2 comments about Fire Outdoors: Fireplaces, Fire Pits, Wood Fired Ovens & Cook Centers.

1. If you are looking for inspiration before you start creating your backyard dream, this book is it! Lots of great photos that will give you ideas of what can work in your outdoor space. Fireplaces, wood-burning ovens,outdoor kitchens and much more.



2. Lots of pictures, but none of which are very useful ... kind of "plane Jane" to be politically incorrect. I was hoping to see more creative designs.

5 comments about Stonework: Techniques and Projects.

1. Wonderful black & white pictures of stone walls, stone arches, stone bridges and sundry projects. The author makes much of ancient Scot stone work. There are a lot of nice pen drawings used for 'step by step' construction programs. There are many, many suggestions regarding stone choice and stone placement. These comments are the best feature of the book. Finally, there are a few pages on handling large stones with hydraulic booms, pick-up trucks and front-loaders. These suggestions are not going to be found in many books.
   
   There isn't much said about hand power-tool options, nor stone shaping. There are few 'construction tips'. For example, the details of mixing motar specific to your job are only broadly discussed and there are no aids for determining correct mortar wetness. There are no 'good' and 'bad' stone arrangements to illustrate stone arrangement tricks. If you are looking for a 'first project' guide, the Black & Decker 'Stonework & Masonry projects' book offers more assistance. If you've got a few walls completed and want to take the next step towards being a mason, this is your book.
   
   Table of Contents:
   Intro: Why stone?
   Part 1: Working with stone
   Chapter 1: Types of Stone
   Chapter 2: Sources of Stone
   Chapter 3: Handling Stone
   Chapter 4: Selecting Stone for a Project
   Chapter 5: Cutting and Shaping Stone
   Part 2: Stonework Projects
   Chapter 6: Basic and Inspired (curving) walls
   Chapter 7: Retaining walls
   Chapter 8: Entryways
   Chapter 9: Stone steps
   Chapter 10: Stone Projects for backyard and beyond (bbq, birdbath, sculpture, walkway, etc.)
   Chapter 11: Stone Bridges
   Chapter 12: Stone in Interior Spaces



2. If your looking for a book about stone masonry in general, this will give you a great primer for authentic stone masonry. He details some basic projects and gives you a great detailed how to. I was looking for something a little more advanced but I wished I had a resource like this when I was first starting out. Don't know if I agree with his technique for drystone retaining walls. He says start skinny and step back, I am a hard headed Irishman who believes that your wall should be just as wide at the base as it is tall. I will have to do some more research.
   
   Good read, very useful for beginners



3. Chuck will keep you smiling as your read his books. They contain plenty of humorous stories while they display the stone arts. There are better guides but you should read as many as possible: you'll need it.
   
   Stone work is the hardest task you'll probably ever do in your life. If your project is big, it seems to never end and you'll doubt you'll ever finish. One rock can take 2 hours to lay whereas if all goes well, you can lay 5 in an hour. So, if you are interested in stone work, I'd advise to start small on the first few projects. This book is a good guide to helping you along the way.



4. I really like the detail that this book has, as well as the fabulous pictures. The pictures not only of works in progress, but beautiful, finished works as well, often demonstrating the technique being presented. Thanks for a wonderful resource.



5. this books is a good intro to the fundamentals of stone working. there are a lot of great pictures and illustrated diagrams. it's only drawback in my opinion is that it's all in black and white. If you don't already own it, mcraven's "stone primer" is a wonderful read and superior in production quality.

5 comments about Flowers: The Complete Book of Floral Design.

1. 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.



2. This is a great book for visual pictures of different arrangements and ideas you may want to put together!! Lots of pretty pictures!



3. This book is a good tool for anyone interested in learning how to arrange flowers. It has beautiful pictures and good explanations on mechanics and how to do most of the arrangements, however, the most difficult and therefore prettier do not have much instructions, so you also need to use a little imagination.



4. I sent this to a florist friend as a gift !! It is a huge hit. They love the photos and are recreating many of the arrangements. I highly recommend this book for flower lovers and florists alike.



5. Paula, what a wonderful book! I have it on hand in my store for customers to peruse though. I would recommend this book to all who appreciate flowers, and the art of floristry.
   
   Magnolia Village Florist, Inc.
   Seattle, WA

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.

4 comments about Southeast Home Landscaping.

1. Anyone who loves to garden but who has no idea how to start will love this book. The photographs are incredible, the designs are easy to understand and its written in clear and concise terms for the novice gardner to understand and learn from.



