Editorial Review

Many books claim to be a "definitive guide"; this is one title that happily lives up to those claims--and then some. Read more

Reviews (17)

Not a General Reference Book
I was a little disappointed with this book because I thought it would have more information on specific plants.It gives very little info on the specific plants and focuses on the design aspects.As a novice gardener, this book has not been very helpful to me.Don't buy it if you want a general reference guide.

Wonderful for growing everything under the sun!
This book covers almost everything including how to grow Blackberries and grapes which caught my attention and how to take care of cuttings, which I had never done before and had all sorts of doubts about.Thanks to this wonderful jewel, my back yard is now filled with all sorts of exotic flowers and plants that I have grown from cuttings off of other plants and flowers in only a few short weeks.
American Horticultural Society Encyclopedia of Gardening
This book has kept my husband real busy since he started gardening. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Encyclopedias    2. Gardening    3. Gardening / Horticulture    4. Gardening/Plants    5. Home Gardening    6. Horticulture (General)    7. Pictorial works    8. Reference    9. Gardening / Reference   

Reviews (11)

An Orchid Education
This book is the best book I have read about Orchids. You will receive an education about types, care, repotting and growing all types of Orchids. I highly recommend this book for the beginner to the advanced grower and hobbiest.

Orchids for Dummies
Great Book for folks that are beginners with Orchids.Well Organized and easy to undestand!
Great Book!
This is a great book for beginners growing Orchids.The only drawback I saw was whether or not to prune after the blooms fall. I still don't have the answer to that question.But this book does cover a lot of other areas and was easy to follow and understand. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Floriculture    2. Flowering Plants (Angiospermae)    3. Flowers - Orchids    4. Gardening    5. Gardening / Horticulture    6. Gardening/Plants    7. Gardening / Flowers / Orchids   

Reviews (4)

Understanding Orchids
A good, general reference for the advanced beginner.The inclusion of the writer's personal experiences with growing are encouraging and appreciated. Excellent photography.
One of the best orchids books I've ever seen
We have eight orchids at home, with no special greenhouse for them. The book is simple and direct, giving exact tips to take care of them. The author show his passion for flowers by writing a book for both rookies -anyone with a window can have an orchid- and professionals. From the best light for a specimen to how to get hybrids. Includes step-by-step pictures.
Great book for novice on up to expert
I've been growing orchids for 20 years and have read dozens of orchid books. This is by far the most clearly written, entertaining and informative general orchid book I've ever come across. It is filled with helpful information on orchid culture as well as anecdotes that capture the mental progression of how one goes from a single plant to a whole collection. If you can feel yourself becoming hooked on orchids this book will come in very handy as your collection expands. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Floriculture    2. Flowers - Orchids    3. Gardening    4. Gardening / Horticulture    5. Gardening/Plants    6. Indoor Gardening    7. Flowers    8. Gardening / Flowers / Orchids   

Reviews (4)

A good introduction for the would-be amateur stone mason
An excellent introduction for anyone who is interested in learning more about stone work and masonry.
Great starter book!
This book was better than I expected. I was hoping for color photographs, butit has B&W only. Doesn't get into a lot of details, but covers quite a few topics on the subject of stone masonry. I agree with previous review. Would have been great if the section on Mortaring Stone could have been more detailed. All in all, a good starting book to refer to.

Little bit of everything.
This book seems to have a bit of everything that has to do with traditional stone masonry. It shows how to build different types of buildings and objects. Pictures are only in Black and White. If your looking for a full colour glossy paged book on stone architecture this is not for you. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Amateurs' manuals    2. Building, Stone    3. Construction - Masonry    4. Design & Construction    5. Do-It-Yourself    6. Do-It-Yourself - Masonry    7. Home Improvement / Construction    8. House & Home    9. Masonry    10. Stone    11. Garden design & planning    12. House & Home / Design & Construction    13. TECHNOLOGY / Construction / Masonry   

Reviews (4)

Water Storage by Art Ludwig
The book gives you lots of pertinent information about the pros and cons of water storage for any type of usage.Information is written in easy to understand terminology with lots of references and diagrams.Makes you aware of possible adverse situations and how to compensate for them.Great book for the novice as well as the seasoned individual.

