Review
Amply illustrated chapters address each step, from initial assessment and planning through rejuvenating and renovating an existing garden. Each concludes with work-sheets for hands-on projects designed to help readers use what they've learned in their own gardens, plus captioned color plates that reinforce key concepts. Publishers Weekly 20060619 Will satisfy serious, detail-oriented home gardeners who seek to understand the gritty details of landscaping, from preparations to ongoing plant and hardscape care. -- Sue O'Brien Library Journal 20060801 Straight to the point and easily understood by even the sometime gardener. -- John Bagnasco Garden Compass 20060901 Alexander draws on personal experience at Sandhill Farm House to describe the step-by-step way to get any garden in shape. Drawings, photographs and plans show how to tackle a new site, restore an old garden, or clear an overgrown tangle of vegetation. Gardeners of all levels will find Alexander's advice concise and practical. -- Suzanne Hively Cleveland Plain Dealer 20060810 Contains all the practical advice and techniques, replete with checklists and garden logs, that gardeners - of any level, including those strapped for time - will need to keep the garden looking tiptop year after year. ... Alexander is principal of the English Gardening School in London and her books will make you feel like you're one of her pupils. -- Jarrett Smith Minneapolis Star Tribune 20060905 Contains a wealth of information through photographs, illustrations, information boxes, and sample worksheets, combined with Alexander's experience and clear writing style. -- Sharon Wootton Olympia Olympian 20060930 Most books prefer to focus on gardening's 'pretty' side, i.e. plants and design. This one gets down to the really important, necessary nitty-gritty, such as dealing with weeks, pruning things the right way at the right time, improving the soil and so on ... one of the year's best titles so far, I think. -- George Weigel Harrisburg Patriot-News 20060928 This is a true workbook and not a coffee table picture book, making it valuable for novice gardeners and experienced ones alike. ... A great place to get advice no matter what stage of gardening in which you may find yourself. -- Stephen Lamphear Des Moines News 20061024 The book that do-it-yourself landscape designers need to make their gardens shine. -- Joel M. Lerner Jackson Hole Star Tribune 20061119 [Alexander] writes with authority on all the essentials of gardening. ... The book also contains excellent botanical instructions on how plants grow and what it takes to keep them healthy and thriving. ... [One of] the 10 best books of the year. -- Steve Whysall Winnipeg Free Press 20061217 Serious gardeners of ornamental plants will enjoy delving into The Essential Garden Maintenance Workbook. ... [It serves] as a practical guide to establishing, improving and managing a garden. -- Ann Justice Daily Advertiser 20070120 Alexander's approach and detailed drawings provide insight for every gardener. -- Jennifer Chance Colorado Homes & Lifestyles 20070611
Product Description
The Essential Garden Maintenance Workbook takes over where Rosemary Alexander's first book leaves off. With the newly designed garden in place how do you manage the work in a garden and keep it looking good year in and year out? How do you prune, look after your soil and keep spring bulb plantings looking good? Is it possible to move a plant and how do you cope with weeds, pests, and diseases? Which plants are top performers and which are best for particular functions like internal and external boundaries, focal points, disguising eyesores and providing year-round interest? With its hand-holding, workbook approach Essential Garden Maintenance Workbook is the next best thing to having a daily training session with expert gardener, Rosemary Alexander. It allows gardeners at all levels to confidently tackle garden maintenance jobs, develop new skills, and make a success of their gardens however stretched for time.
