Whether just beginning a first garden, or a seasoned gardener looking for 'best practices' information, this comprehensive reference book covers every aspect of gardening. From flowers to vegetables to herbs and even ponds and lighting, the reader is given detailed descriptions of techniques through photographs and illustrations.
The book is like a kind friend walking the reader through such basics as "Know your Yard," "Working with Your Topography," suggestions for planting a garden throughout the annual seasons, and then moves on to specific discussions about care and cultivation of specific plants and shrubs. As a casual gardener of roses I found the section on specific pruning diagrams of all types of roses - from bush roses to florabunda - particularly enlightening and invaluable. There is a reason my pruning often weakened and even caused disease in my favorite roses.