Water Storage made Elegant
Thoughtful and comprehensive this book will guide you through water storage problems with the simplest and most elegant solutions.It will also guide you away from a multitude of mistakes.

Sounds Simple, And It Is, Once you have it explained
Most of us, in the United States at least, grew up where the supply of water was so simple. Your house was automatically connected to the city water mains when it was built and for a few dollars a month all the water you needed was supplied at the turn of a tap.
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Subjects:  1. Construction - Plumbing    2. Do-It-Yourself    3. Do-It-Yourself - Plumbing    4. House & Home    5. Reference   

Reviews (7)

Great Intro to Making a System
This is the best book I've found as far as actual plans and instructions on making simple basic hydroponic systems. It does not go into detail about feeding and light requirements for specific plants, but I found it valuable for the detailed system plans and instructions on building them, which I had not been able to find elsewhere.

Concise and to the point!
Over the past few months, I have bought and read a number of books on the subject of hydroponics.This book is by far the best book on the subject I have read. It is written in a simple and easy to understand manner.Very readable.The plans and instructions for the different types of hydroponic garden apparatus is worth the cost of the book alone.
How-To Hydroponics, Fourth Edition
Organized layout of information. Acceptable for informed reader.
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Subjects:  1. Gardening/Plants   

Reviews (30)

An awesome book
I read the book in one day and talk with Frit often. I now have 6 Keets and am ready to be a new Guinea mom.

A good general guide to raising guineas on range
Gardening with Guineas by Jeaneette S. Ferguson
A-Yah
We just moved to a farm and we know very little. This book was great for this green new farmer. I have had a hard time putting it down. I have alot of ticks on this property and I think they are going to be a great help. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Agriculture - General    2. Technology & Industrial Arts    3. A Step-By-Step Guide To Raising Guinea Fowl on a Small Scale    4. Guineafowl    5. Poultry    6. Agriculture & Animal Husbandry    7. Technology   

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Landscape    3. Landscape architecture    4. Landscape design    5. Architecture / Landscape   

Subjects:  1. Construction - Roofing    2. Garden Design    3. Gardening    4. Gardening / Horticulture    5. Gardening/Plants    6. Green roofs (Gardening)    7. Ground cover plants    8. Home Gardening    9. Landscape plants    10. Ornamental Plants    11. Gardening / Garden Design    12. Gardening: plants   

Reviews (9)

Another Book on Kunitz's Crown
Stanley Kunitz is one hundred years old this year and, if that it's not enough reason to rejoice, he's also published a book, thoughtfuy aided by Genine Lentine, in which he shares his two loves, gardening and writing poetry. And if I name these two passions of Kunitz's in such order is because the garden is at the center of his thought here.
gardening and poetry a potent combination
This book by Stanley Kunitz and his collaborator is a powerful testament to the power of the garden. In short antedotes and blazing poetry this book kept me riveted. In a quiet voice it proclaims the life of one man and his love of gardening.

WHAT A TRULY MARVELOUS EXPERIENCE WITH ONE OF AMERICA'S GREATEST POET
I WAS SO ENTRANCED BY THE POETRY AND REVERIES IN A GARDEN BY THE ONE AND ONLY STANLEY KUNITZ. THIS BOOK IS NOT ONLY FOR LOVERS OF POETRY BUT ALSO FOR LOVERS OF TRANQUILITY AND BEAUTY. I URGE YOU TO STEP INTO THIS NATURAL WORLD OF DAYDREAMS PUNCTUATED BY FLOWERS. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1905-    2. 20th century    3. American - General    4. Authorship    5. Biography / Autobiography    6. Gardeners    7. General    8. Interviews    9. Kunitz, Stanley,    10. Literary    11. Poetry    12. Poets, American    13. United States    14. Poetry / General    15. Works by individual poets: from c 1900 -   

Reviews (2)

