The Garden Primer [Paperback]

Barbara Damrosch (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 10, 1988

A 688-page volume jam-packed with practical information, advice, tips, and quirky wisdom, both basic enough for the novice and complete enough to help those with more experience improve their gardening habits, The Garden Primer leads all readers down the path to a simpler and more successful garden.

Combining easy "how-to" instruction with quirky wisdom and tried-and-true advice, the author reassuringly guides the reader through the flower garden, the decorative garden, the vegetable patch, and more. Each fully illustrated chapter is a book in itself, from planning your property and stocking the tool shed to growing perennials, annuals, roses, bulbs, vegetables, herbs, fruits, lawns & groundcover, trees, shrubs, vines, and more. Instructions are included for growing and tending approximately 300 plants. Selection of the Book-of-the-Month Club, the Quality Paperback Book Club, and the Better Homes & Gardens Family Book Service. 364,000 copies in print. A Regina Ryan Book.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

"Keep gardening simple" is the reassuring maxim invoked by Damrosch ( Theme Gardens ) time and again in this outstanding compendium of garden lore, information and advice for novices and old-timers. The author, an "old-fashioned dirt gardener," advocates common sense, respect for the delicate balance of nature and a hands-on approach. Her book brims with sound advice for garden planning, planting and maintenance, and her relaxed attitude about equipment ("buy a few good implements and treat them well") and disease and pest control ("when in doubt, don't spray") is refreshing. Ornamental plants, from vines ("willful children") to herbs ("anarchists of the garden"), are evaluated thoughtfully, and gardeners will profit from Damrosch's manageable lists of annuals, perennials, ground covers, shrubs and trees. They will be entertained, as well, by the author's engaging, witty voice. Vegetables and fruits are discussed in mini-chapters; illustrations and an appendix of mail-order sources, etc., round out the book. BOMC and QPBC main selections; Better Homes & Gardens Book Club selection ; a uthor tour.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Beginning gardeners can be overwhelmed by the vast amount of printed information available. Damrosch offers a comprehensive book for the new gardener that clearly explains the basics of garden planning, plant care, and equipment. Detailed chapters on the different categories of plants--annuals, perennials, vegetables, fruits, lawns, shrubs, roses, vines, trees, wildflowers, and even house plants--give general advice on how to use and care for these varieties. A valuable book for public libraries.
- Peter C. Leonard, Mt. Lebanon P.L., Pa.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 688 pages
• Publisher: Workman Publishing Company (January 10, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0894803166
• ISBN-13: 978-0894803161
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 1.5 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #289,877 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The one source-book for down-to-earth gardening advice. December 12, 1998

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

My copy of "The Garden Primer" is worn, tattered, and never on the shelf with the rest of my gardening books. I refer to Barbara's sage advice for everything. It's has allowed me to try new plants, techniques, and garden designs - all without feeling I don't know what I'm doing. It's like having a master gardener watching over you.

Be forewarned though - she writes most (if not all) of her gardening experience from a Connecticut/zone 5 background. Those in the desert regions of Arizona may find most her advice useless.

Buy it - you'll never need another gardening book again.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The "Joy of Cooking" for the garden! Great all-around book. June 10, 1998

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

My copy of Barbara Damrosch's "Garden Primer" is splattered with mud and rain and has seeds stuck in the binding. This is not a coffee table book. This is a read it, use it book. There are no pretty photographs; there are no photographs. Just great road-tested advice on soil, tools, flowers, vegetables, shrubs, etc. No one subject is covered in depth, however, it covers every subject well and gets right to most important information. Like the "Joy of Cooking" in the kitchen, this is your all-purpose, when-do-I-plant- the-broccoli, how-do-I-spray-the-roses, where-do-I-put-the-fig-tree, kind of book. Would make an excellent housewarming gift for first time homeowners.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Gifted Teacher May 4, 2001

By Little Dorrit

Format:Paperback

Barbara Damrosch and her husband, Eliot Coleman, are the type of teachers that I find the most helpful. They stand in your shoes and ask what would I want to know on this subject, then proceed to tell you precisely and in plain language, not only what you want to know but what you didn't even know to ask.

I've taped all their television shows on gardening and have a number of the books both of them have written, but when I walk out in the garden and see a problem, whether it be disease or bug, it is this book that is my guide. I also grab it whenever I'm planting, fertilizing or harvesting most anything.

I just put in grapes, blueberries, blackberries, honeysuckle, clematis and the only book I referred to was this one. Never intimidating, always helpful, if I could only have one gardening book, this would be it.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Loved this book! June 24, 2004

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

This book is a great reference, but I found it so interesting, I read it cover to cover. Loved it! It is organized in sections, like: trees, fruits, vegetables, etc. Then the tree section for instance is broken down into types: dogwood, magnolia, etc. Every type has an illustration and describes the requirements of the plants (food, light, soil, zone tolerance, pests, etc.) I am a novice gardener, but I feel that after reading this book I have a very good grasp on how to take care of plants in my new house.

The authors writing is never boring, always pleasant and a few times even cracked me up. She never tells you "you should do this" but gives you a tremendous amount of well-rounded information to make good judgements yourself. I know I'm gushing, but if you are are new to gardening, I honestly cannot imagine a book that could help you more. I feel that the book is complete and I don't feel the need to buy any other books right now to compensate. By the way, there are never any advertisements for specific products like fertilizers in the book. I would tell you if there was anything irritating like that.

I keep the book in my gardening shed so that if I can't remember something, it's close by to refer to. I am actually writing this review because I was looking to purchase this for someone from Amazon as a gift. I had thought of loaning it to them but I just can't be without it for a month.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars one stop help January 23, 1998

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

As a novice gardener, this is the first book I've found that covers all my questions - from staking raspberries to planning a shade garden - in detailed but not tecnical lanquage. If I could only have one gardening book (my husband wishes) this would be it.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An unparalleled first, a sufficient only February 6, 2001

By M

Format:Paperback

After borrowing this book from the library oh, maybe 20 times my first gardening summer, I broke down and bought a copy. It remains the best such investment I ever made. Damrosch succeeds in giving the real fundamentals other books are afraid of; she tells you not only the importantce of the N-P-K ratio, but how nitrogen and phosphorus and potassium actually influence plant tissue, and what their natural sources are. You could treat this book like a correspondence course (I took notes, made lists, quizzed myself!) but you wouldn't have to: it is written clearly and directly for even the casual reader to understand. All other gardening books I've read since have been embellishments to the basics presented here.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars lucky find April 3, 2002

By Andrea Boykowycz

Format:Paperback

I stumbled on this book entirely by accident, and judged it first by its cover and illustrations, which are appealing. Now that I've actually read it -- What a great resource! Not only is she a good writer, and a careful logical thinker, she's anticipated pretty much every question the novice gardener could have and has explained her topic with grace and wisdom. AND the illustrations are clear and appealing. I'm looking forward to putting her instructions to practice this month.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars My gardening bible...........;-) April 28, 2003

By Tim Warneka VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

When I moved into my house 8 years ago, I could barely tell a rosebush from a weed. With the help of this wonderful little book, I now have a garden I can be proud of. My wife teases me that this is my "gardening bible" because I'm always referring to it.

I would highly recommend this book! :-)