1 comments about Smart Guide: Ponds & Fountains: Step-by-Step Projects (Smart Guide).

1. This paperback gives you the basics, step by step, for constructing a water feature. It doesn't overwhelm you with projects that you can't possibly complete. Good entry level book.

2 comments about A Gardener's Journal: Life with My Garden.

1. I started off my new year with a new garden journal and decided to try Jess and Doug's newly designed journal. Having been journaling via computer, blogs and hardback, I found their new journal to be a pleasant surprise.
   
   The journal is a perfect size for writing while at a desk, sofa or out in the garden. The actual journal is of superior quality. The hard back cover is quite attractive and nicely bound, making it an attractive addition for my bookcase. The spiral bound pages allow it to open flat without having to crease pages. The pages provide plenty of space to write garden facts and experences. The actual pages are made of good quality paper and many of the pages have faint images of various garden tools that give it an extra special touch.
   
   Jess and Doug have helped to spur on our creative juices by including some of their personal journal entries as well as little tid bits of useful information scattered throughout the book. They provided a pocket in the front and back to used for tucking away photos, plant tags or even a favorite seed packet or two. I like the added touches of an attached ribbon page marker, vegetable seed planting guide, garden planning grids and compost making instructions.
   
   This book is not filled with lots of bells and whistles that other journals may contain, but it is a great looking book that I will enjoy filling with many of my garden thoughts and experiences throughout the coming year.



2. I just received my new Gardener's Journal and I'm very impressed. It is very well-designed and well-made. The pages are of high-quality stock that is exceptionally smooth, it will be a pleasure to write on, with no bleed-through. The burgundy spine hides the spiral binding, which itself makes the pages lie flat for easy journalling. The cover is a beautiful green and burgundy, it looks like an expensive, leather-bound book and the quality binding will make it a beautiful addition to my bookshelf. I've been buying journals for years, and this is by far the best-constructed journal I have ever bought.

4 comments about Grasses: Versatile Partners for Uncommon Garden Design.

1. Grasses by freelance gardening writer Nancy J. Ondra is a beautiful and practical guide to raising ornamental grasses in one's garden. Filled cover to cover with excellent color photographs by life-long gardener and gardening photographer Saxon Holt of aesthetic and splendid grasses, the profusely illustrated text presents the reader with a wide choice of colored grasses to best accentuate the beauty of one's garden and how to best select choice plants for wet, dry, hot, or shady sites. Highly recommended for personal and professional gardening, horticultural and landscaping reference collections, even non-gardeners will appreciate the dazzling, coffee-table book quality photography of this singularly elegant yet practical guide.



2. Grasses. They add so much wonderful texture to perennial collections and the landscape. They add terrific movement, catching the smallest breezes, defying the strongest winds and I wanted them in my garden however I knew so little about them. Then along came this terrific book by Nancy J. Ondra with photographs by Saxon Holt. Everything about this book is appealing.
   I appreciate the way it is laid out in four sections; Getting to Know Grasses, Color Palettes, Seasonal Usage and Selecting for Location. Ms. Ondra is a font of information without overloading your brain and as a Grasses Novice I find that useful. The photography by Mr. Holt is truly beautiful, with most of the photographs taken in combinations with other plant materials so you can get the feel of the various Grasses in the landscape. Section Four (p.94) really helps you get down to the nitty-gritty of making the appropriate selections for various soils and exposures. This is the sort of book to use year in and year out and I think would be useful to professional and advanced gardners as well as beginners. You get a lot of bang for your buck with this volume. Highly recommended!



3. Love this book, wonderful pictures, but --- I find myself looking for a comprehensive chart / list that gives an overview -- so that you can make gardening choices easier ... examples; height, color, cool/warm, best conditions, clump or creep, zones --- well you get the point . . .



4. This book is full of great photos of grasses in gardens, and I find it inspirational. It shows grasses mixed with other common perennials in situations most gardeners could replicate in their own gardens. The author includes growing tips and site preferences for many different species.
   There are some books you always reach for on a certain type of plant, and this is the one I find myself always reaching for on grasses. I happen to be a Master Gardener who loves ornamental grass gardening.

5 comments about Attracting Butterflies & Hummingbirds to Your Backyard: Watch Your Garden Come Alive With Beauty on the Wing (A Rodale Organic Gardening Book).

1. This book is wonderful for anyone who wants to garden in nature's best interest.



2. This book was just what I needed to learn about attracting humming birds and
   butterflies. This has been very useful for figuring out how to start my garden.
   I am very visual, so the beautiful pictures in the book and the general text design layout
   makes it easy to read.



3. I found the book extremely informative. There are numerous recommendations of different plant species to attract and nourish North American butterflies and their caterpillars. The book would make a wonderful project for young people and their parents to do together to explore the natural world, beautify their yard, support dwindling numbers of species and just have fun together. Information about hummingbirds is just as delightful.