An Excellent Overview of Green Building...Superb!
Author Dan Chiras has produced a series of amazing books on green building, including The Natural House, The Solar House, Superbia!, and The Natural Plaster Book. His books are extremely well written, well organized, comprehensive, and extremely well illustrated. He's truly one of the best, if not the best, writer in the green building field.
Ok, but not great
This book was a little bit hard to understand, especially if you are not knowledgable on the subject. I would recommend something more clear and easier to read. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Architecture and society    3. Design & Construction    4. Domestic    5. Dwellings    6. Ecological houses    7. Energy conservation    8. Green products    9. Home Improvement / Construction    10. Landscape    11. Reference    12. Remodeling & Renovation - Energy Efficient    13. Building construction & materials   

Reviews (6)

The Most Complete Reference
This is the most complete reference I have in my collection of gardenbooks. I have yet to find a plant variety that is not in this book. Truly a"must have" for any gardener.

Excellent resource!
One of the first books I reach for when I feel I need to look something up.Good for beginners and hardy gardening veterans. Know how for the garden ignoramus
Essential for anyone who starts out, as well as for the one who knows a bit about flora and fauna and how to bring colour, fragrance and life to his/her home and garden. Thoroughly recommended by one who did not know atoss about gardens but can now actually dabble with an Adenium Obesum inthe home! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Dictionaries    2. Gardening    3. Gardening / Horticulture    4. Gardening/Plants    5. Plants    6. Reference    7. Regional - General   

Reviews (7)

Guide to Spyragics
Originally published in Italian in 1985, this classic work deals with the spyragic process, by which, through separation, purification and recombination, a spyragist (parachemist, or alchemist, take your pick) enhances and amplifies the essential and intrinsic effects of an herb. While incorporating quite a bit of ayurvedic philosophy, it's still a text firmly rooted in Western alchemical techniques and practice, and walks the aspiring student through the spyragic process, step by step, along with herbal planetary correspondence tables which go quite a bit beyond the over-simplified Cabbalistic correspondences of the current New Age stream of thought.
alchemy or spagyric?
I havent read this book, but I am very doubful, if this really about alchemy. I heard, that laboratory equipment, that author proposes, is very expensive and thats not a case of alchemy. Alchemy in its essence need very simple and nonexpensive instruments. There exist fundamental difference between spagyrics and alchemy and that fact many people dont realize.

Worthy of your time
I recently began taking some natural medicines along with my husband, so I thought I would try making my own. Though I am still in the early stages, I feel confident that The Practical Handbook of Plant Alchemy has given me a solid base from which to start.
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Subjects:  1. Alchemy    2. General    3. Healing    4. Health & Fitness    5. Health/Fitness    6. Herbal Medications    7. Materia medica, Vegetable    8. New Age / Body, Mind & Spirit    9. Complementary Medicine    10. Health & Fitness / Healing    11. Herbs    12. Pharmacology   

Reviews (14)

You've got to read this book!
I received this book as a gift. There are quite a few books on this subject on the market and this one is the best. I too could not put it down and finished it in 3 days. It's a huge book, a great resource that is well researched and written.. I have a few friends who've purchased this book and really loved it too. I can highly recommend this book.
natural gardening
great book, my new favorite, all natural-no chemicals
Good listing of what goes wrong and what to do
I love the listing of each plant species in this book, and the lavish pictures of pests and diseases. You can take this out to the peach tree or the magnolia and figure out what is wrong.
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Subjects:  1. Control    2. Garden pests    3. Gardening / Horticulture    4. Gardening/Plants    5. Organic    6. Organic gardening    7. Plants, Protection of   

Reviews (1)

Make Your Own Mediterranean Garden
I read much of the book today. I was very impressed with the information the book had in it. I bought the book for a work related project and have recieved enough general information that I feel comfortable planning this type of garden for a client. The book told of many types of plant material that come from that region. I was extremely pleased with how the author wrote about how to amend the soil to make it as close as you can to their soil. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Garden Design    2. Gardening    3. Gardening / Horticulture    4. Gardening/Plants    5. Techniques    6. Garden design & planning    7. Gardening / Garden Design   

Reviews (13)

simply down to earth - literally
This is absolutely the best, straightforward, down to earth, organic gardening book I have ever read. No hype, no buzzwords, no new age crap, no agenda. Simply down to earth - literally.

