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The Garden Primer: Second Edition [Bargain Price] [Hardcover]

Barbara Damrosch
4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (43 customer reviews)


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Kindle Edition $10.10  
Hardcover --  
Hardcover, Bargain Price, February 28, 2008 --  
Paperback $14.44  
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Book Description

February 28, 2008
The most comprehensive, entertaining, down-to-earth one-volume gardening reference ever, and highly praised:

"Barbara Damrosch delivers the goods."—Chicago Tribune
"Best of the crop."—House Beautiful
"Barbara Damrosch's writing has the snap of a good snowpea and the spice of an old rose."—The Seattle Times/Post Intelligencer
"Covers just about everything you could think of and then some." — The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"An extraordinarily comprehensive guide." — The San Francisco Examiner-Chronicle
"Takes your soaring visions of garden splendor and plants them firmly in the ground."—The Toronto Star

Now the beloved classic is revised front-to-back. The new edition has gone 100% organic, which in Barbara Damrosch's hands also means completely accessible. It reflects the latest research on plants, soils, tools, and techniques. There is updated and expanded information on planning a garden, recommended plants, and best tools. Ecological issues are addressed much more extensively, covering lawn alternatives, the benefits of native species, wildlife-friendly gardens, and how to avoid harmful invasive species. More attention is paid to plants appropriate to the South, Southwest, and West Coast, while cold-climate gardeners are given detailed advice on how to extend the growing season. Simply put, the book is a richer and fuller compendium than ever before, with more text, more illustrations and garden plans, expanded plant lists, and gardener's resources. But Barbara Damrosch's core of practical, creative ideas and friendly style remain—she is still an "old-fashioned dirt gardener" at heart.

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. This comprehensive compendium of gardening facts, helpful hints and earthy advice is an unusually readable, user-friendly gardening encyclopedia. The book's first section covers the basics of what a gardener needs to get started: principles of landscape design, What Plants Need, gardening gear and how to buy plants. Damrosch, who aims to answer as many questions about gardening as possible, gives more than the standard instructions for making compost and buying pruning tools; she includes details like parts of plants and a comprehensive guide to botanical names that give beginning gardeners an unusually sophisticated and scientific footing. Her intimate, up-to-date, down-to-earth writing is distinctly rooted in the garden, with humor born of experience: A garden hose is like a lover that you can't live with and can't live without. No scientific advance, to my knowledge, has yet tamed its willful nature. With sections on annuals, perennials, vegetables, herbs, fruits, bulbs, lawns, trees and even houseplants, to name a few, and with specifics for individual plants in each section, this book will be a useful addition to the collections of seasoned gardeners as well as novices. (Apr.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

From the Back Cover

Remarkably complete, this is the one: the indispensable one-volume reference guide to gardening simply, beautifully and well. It is jam-packed with useful information, old-fashioned common sense, and a lifetime's worth of experience, and is thoroughly revised and expanded to be 100 percent organic in its recommendations. Updated with the latest on plants, soils, techniques, and tools, it includes: The basics of landscaping, emphasizing sustainable methods. Understanding what plants need and avoiding complex rules and formulas. How to choose and combine flowers for season-long color, orchestrating with perennials and accenting with annuals. Extending the season - that's right, harvest carrots in January. The secret to raising roses without fuss, less demanding lawns, vines with discipline, and trees that will enhance your property. There is new information on native species, and all the gardening resources you need—explained in a voice that "has the snap of a good snowpea and the spice of an old rose" --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 832 pages
  • Publisher: Workman Publishing Company; 2 edition (February 28, 2008)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0761148566
  • ASIN: B0042P57XE
  • Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 2 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (43 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,361,274 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

I really enjoyed this book and found it very informative. Sonya M. Owens  |  16 reviewers made a similar statement
It is the definitive garden book. G. Foster  |  11 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
87 of 88 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Great resource for the beginning gardener April 8, 2008
Format:Paperback
Twenty years ago I remember discovering Barbara Damrosch's The Garden Primer at the local library. It was full of practical advice dispensed in such an engaging manner and I ended up buying myself a copy. The Garden Primer is a rare exception of a gardening book that can benefit gardeners no matter where they live. It is especially helpful to novice gardeners who want to start a garden but are not exactly sure where to begin.