4. This book has great information and lots of it. The author provides a lot of easy ways to attract life into a garden. Also, many plants are listed that thrive in midwest states (where the soil is like clay) were listed that I have never heard of before. It is explained why hummingbirds and butterflies are attracted to certain plants, which helps you to think for yourself when you are out plant shopping. There are some tips and techniques that cost practically nothing which are fun projects for couples or parents and their children. I really enjoy this book and it is one that I can look at over and again and still learn something new to use in the garden. It will be a great tool this summer to me.



5. This book is a beauitful learning tool and is so well done with illustrations. A definite buy.

1 comments about The Colors of Nature: Subtropical Gardens by Raymond Jungles.

1. A stunning book, truly inspirational. I always like more information on plant varieties in any book, but this time I simply could not stop turning the pages. Why doesn't my yard look like that?

5 comments about House Colors.

1. This book is destined to be a classic for professionals and novices alike. Rather than another "pretty" book to ad to the shelf, it is an extensive resource that can be used for years. If you've ever chosen a paint color only to have to change it several times, this will save your sanity and money. Susan is a professional who does the work for you. The resource section in the back of the book is amazing. If you want your house to be the one other's drive by and admire, buy this book. Bravo!



2. This book will be very useful to laymen and professionals for use in selection of exterior colors and materials for new houses, remodelings, and even when the house is getting re-painted.
   
   Laymen, when re-doing their own house to whatever degree, would love the book because Ms. Hershman clearly and simply explains her points by use of examples (in beautiful photography) as well as the written word. For professionals, the book offers a collection of images and ideas that can presented to their clients so that they can understand that color is not a "paint job". Rather, exterior color is really an integrated system of materials and colors--and that system can range for the very simple to the very complex.
   
   This book would be wonderful addition to anyone's library.



3. This is the best reference I have ever seen for exterior colors. The pictures are of real houses, not staged for photography and the book gives you the paint brands and numbers of the colors used on each house. Very very helpful. I found colors to paint my home I would have never thought to consider and I am a decorator. Thank you Susan!



4. This book by Susan Hershman has been invaluable in many ways. Since we live in a Victorian City, the book is a way to show off ours and other similar cities. We use Susan's book for ideas and suggestions for our neighbors when they are improving their homes. Visually, House Colors is so stunning that it is now our number one cocktail table book. We can't imagine anyone undertaking a project involving painting without utilizing House Colors.



5. This is a lovely book with lots of information. However, I bought it to try to decide on a new color scheme for my Cape Cod home, only to find that just one Cape is shown in over 300 pages of this book. There are many beautiful houses presented, but most of them are not what I would consider your average middle-class home. I found nothing appropriate for my house, so it was a disappointment for me and I will probably return it.

1 comments about Village in a Valley (Beverley Nichols's Allways Trilogy).

1. I was a bit disappointed in this book - Beverley seems to have not been as interested in his subject as he was in the other 2 books of this trilogy, and he became quite morbid in the last section. Perhaps he was in a hurry to get the book finished, or wasn't well at the time.

5 comments about How to Grow World Record Tomatoes: A Guinness Champion Reveals His All-Organic Secrets.

1. If you have ever thought of turning to organic gardening then this book will be very helpful. If you have been practicing organic gandening for years there are still some enlightning new theories for you here. If you believe you can get good produce to grow from a brick with the proper amount of chemical fertilizer and don't plan on changing your mind then this book is a waste of time.



2. After growing tomatoes for years in a small family garden, I decided to take up the hobby Academically. This book will clearly put my efforts over the top. Armed with all of Mr. Wilbers knowledge and research I should be able to grow the best tomato plants ever. There is lots of conflicting information out there, but from my experience I will go with Mr. Wilber 99%. He gives a clear picture of his purpose. It's all clear and concise. Everyone who reads this book can't help but grow bigger/better Tomatoes! I highly recommend this book.



3. This book is excellent information. I learned so much, especially about composting. Nobody can argue with this man's results. It's just amazing.
   I do wish there were a follow up book for other plants and trees.



4. The most comprehensive tome on growing record breaking amounts of tomatoes on the market.Gives all the information you need to know in one comprhensive resource on how to grow starters, prepare soil and its correct mix, with poignant stries from the authors experience based on proen scientific research that gets the results you would expect from a book with his title.



5. The only problem was you sent me three and I only ordered one and I was charged for three. The other two are on their way back and I am hoping I will be refunded.

5 comments about A Dyer's Garden: From Plant to Pot: Growing Dyes for Natural Fibers.

1. I particularly recommend this book as a visual source for historical re-enactors.

   Too often there are descriptions of what dye-plants were used to color garments, but, no examples of what those colors would look like. This book provides clear, vivid color photos on a whole range of dye-plants grown during pre-medieval, medieval, Colonial, and later times. Additionally, it shows the same dye used on different fibers, sometimes with different mordants (fixers). Fiber samples include linen, wool, silk, and cotton.