A complete organic guide.
This is a very thorough and complete book that guides the reader through the set-up and maintenance of an organic garden.Great info on building the soil via natural and sustainable methods.Green manuring/cover croping is covered in great detail.This is also a complete plan for someone interested in running a market garden.Eliot Coleman shows that organic gardening is very simple, and that it can produce better quality items with less inputs.Overall, a great book that shows how we can protect and build our soils the natural way while harvesting a healthier and more quality crop.

Difficult to beat this book
Practical idealists, the Shakers demonstrated that it is possible for man to create the environment and way of life he wants, not by complaining about the system but by building their own domain arranged to their liking. Eliot Coleman, farm manager of the Mountain School Program of Milton Academy in Vershire, Vermont, has demonstrated that it is possible to undertake small-scale, commercial farming and gardening without the use of harmful pesticides by using cost-effective, environmentally sustainable methods to produce spectacular results with economy of effort and means. By offering a wealth of ideas; by identifying the most efficient and practical machinery and tools; by offering simple and efficient production techniques; and advising on the most remunerative marketing methods, this book is for the gardener and small farmer who has an unfulfilled dream to established an organic enterprise with minimal expense. When low cost production methods are allied with the right machinery and marketing practices, the viability of the 1-5 acre farm producing high quality food is not only possible but also enjoyable and profitable. Read more

Subjects:  1. Gardening    2. Gardening / Horticulture    3. Gardening/Plants    4. Organic    5. Organic Gardening    6. Organic farming    7. Techniques    8. Truck farming    9. Vegetable Crops    10. Vegetable gardening   

Subjects:  1. Gardening    2. Gardening / Horticulture    3. Gardening/Plants    4. Trees   

Reviews (64)

GREAT SELFHELP BOOK
I BOUGHT THIS BOOK FOR MY MOMS BIRTHDAY AND SHE LOVES IT. GIVES YOU GREAT TIPS ON GARDENING AND SOME EXTRA STUFF ALSO.

Great way to garden
I have been gardening for fifty years due to space I've went to raised beds. Should have done this years ago. Square foot methed even a better way to use your raised beds. Great book and info for any gardener.

Very informative!!
I'm a novice and have learned a great deal from this book. If you have never grown anything this book will take you from square one. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Gardening    2. Gardening / Horticulture    3. Gardening/Plants    4. Square foot gardening    5. Techniques    6. Vegetable gardening    7. Garden design & planning   

Reviews (19)

Already a Classic!
Extremely well designed, written and photographed! What more needs to be said. Covers all aspects of Bonsai care and propogation along with a detailed description of a large variety of species. Certainly one of the very (and perhaps the) best book on the subject to date.

Inspiring, beautifully illustrated, and easy to understand
If I had this book when I first started my bonsai hobby five years ago, I would have saved myself years of frustration and would have been able to enjoy bonsai almost immediately following the straightforward instructions Harry Tomlinson presents to the reader.I can definitely recommend "The Complete Book of Bonsai" to the beginner not only for this reason but also for its eye-catching beauty, wealth of ideas, and very reasonable price considering the sheer volume of high quality photography included in its hardcover binding.
Great for beginners
I purchased this book as a gift for a beginning Bonsai grower and it proved to be just the right choice.The photos are clear and beautifully done.Instructions are concise.I would highly recommend this book for anyone hoping to start a Bonsai garden. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Bonsai    2. Gardening    3. Gardening / Horticulture    4. Gardening/Plants    5. Japanese Gardens - Bonsai    6. Reference   

Reviews (1)

The new bible of perennial plants
Definitely an essential, a new classic for the garden library, whether you are accomplished grower or a newcomer, because it is expertly written, without technical jargon - the first really "readable" encyclopedia of plants I know of. It says it covers 5000 plants, but it's really almost 7000 plants, the biggest encyclopedia of perennials ever. Chock-full of fascinating sidebars about planting suggestions, name changes, invasive plants, orchids, etc. Pictures are gorgeous and there are thousands of them. An ultimate reference. Kudos to Graham Rice, the veteran plantsman and wonderful writer, for creating this ultimate encyclopedia. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Flowers - Perennials    2. Gardening    3. Gardening / Horticulture    4. Gardening/Plants    5. Reference    6. Gardening / Flowers / Perennials