Reviews (18)

Great Book--benefits of science
This is a wonderful and charming book.The information about plants rated for travel to Mars AND for making our homes better places to live is the best and most usable I've seen.The ratings are very helpful and I find very believable given the research behind them.I am looking for the plants--some are available widely, others will take more hunting, but I've already acquired plants I would not have known to choose before this book.Don't miss this very practical guide to improving your indoor environment.

No home should be without one!
I love this little book!In fact, I've purchased a half-dozen copies for friends and relatives.Our small 1300 square-foot home is now populated with the perfect plant(s) for each room in the house.As a result of "How to Grow Fresh Air" I feel like each plant has a personality.And I treat them like members of the family.Great stuff.Get one!

Great book
This book is everything I expected... great pictures, plants for all conditions, and everything you need to know about keeping the plant in your house.It even touches on using hydro-culture to grow the plants which I'm trying out. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Air pollution    2. Gardening    3. Gardening / Horticulture    4. Gardening/Plants    5. General    6. Home Gardening    7. House Plants & Indoor    8. House plants    9. Household ecology    10. Indoor air pollution    11. Indoor pollution    12. Pollution (Health Aspects)    13. Gardening / House Plants   

Reviews (18)

making concrete garden ornaments
this book is so easy to follow! i have made so many cool things!if you think concrete is just for sidewalks,think again.this book really opens up new horizons you had never thought about.

I love it!
This is a great book, with lots of information. Even if you have never worked with concrete before this book makes it easy. I highly recommend this book! I was right out the next day making things. ENJOY!

Great!
I am a true beginner working with concrete.I wanted information on making stepping stones and I found this information and a whole lot more!It was written for anyone to be able to understand and start projects immediately.You won't be dissappointed if you purchase this book.I love it! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Do-It-Yourself    2. Do-It-Yourself - Masonry    3. Garden Furnishings    4. Gardening / Horticulture    5. House & Home    6. Outdoor & Recreational Areas - General    7. BG-JUVENILE PROP - BG-JUVY ACTIVITY    8. Building skills    9. DIY    10. Garden design & planning    11. House & Home / Outdoor & Recreational Areas    12. Sculpture   

Editorial Review

Is your garden troubled by cutworms or aphids? Need to know the best method for preventing the spread of viruses among your houseplants? Look no further than Read more

Reviews (5)

NOT QUITE
This book does not really give concrete and detailed pest and desease control methods.It does not give any information about chemicals and insecticides for specific problems. It is actually really useless.

Great reference book
This book was purchased for a plant pathology and entomolgy class I am taking.This has been completely invaluable as a reference book for any sort of disease or insect identification.

A Good Supplemental Guide for Gardeners
The organizational structure of this guide to identifying and treating plant problems makes navigating the many causes of damage easy.The first section contains thumbnail photographs of specific problems, arranged by plant parts affected:leaf problems; stem and bud problems; flower problems; fruit, berry, nut, and vegetable problems; soil, root, tuber, and bulb problems; and lawn problems.The book then follows the problems with a brief photographic section of beneficial insects so gardeners do not kill off the bugs that help maintain environmental balance.Good gardening habits, including soil and nutrient analysis and pest/disease control, are given adequate space. The bulk of the book, however, is the A to Z guide which describes symptoms, cause, and control of just about every garden problem.Readers are expected to first identify the problem using the photographs in the beginning section and then turn to more information in the A to Z guide.The problem is, different plants with the same disease may not appear anything like the chosen (and small) photograph. Diagnosis is sometimes difficult.The index to individual plant problems is somewhat of a help to rule out similar problems that don't affect the plant in question, but I found myself wishing that this guide were a little more complete.
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Subjects:  1. Control    2. Garden pests    3. Gardening    4. Gardening / Horticulture    5. Gardening/Plants    6. Insect pests    7. Insects    8. Life Sciences - Horticulture    9. Plant diseases    10. Reference    11. Gardening / Reference   

Reviews (1)

Big book, big gardens, big budgets
This coffee table book features private gardens and estates of the wealthy who have the funds to hire the most talented garden designers in the world to realize their visions. Most of the gardens featured are in the U.S. although a few are in England and Japan. Chapters are divided by varying styles, such as classicism, traditionalism, naturalism, cottage garden, modernism, etc. It is an eclectic collection, from minimalist elegance to lush romantic woodlands. Sculptures, art work, water features and stone work are a feature in many.
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Subjects:  1. Garden Design    2. Gardening    3. Gardening / Horticulture    4. Gardening/Plants    5. Gardens    6. Landscape    7. Landscape Design And Planting    8. Reference    9. Gardening / General    10. Gardens (descriptions, history etc)   

Reviews (5)

Herbs
I am taking a medicinal botany class and was not satisfied with the information the text book gave me and wanted to know more I saw this book and ordered it.I love it.It is a must have for someone interested in herbs even my instructor found it helpful.

