etc. All of this and so much more is dealt with. I do wish there were some more photographs, but the writing is the draw here. Wonderful recommendations. A superb book.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sydney Touches the Heart and Dreams of All Gardeners, June 13, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Self-Taught Gardener (Paperback)

Sydney inspires all - the beginner, and the expert. She has a compassionate understanding of how gardening touches each of us.

I highly recommend all her books!