The first chapters deal with the basics - what plants need in order to grow properly, how to prepare your soil, starting your own seeds, proper planting methods and how to deal with insects and diseases. A chapter on gardening gear covers tools, what to wear and how to organize it all.

Damrosch then goes into plant specifics with chapters on Annuals, Perennials, Vegetables, Herbs, Fruits, Bulbs, Roses, Lawns, Ground Covers, Vines, Shrubs, Tree, Wildflowers and Houseplants. Each section discusses how to buy plants, how to plan your site (with some planting scheme plans included), how to grow the plants and maintain them. She then includes an encyclopedia of specific plants with descriptions and basic growing advice. The vegetable section is even more extensive with details on growing and harvesting. If plants are more suited to certain areas of the country, it is mentioned.

Another element of this book that I enjoy are the wonderful illustrations. They are black-and-white, simple and yet so effective. And I'm so glad they kept the illustration of the garden shed on the endsheets. I've always admired that and maybe this year I will finally get my own tools organized like it!

The second edition, which has just been published (March 2008), has been updated to include new varieties of plants, more efficient methods and techniques and more up-to-date trends. More plants have been included, especially native plants which are so popular today. The book is "100% Organic"!

Damrosch claims in her forward that she set out to write a "simple" book on gardening. Her engaging writing style and clear instructions do just that but this 820 page book is so much more than that. It provides a wealth of information for beginning gardeners and has proven to be a book that I return to again and again. I highly recommend it.
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30 of 33 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive Gardener's Guide April 1, 2008
Format:Paperback
Barbara Damrosch is a self-confirmed 'old-fashioned dirt gardener.' And, she's does organic gardening to boot. This book is a comprehensive, easily understood guide to all aspects of gardening; it even includes a chapter on houseplants.

I like that Damrosch prefers hand tools over power tools. And, that she uses her hands to pull weeds at times.

The chapter on "what plants need," was terrific--covers the basics and gave me a firm understanding of what plants require to thrive.

The book contains all you need to grow annuals, perennials, vegetables, herbs, trees, shrubs and vines.

Indispensable!

from the author of the award winning book, Harmonious Environment: Beautify, Detoxify and Energize Your Life, Your Home and Your Planet
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14 of 15 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Even better than the first edition May 14, 2008
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I have long been a fan of the first edition and was pleased to hear the author on the radio recently. The second edition is newly updated and includes many details for organic gardeners which I enjoy. It is comprehensive in nature and well organized. It is the definitive garden book. You just can't do better.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Garden Primer
Saw Barbara Damrosch at a lecture and instantly became a fan of hers. This is a great book for gardeners, novice or otherwise.
Published 1 day ago by Evelyn
5.0 out of 5 stars Great gardening resource
Great wealth of information. Definitely in my resource stack. Highly recommend this book to anyone. They know what they are doing.
Published 2 months ago by Allen Hamilton
3.0 out of 5 stars The Garden Primer
This is a great gardening book. I recommend it to new or seasonned gardeners. The book looked new and and came on time.
Published 2 months ago by Major
5.0 out of 5 stars My own copy at last
I was feeling guilty keeping this book out of the library for weeks at a time. It covers everything, veggies, flowers, shrubs, even ferns and ground covers, and I have found her... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Laurel Pritchard
5.0 out of 5 stars Very well written.
Even simple things that you thought you know, Barbara gives insight and an Aha moment( I didn't think of it that way)
Great reference and resource book. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Clark H. Whittier
3.0 out of 5 stars It was good but I have more experience and shouldn't have bought a...
It was an excelent book for the beginning gardener. From A to Z it tells you the basics about gardening, but if you've been gardening a long time don't expect to learn much you... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Frances Frank
5.0 out of 5 stars The Garden Primer
It was given as a gift. It not only was in great shape (it was a used book), it came early.
Published 5 months ago by JoJo
5.0 out of 5 stars Love this book
I just loved this book. It was very informative. Barbara Damrosch is one lady that knows her stuff. I will continue to use this book as my guide for my year round gardening.
Published 5 months ago by bud
5.0 out of 5 stars The Garden Primer
The Second Edition does not make obsolete the First Edition but is, instead, a good companion to it. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Skooter
2.0 out of 5 stars Great Book, Poor binding
I found this book wonderful! Barbara has a lot of information for beginners and people who have been gardening for a long time, BUT I bought this book in the paperback edition and... Read more
Published 11 months ago by E. Scaglione
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