Gardening from Scratch (Paperback)

by Ann Lovejoy (Author), Allan Mandell (Author), Jean Emmons (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Depending on the degree of your gardening lust, the prospect of transforming a barren patch of dirt into a garden will send either thrills or chills down your spine. Excited or frightened, there will be many questions to find answers to and many decisions to make as you plan your garden. With Gardening from Scratch tucked under your arm during trips to nurseries and phone calls to extension services, the chances that you'll get the right answers and make the best decisions are greatly increased.

Ann Lovejoy begins by urging readers to create a detailed map of their land, considering existing plants, incline, "hardscapes," and soil quality. This can prevent disappointing mistakes, such as realizing too late that the spot next to the willow tree is simply too boggy for the poppies you situated there. Then it's time for the planning stage. Allan Mandell's gorgeous color photos give plenty of inspiration, and Lovejoy gets down and dirty with the essentials that are key to any healthy garden: learning about your dirt, making and applying mulch and compost, creating garden beds, and fighting the ever-present war of the weeds (about which Lovejoy says, "One of the best ways to purge a large space like an entire garden bed of wicked weeds is by planting it with a cover crop. Pick something that grows faster than your weeds and the baddies will be crowded out.") The book wraps up with a "Garden Design Ideas" section, with tips and sketches for gardens for an urban condo, a suburban neighborhood, and a rural retreat. Throughout, Lovejoy stresses practicality and functionality, while giving endless ideas for creating a garden that "approximates that inner garden in the garden-maker's heart." --Stefanie Durbin

Product Description
Gardening from Scratch " This book attempts to demystify the garden design process by explaining the principles that inform every stage, from fact-gathering to the variety of practical applications which result in a satisfying garden... In writing Gardening from Scratch, I offer you the practical and philosophical tools with which to make your own garden of personal delight. I hope you have as much fun in the process as I do. Indeed, I find garden-making becomes more joyful every time, as each new garden more closely approximates that inner garden hidden in the garden-maker' s heart." -- Ann Lovejoy, from the Introduction Should you enhance your new backyard with a simple vegetable garden or a trellised arbor, or both? Ann Lovejoy invites you to ruminate over what your garden will be used for, what your aesthetic tastes are, and how to implement them. Whether you' re designing a tiny urban garden, a suburban space, or a rural retreat, Gardening from Scratch can show you how. Illustrated with stunning photographs by renowned garden photographer Allan Mandell, and exquisite illustrations of gardens in development by Jean Emmons. Visit us online at www.mgr.com

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: MacMillan Publishing Company. (August 14, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0028615891
• ISBN-13: 978-0028615899
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,286,786 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Helping Hand with Great Ideas, June 24, 2001

By	"berley1" (Winter Harbor, Maine USA) - See all my reviews

This is a terrific place to start when one is planning a garden. The book contains various layouts and ideas for different types of gardens, including garden rooms, planting for privacy, putting in a water garden as well as composting and testing your soil. Although Ms. Lovejoy does include a small section on condo gardening or those with limited space this book is really geared towards those who own their own homes and have some property. This book is loaded with beautiful photos on almost every other page but unfortunately none of the plants are identified within so you will need a companion book to identified the plants, shrubs and trees pictured. That task itself may be very difficult.