American Horticultural Society Gardening Manual (American Horticultural Society Practical Guides) (Hardcover)

by DK Publishing (Author)
Key Phrases: garden styles, leisure elements, controlling weeds, Pruning Group, Advantages Relatively, Establishing Plants (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
From preliminary design to everyday maintenance, the American Horticultural Society Gardening Manual covers every gardening topic under the sun. An equal mix of inspirational ideas and practical suggestions makes this a book to read in every season, whether your garden is sleeping under feet of snow or everything is ripe for picking. Each page is covered with the clear, close-up photographs and simple explanations that the Dorling Kindersley publishing company made it's name with, and novice and expert alike will find this style lovely to look at and deeply practical.

You'll find plenty of information on large projects like installing lighting, sprinklers, raised beds, and paved walkways, and ways of incorporating these installations slowly into your garden space. Ideas for spaces and climates of all kinds are included, from water gardens and brick barbecues to flowing natural spaces and practical vegetable gardens. There are fewer plant lists than there are technique descriptions, but the chapter "What Looks Good When" is helpful, and specialized areas include short lists of appropriate trees, water plants, or bulbs to achieve a particular effect. The section of "What to Do When" is especially helpful for new gardeners, as it outlines all those basic steps in proper maintenance, and will save novices (and their plants) the trauma of pruning or transplanting in the wrong season. The section on plant and insect pest management covers both chemical and nonchemical methods, and the authors leave it up to readers to choose their methods. Whether your goal is a smooth stretch of lawn or an intricate herbal knot garden, this gardening manual will get you well on your way to horticultural bliss. --Jill Lightner

Product Description
Plan, create, and maintain a beautiful garden!

The American Horticultural Society, the world's leading authority on planning, creating, and caring for a garden, presents the AHS Gardening Manual. Beautifully illustrated and written in an informal style by experienced gardeners, this manual offers practical hands-on information on everything from garden style planning and plant choice to dealing with weeds and pests. Whether you want to grow flowers or vegetables, fruits or herbs, you'll find all the information you need in this easy-to-use format. Convenient "Tell Me Why" boxes and a special "Helping Hand" section anticipate and respond to the most frequently asked questions. Makes a great introduction for the beginner or an ideal reference for the more experienced gardener.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 420 pages
• Publisher: DK ADULT (August 9, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789459523
• ISBN-13: 978-0789459527
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 9.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #666,812 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing~!, January 12, 2001

By	Kelley Hunt (Texas, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book offers a truly vast and amazing amount of information. There are beautiful color pictures or drawings on just about every page. It shows how to do so many things, including pruning, planting trees, etc. It also shows diseased plant samples, types of mulch, lawn alternatives, etc. There is a detailed guide for what garden tasks to perform each season. There is also a guide for plants according to when they bloom so that you can plan for a long blooming season in your garden. A very useful how-to guide for setting up and maintaining a garden, even for a person who doesn't have a green thumb.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars So THAT's how you do it!, July 2, 2002

By	Jessica Ferguson "threelittlebirds" (Woodbury, NJ) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Here is a book that covers every potential garden project you can think of - and shows them all to you for comparison. Not a typical garden book - information on specific plants and growing instructions are not the main themes here - there are step-by-step plans and project guides for countless garden improvements including building an arbor, creating focal points, planting fruit crops and caring for your water garden, to name a very few. By far the best part of this book is a section titled "What Looks Good When" that helps you plan a true 4-season garden. Subtitles include "Good Year Round" "Long Flowering Season" "Spring" all the way through "Autumn to Winter". How long have you waited for this?! Obviously not a comprehensive list but illustrated with color photos of the plants, it will inspire you to "fix" your two or three season garden and make it a dream all year round. The "What to Do When" section is a fabulous to-do check list that is wonderfully organized by season to help you get all of your tasks done in a timely fashion. The American Horticultural Society has done a bang-up job of giving gardeners some of the best resources in years and done so with beautiful photos, great information and wonderful ideas.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Gardening Manual Period, January 2, 2006

By	David J. Morrell "gardener" (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Offers all sorts of advice on landscaping, with color pictures, how-to information. Advice not only on flowers, but trees, shrubs etc. Also offers help on hard-scapes. The most exaustive all-in-one book I've read.