Best of it's kind
I have an older edition that my sister bought for me for christmas several years back.It's one of the few books i'll have for the rest of my life because of its incredible value as a comprehensive herb and plant info resource.The edition I have has pictures, names, references in the front with longer descriptions in the back in the same style as an audubon society field guide book.It's great for picking up and reading random stuff or to lookup the medicinal uses of a specific herb.The book never ceases to amaze me.Of all the herb books i've read, this one is time and again the most useful.

Superb Comprehensive Book
This book is very comprehensive.It is fairly easy to use with both Latin and English names.There are many photographs to support herb descriptions.The book doesn't does not have a botanical key to support identification of more unusual specimens (I don't miss this, others may).
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Subjects:  1. Encyclopedias    2. Gardening / Horticulture    3. Health & Fitness    4. Health/Fitness    5. Herb gardening    6. Herbal Medications    7. Herbs    8. Pictorial works    9. Reference    10. Gardening / Herbs    11. Gardening   

Reviews (11)

Pretty good ...
... if you like your herbs from the herb store, that is. And if you like the TCM view of things. Excellent but not the most recent version....
THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF MEDICINAL PLANTS by Andrew Chevallier is a relatively comprehensive source of information about herbal uses for healing.This is not the most recent volume by this author, however.The 2000 version is more comprehensive and includes the most current information about research associated with herbal medicinal uses. Best Source there is for medicinal plant information!!
From its detailed descriptions of almost all medicinal plants, to its step by step instructions for different preparations, this bookhas it all!!It tells you where the plant is from even the history behind todays uses.If your interested in healing with plants... this book is for you! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Dictionaries    2. Diet / Health / Fitness    3. Encyclopedias    4. Health/Fitness    5. Herbal Medications    6. Materia Medica    7. Materia medica, Vegetable    8. Medical    9. Medicinal plants    10. Pharmacology    11. Complementary Medicine    12. Gardening / Reference    13. Reference works   

Reviews (17)

#1 must have in Texas
As far as I'm concerned this is the bible for texas gardening.I refer to it for lawn care, landscaping, tree planting, flower beds and vegetable gardening.

A bit dated but good
Some of the info is old, but most is good. He tends to lean heavily toward chemical usage, insecticides, fertilizers, etc. A good basic start on Texas gardening.

A complete gardening book
This book gave me information from beginning to advanced.It covered the best plants for Texas.Any question you might have is answered in this book.A great resource for Texas gardeners, of any level. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Gardening    2. Gardening / Horticulture    3. Gardening/Plants    4. Horticulture (General)    5. Reference    6. Regional - General    7. Texas    8. Gardening / Regional   

Reviews (4)

Keep up-to-date with the most successful techniques for mushroom growing at home
Mushroom cultivation techniques are improving fast, especially with the advent of Internet discussion boards where new techniques are being discovered every day.
Excellent. Begin here.
An update on simple accessible grow techniques is long overdue. This is book is perfect for newbies. I recommend supplementing this book with other available information on the web, just to get a thorough scope of what's ahead of you, and what came before the improvements the authors present in the book. There's a surprisingly well written and researched Wiki page on psilocybin for those of you who are curious about its history and chemistry. Excellent color section, resource list and appendix.

Very easy to use handbook!
This book is great. I read it and it is very easy to follow. I knew nothing about growing mushrooms but this book made it easy to do. I love the photography that shows each step. It is well worth the buy. It showed me what supplies I needed and where to store them. I recomend this book to all. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Gardening / Horticulture    2. Popular Culture - General    3. Social Science    4. Sociology    5. Techniques    6. Social Science / Popular Culture   

Reviews (14)

A Wealth of Knowledge
I picked this book up based on an exhaustive search for a guide that met a few simple items of criteria:
Many Topics, Little Detail
This book had many topics but only provided very basic information on the topics.

Storey's Basic Country Skills
Good book to put the subject on the map for the beginner. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Country life    2. Home Improvement / Construction    3. Home economics    4. Home economics, Rural    5. House & Home    6. Personal & Practical Guides    7. Reference    8. Self-Help    9. GARDENING / Reference    10. Home & House Maintenance    11. House & Home / Reference    12. REFERENCE / Personal & Practical Guides    13. Reference works    14. Self-Help & Practical Interests   

Reviews (114)

The index is very useful
I was disappointed in the superficiality of the descriptions for the herbs and their uses, but the index is very useful. Folk names, common names, and Latin names are all easily found -making it much simpler to track down the plants you want at your local greenhouse.

Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs (Llewellyn's Sourcebook Series)
This is a great general book. A word to the wise. Some of the herbs that he recommends are posionous and should be not ingested. These herbs are in no way flagged in the book at all. Lily of the Valley, Mandrake, Belladonna are all dangerous and not for use without extensive research. Remember even if you see lots of food on the forest ground not all of it is safe to eat.

practical info for the practicing witch
what I like about this book is not the info on obcure plants that I have to send away for, but the info on things and herbs you can find in the grosery store. like some fruits and spices.
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Subjects:  1. Charms    2. Gardening    3. Gardening/Plants    4. Herbs    5. Herbs (Botany)    6. Magic    7. Magick Studies    8. New Age / Body, Mind & Spirit    9. Occult sciences    10. Plants    11. Witchcraft & Wicca    12. Body, Mind & Spirit / Magick Studies    13. Complementary Medicine    14. Mind, body, spirit: disciplines & techniques   

Subjects:  1. Bonsai    2. Gardening    3. Gardening / Horticulture    4. Gardening/Plants    5. Japanese Gardens - Bonsai    6. Japanese maple    7. Ornamental Plants    8. Trees    9. Gardening / Ornamental Plants    10. Shrubs & trees   

Reviews (41)

Feng Shui for Dummies
The book is simple to read and easy to follow for those of us who knew nothing about Feng Shui.I do recommend it along with other books on the same subject in order to get a well-rounded reading.

Too much text, not enough diagrams
This book buries its content within a rather non-attractive format having lots of text and not enough diagrams.Does not do an adequate job of conveying important information.So much unbroken text ends up becoming bla bla bla.

Purchased for a family member.
I purchased this book for my mother and she can not stop talking about this book.What I have heard from my mother, this is a great book.It is easy to understand and read, also, it is easy to stop reading and then start back up again later.Great book for beginners. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Decorating - General    3. Feng Shui    4. Feng-shui    5. Gardening/Plants    6. Home Improvement / Construction    7. Interior Design    8. Interior Design - General    9. Parapsychology    10. Parapsychology - General    11. Body, Mind & Spirit / Feng Shui   

Reviews (14)

The Only Books You Need for Florida Gardening
I have purchased all of Pamela's books because they tell you everything you need to know about Florida gardening, with pictures!But most importantly, Pamela has experimented with every plant described in the books and knows what works and what doesn't.She also discusses the maintenance and light conditions required for each plant to keep it looking healthy.Follow her advice and enjoy you garden.It will be beautiful!
An Excellent Resource for (South) Florida Gardeners
My husband got this book for me when he saw all the positive reviews.I was initially reluctant because I thought it was going to be just silly and repetitive.I was WRONG.
Central Florida Gardener
This looks like a wonderful book, but I live in Tampa.Central Florida is a gardening transition zone and many of the plants listed in this book will not work for me.I thought this book was going to be revised in 2004 to cover more of Florida.I am really looking forward to that.I have not bought this book yet, but will when the revision is complete.I have been watching for it for over a year. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Gardening    2. Gardening / Regional / South (AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN, VA, WV)    3. Gardening/Plants    4. Regional - South (AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN, VA, WV)    5. Drought-tolerant plants    6. Florida    7. Gardens    8. Low maintenance gardening    9. Pictorial works   

Reviews (4)

Very Good
Dont own previous books by Paul Stamets, but have read through a bunch. THis book is a really fine addition to the library. Lots of information, lots of color photos, and an enjoyable read. Get it.

this is an incredibly interesting + informative book
This is a well written, interesting book. And mycelium running has more relevance than I ever imagined (if I thought about it at all). In general, I'd ditch science books for literature in 2 seconds. But I just can't put this book down. It's definitely worth your $$$.