2. The book was very nice with lots of plans but the cover had about a 3" cut from what looked like a utility knife.



3. If you don't want to rely on your own creativity for landscaping your property, you need to check out this book. It features 54 landscape designs covering almost any situation, like entryways, streetwalk plantings, corner gardens, slopes, shady areas, woodland gardens, passageways, gardens under trees, mailbox plantings, etc. Every design is beautifully drawn and lists every plant that is included. The plants can then be looked up in the plant directory in the back of the book for more detailed information. An installation guide gives detailed instructions and helpful illustrations on how to build patios, pathways, trellises, gates, ponds, retaining walls, and more. The book also features detailed sections on other landscaping issues such as preparing the soil for planting, buying plants, planting basics, caring for plants, pruning roses, training a vine on a support, and caring for perennials (complete with a list of deer resistant plants). Highly recommended!



4. This book has great pictures, design layouts and recommended plants to use together. I refer to it often.

5 comments about Little Herb Gardens: Simple Secrets for Glorious Gardens--Indoors and Out.

1. First let me admit I am biased, since this gem is written by someone I know and admire, here in Northern California. But it nonetheless a gem of a book with superb photographs as well as excellent advise on Do's and Don't of raising a variety of herbs. I also like the book because it shows that one can successfully raise year round fresh herbs, and do so on an acre or on a small patio. And the author also covers edible flowers another favorite of my families.



2. If you're the type of person that likes to do things without a lot of theory, this is a great book.
   
   I'm a novice gardener and the introduction gardening instructions just didn't have enough information for me. I decided to purchase Gardening For Dummies and various other books to satisfy my need for detailed information before setting some serious time, money, and effort into a balcony garden for my apartment.
   
   This book has great ideas and did a good job of introducing me to different herbs and plants to grow to be used in cooking. But if you want to get more "hardcore" with gardening I recommend getting other texts as well.



3. This is such a nice book and nicely put together. Whether I read or just browse through it, it just makes me feel good.



4. This seems to be a really good book on growing Herbs for Brown thumbs like me. I have not actually used any of the advice/tips yet but all sound very easy and understandable. I will wait a little longer to start again with growing Herbs again. (Weather)



5. I got this book for my mom for mother's day and ended up reading all the way through it before I gave it to her. It has great ideas for various containers and gives good details for each different herb. Well rounded, detailed, and focused.

5 comments about Edible and Medicinal Plants of the Rockies.

1. We've used this book on every occasion we've been either hiking and camping and that is quite a lot. We've found all sorts of edibles that we normally wouldn't have eaten.



2. I bought the Edible and Medicinal Plants of the Rockies book when we moved to the Rocky Mountains and it has been indispensable. It is a well written reference guide with lots of information about each plant and great color photos to help you identify them. A must for anyone wanting to learn how to safely harvest wild foods in the Rockies.



3. I bought this book to replace one I had passed on to a young kid who wanted to learn more about his Rocky Mountain environment. I have owned this book for four years and found it to be the most educational book about edible and medicinal plants that are found in the Rocky Mountain region. The color illustration helps immensely. Any person who is inspiring to spend time in the Rocky Mountain back country should own this book.



4. I have really enjoyed this book a lot. I am very satisfied with the text and pictures. This book doesn't have a key so you have to know the name of the plant you are wanting to look up to find info about it.



5. For the basics on this great book, see Leslie Nelson's review -- it's spot on in describing its many strengths. I know nothing that touches it for Rockies edible & medicinal plants. Its pictures make gathering the most common plants quite easy, at least for someone used to identifying flowers, trees, bushes & other plants. Though for some plants, and if you're not used to identifying plants, I'd recommend getting a few other books for confirmation, such as Guennel's "Guide to Colorado Wildflowers" & Kershaw's "parent" wildflower book, Lone Tree's "Plants of the Rocky Mountains". If you're not sure on identification, another couple of books often help. For your area -- mine is Colorado -- you might go to your local National Forest bookstore or a State Park bookstore. If you're actually planning to use these plants medicinally (which I do), you might want something like Phyllis Balch's "Prescription for Herbal Healing", which has no pictures, but has a lot more data on uses, limitations & warnings.
   
   I live on Pikes Peak and, during the season -- maybe April/May through October/November, I gather fresh greens, berries, bark, leaves, etc. on many, if not most days. I was raised with a grandmother who, back in Illinois, did much the same, which is how she helped feed a family during the Great Depression, 10 years before I was born. So I'm the "semi-serious" gatherer, who moved from Grandma to Euell Gibbons's "Stalking the Wild Asparagus" 35 years ago. (I learned to graze quite well, thank you, on the South Side of Chicago, much to the amusement & amazement of my friends.)
   
   As a start to playful or semi-serious gathering in the Rockies, this book cannot be beat. It helped me adjust from my midwestern gathering to gathering in my new home. It added to my knowledge of which medicinal plants here were available & useful. Although always, ALWAYS follow the rule: If you're not SURE, never put it in your mouth!
   