   I recommend this book to people interested in making clothing from "modern" material...it gives them the best opprotunity possible to try to find close color-matches. Alternately, it provides solid information to dye cloth by hand.

   Also, the low price can't be beat!




2. For those doing creative re-enactment (SCA, Renn faires), this is an essential reference for growing and using natural dye plants. The book includes plants to grow, plants NOT to grow (invasive species), and plants that pay off with dye materials in one season. The margins of the book are organized by color family, and there are lovely schematics on how to organize a dye-plant garden for production or for high-intensity cultivation with raised rows--or just a pretty border. There are some basics of plant dyeing, information on mordants (salts that change color or cause it to stick to fiber.) A small but potent book, probably a must for anyone doing authentic reproduction of antique fibers or for anyone who likes the idea of home-dyed fiber but with naturally-obtained materials. Great for home schooling. Highly recommended.



3. the recipient was very happy, & is busy putting in beds of plants to do home dyeing of medieval faire clothing.



4. This book focuses mainly on the home growing and use of dye plants. There is even a section devoted to the layout of the home dye garden. General mordanting and dye bath info is given at the beginning of the book. In the "Portfolio of Dye Plants" which follows, two pages are devoted to each dye plant. For each plant, 4-10 color photos illustrate the results obtained with various mordants on different fibers. The instructions for using different plants are not in traditional recipe form. Instead, Buchanan indicates how much plant material is generally required for a given amount of fiber ("flowers from 8 plants," etc). This fits in with Buchanan's emphasis on diversity of color over reproducibility, but it could be troublesome for users of purchased dyestuffs. In short, this book is nice to look at, easy to use, and appears to contain highly useful information for dyer/gardeners.



5. This was my first introduction to the world of dyeing with plants. The photography is terrific and gives you a good idea of what you'll get from each plant. Mordants are discussed, and the plants that are included are covered thoroughly for both cultivation and dye recipes. My only regret? That I can't find the seeds for the Japanese Indigo! I recommended this book to several people when we attended our local fiber festival.

5 comments about The Landscape Design Answer Book: More Than 300 Specific Design Solutions for Your Landscape.

1. This book is invaluable to anyone who has a home and garden. It is practical, sensible, and full of well organized information. It is beautifully laid out and a pleasure to read from cover to cover or to look through and read selected sections. The photography is interesting and helpful. This book is a great read and a valuable reference book.



2. This is one of the best references I have bought in a long while. The layout is wonderful ... it is infomative and beautiful. My goodness, what a great reference. Thanks Jane!
   tsl



3. Covers--in rich detail and with excellent illustrations and diagrams--so many things that no other landscaping guide even touches: driveways and guest parking areas, entryways, stairway and path size, slopes, boundaries and edgings, etc. etc. I am very grateful to have found this book before making a lot of errors.



4. I bought this book at the SF Garden Show on a whim and am kind of disappointed in it. This book features pictures of large, grass filled mini-estates in Georgia. This type of gardening style is not that useful in the Bay Area, where people have smaller homes and smaller yards, and are trying to eliminate large lawn areas to reduce water usage. I found some of her advice to be strange -- like avoiding groundcovers because they are not low maintenance. It seems like every single one of her featured evergreen shrubs is a neatly trimmed boxwood. Even in Georgia it seems like there might be a few more choices.
   
   The bottom line: if you have a MacMansion somewhere east of the Mississippi and you like conventional landscapes then this book is for you. For everyone else there are better choices available.



5. As a Landscape Designer myself...I am always interested in checking out new material on the subject. Although this book seems to be written by Mrs. Bath to the general public, I think it should have been geared to her peers & fellow landscape designers. I say this primarily because it focuses on many of the issues a designer deals with in preparing their layouts. In fact the amount of detail covered in this area is phenomenal.
   
   What I think my colleagues will enjoy & find useful is all the wealth of experience Mrs. Bath brings to the table from her years of desiging. One can easily trace throughout her words that the reader is benefiting from Mrs. Bath's mistakes & can make good use of her advice.
   
   With regards to the general public..I don't think they would find this book helpful with regard to some of the quagmires they often find themselves in such as, where do I put the beds, appropriate scale, what plants are best for me etc. There isn't a comprehensive coverage in the book about the basics of good design that usually only a trained designer would already understand such as line, texture, scale, rhythm, form etc. For this reason the average novice gardener may not find this book all encompassing.
   
   However for the designer, this book is a treasure of gems that can be adapted to any gardening zone in the world. I highly recommend this book for anyone who already has a solid basic understanding of design concepts whether interior of exterior as this book can take you to another level of knowledge & expertise.
   
   The only thing I didn't particularly like about the book was the layout. I would have rather had a different format...but again..Mrs. Bath was speaking to a certain audience which I'm guessing justifies this sort of arrangement of topics. I deducted one star because of this shortcoming.
   
   This book is what it promises...well worth the price & then some.