The most comprehensive mushroom/fungi book out there
Paul Stamets truly knows the material and has some great insights into the world of growing mushrooms. He succinctly describes how the science of the relatively unknown 5th kingdom (fungi) can be applied to mycoremediation to help unpollute the planet.Even though this sounds like a heavy subject, the material is understandable for people with little scientific or fungal knowledge and helps anybody understand hwo they too can get closer to mushrooms. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Ecology    2. Environmental Science    3. Fungi    4. Gardening    5. Gardening / Horticulture    6. Gardening/Plants    7. Life Sciences - Ecology    8. Medical Botany    9. Mushroom culture    10. Mycelium    11. Organic    12. Pharmacy    13. Reference    14. Specific Ingredients - Vegetables    15. Applied ecology   

Reviews (3)

A practical yet beautiful guide. Indispensable.
Like many others I have long craved the simplistic beauty & calming ambience of japanese garden design thinking I could neither afford bringing in professionals nor summon the skill to execute one myself........then i bought this book. Using Mr Sawano's expert guidance & exquisite knowledge to easily lead me through my own design project i have created my very own dream garden. I have loved every minute of the process -so much so that I have even volunteered to make over my friends garden for him!! The books still sits proudly on my coffee table, but even better is that through my window I have the real thing to enjoy. I am so looking forward to my first summer with it.

Interesting, even for non-gardeners
I think of this book as Japanese Gardening for Dummies. I'm not a particularly experienced gardender however I was able to follow how and what I should do to create my Japanese garden and, just as importantly for me, why I should do this.
The easy way to have your own Japanese garden!
I've always wanted to have my own Japanese garden but whenever I bought a book on the subject it was just too complicated and complex to understand. Takashi Sawano has managed to write a book for those of us who aren't borngardeners!It's easy to understand and now I have a fabulous Japanesegarden that all my friends rave about. I really can't recommend this bookenough. If you want an authentic Japanese garden that looks like it'sstraight out of Japan then buy this book and you can do it all on your own! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Gardening    2. Gardening / Horticulture    3. Gardening/Plants    4. Japanese Gardens - General    5. Garden design & planning    6. Japan   

Reviews (20)

Lawn Mowinget al
Pollans description of what is a green thumb and the sysiphean art of mowing reminded me how therapeutic gardening can be and why it cures depression. Thank you Michael for making me look at my roses in a totally different way.You will love this book if you tend to think in pictures and love the art and hard work of gardening.

For the virtual gardener
I picked up this book when I didn't have my own dirt to get my hands into, and I was hoping to garden vicariously through Pollan's essays.
grass is overrated.
This was probably the first book I read that dealt with relations to nature on a practical and philosophical level.I'm not sure if Pollan counts as a philosopher, but the views he presents are very accessible and bring a lot into question.
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Subjects:  1. Essays    2. Flowers - General    3. Gardening    4. Gardening / Horticulture    5. Gardening/Plants    6. General    7. Horticulture (General)    8. Life Sciences - Biology - General    9. Philosophy Of Biology   

Reviews (1)

An excellent reference on native perennials
This A-Z encyclopedia features over 600 species of native plants for the American gardener. All of the plants included here are perennials which are available to purchase in nurseries and mail-order catalogs. This was the author's major criteria for inclusion and some popular plants were omitted because they are not easily obtainable in the trade.
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Subjects:  1. Flowering Plants (Angiospermae)    2. Flowers - Annuals    3. Flowers - Perennials    4. Gardening    5. Gardening / Horticulture    6. Gardening/Plants    7. Home Gardening    8. Native plant gardening    9. Native plants for cultivation    10. North America    11. Ornamental Plants    12. Plants - General    13. Reference    14. Botany & plant sciences    15. Gardening / Flowers / Perennials    16. Gardening: plants   

Subjects:  1. Earthworm culture    2. Earthworms    3. Worms   

Subjects:  1. Floriculture    2. Flowering Plants (Angiospermae)    3. Life Sciences - Botany    4. Life Sciences - Horticulture    5. Nature    6. Nature/Ecology    7. Plants - General    8. Science    9. Botany & plant sciences    10. Gardening: plants    11. Science / Botany   

Reviews (3)

The Complete Book of Floral Design
This is a great book for visual pictures of different arrangements and ideas you may want to put together!! Lots of pretty pictures!

beautiful book
I love the book, and there is some great advice in it but I was looking for abit more of a "how-to" type of book. The book is mostly photos of her work with a black and white section of some instructional aspects of making bouquets, etc. There is also a small encyclopedia-like section of flowers which explains some aspects to the flowers but does not include general price range. I was hoping it would be the only book I needed to buy to do my wedding flowers, but I don't think it will be.

Best floral book ever!!!
This book was a Christmas present and the best floral book I own. The author gives you her wonderful insight into how she draws her inspirations and gives instructions on how to design each arrangement. Beautiful pictures, beautiful designs! I own other books by Paula Pryke, and like them all, but this is my favorite! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Crafts / Hobbies    2. Flower Arranging    3. Flowers - General    4. Gardening    5. Gardening/Plants    6. Gardening / Flower Arranging