   But I have some minor (really minor) complaints: the book is weak in how and, especially, when to gather & prepare. For example, it talks about fireweed as a tea, both flowers & leaves, but it doesn't say whether this works with dried leaves & flowers or only fresh. And while the flower season is short, so any gathering time is obvious, when is the best time to gather the leaves -- young as they first come up or late in the season, after the flowering? Another minor complaint -- the book has a lot of Eurasian plants, whose uses are better documented, of course, and which are readily found in disturbed & more urban. But then it lacks any information on many really basic & common flowers, like, for instance, wild geraniums. (Infuriatingly, Kershaw does discuss, briefly, the uses of geraniums in her more general book -- VERY briefly.)
   
   However, there's no doubt, this is absolutely the book to start with.
   
   The real problem is there's no book to take us to the next level. And that's my real complaint.
   
   By all means -- semit-serious, playful or casually interested -- buy the book. You'll love it!

4 comments about Easy Orchids: The Fail-Safe Guide to Growing Orchids Indoors.

1. My mother really likes orchids and grows them. I wanted to get her an orchid book that had great photos, good recommendations and ideas, had different thing that she could look at. She loved it and raved about it!! There are a lot of orchid books but I guess I found a good one for her :)



2. This is a wonderful book for the neophyte orchid lover. It answered the questions I had about different types,showed the pictures and answered the how and what to do when the blooms die, when to feed and how to transplant.



3. Much needed information - I'm a beginner in orchids and found it very helpful. Love the pictures also



4. It is a good book for people who are beginners in orchid grow. I use this book as a handbook.

5 comments about Designing the New Kitchen Garden: An American Potager Handbook.

1. This book is filled with beautiful pictures and explanations that inspire and educate. Ms. Bartley has her own garden and I felt that I benefited from her own experience. After reading this book, I was ready to place a potager's garden in my own back yard.



2. I bought this book as a gift for my friend Ellen, who loves gardening. She was thrilled!!



3. As a horticulture student, I bought this on a field trip at Pennsylvania's Longwood Gardens. And though I had to truck it with me across 5 states and 2 countries, it's defiantly worth the buy. Not only does Bartley discuss the history of the potager, but she offers insight into both traditional and American gardens as well as helpful hints for the beginning designer. A must have for any kitchen gardener.



4. Like other "potager" books (formal, French-style kitchen gardens), this has beautiful photos of gardens artistically planted in geometric designs, which are unrealistic for those of us without at least fairly large properties and larger bank accounts. It also has the best-researched history, which is interesting in itself and will give you fodder for entertaining conversation. The unexpected bonus that sets this one apart from the others is that it's useful, too, because there are many detailed how-to charts, designs, and lists. These are particularly for those who live in the Midwest (Zone 5 and adjacent), as the author does. East Coasters can benefit, too, but those of us in California will have to adapt her when-to-plant info, for instance. Even so, this is one of the most interesting and useful books of many that I've read or skimmed lately on all variations and topics of vegetable gardening. I actually READ most of this one.



5. I recently purchased a used volume of Designing the New Kitchen Garden: An American Potager Handbook. The page views were very helpful in helping me decide the content was what I was looking for to help me redesign my current garden. The photos and description of the condition of the book ( which was very accurate)also aided in helping make my decision.
   The book arrived in the described condition and in a timely manner. I was extremely pleased with this transaction and the book has indeed met my expectations for the information I was hoping to obtain.

4 comments about The Veggie Gardener's Answer Book: Solutions to Every Problem You'll Ever Face Answers to Every Question You'll Ever Ask (Answer Book (Storey)).

1. I love this book! I saw it at Barnes + Noble yesterday, looked at it for five minutes and had to have it! I've been reading it since and am very pleased. For years I've been wanting to plant a vegetable garden, but have been intimidated.
   
   Barbara Ellis has written this book to remove the fears of planting. The layout is great, with questions and answers laid out in a logical format.
   
   The book is jammed pack with information, tips, problem solving techniques and it's all about organic!
   
   I even like the size and feel of the book.It's just over 4" x 6" and over an inch thick and over 400 pages long. The cover is really sturdy--something I like, as I tend to be rough with my "how to" books. The illustrations are simple but good, too.
   
   I highly recommend this book!
   
   By the award winning author of Harmonious Environment: Beautify, Detoxify and Energize Your Life, Your Home and Your Planet



2. I spotted this in a Border's bookstore about 2 weeks ago and immediately bought it. Although it doesn't mention lasagna gardening, which is what I do (Google the term for more info) the rest of the book is filled with outstanding information in an easy-to-find format. Within minutes I found answers to dozens of questions, and I'm a lifelong gardener with tons of experience although I haven't gardened in about 5 years so I needed the help. Gives a good concise outline, pros/cons and dos/don'ts of different crop types--it really helped me decide what to plant and when. Though thick, the book itself is small enough to put in a large pocket to carry with you while gardening. I highly recommend this book for experienced and new gardeners alike.



3. This is my first year of starting my own garden. Though my mother has been doing it for years. I know that I have her as a backup but this book is helping me to understand the veggie gardening when I don't have her around.



4. This book is very helpful. I am excited about planting my garden next year.