5 comments about Making Concrete Garden Ornaments.

1. Explicitly exhibits (photographic) the process of concrete ornament construction - even suggests creative alternatives to Ms. Warner-Hunter's designs. You don't have to be an "official" artist to follow these instructions or to create beautiful garden scultpures/containers! Is written for the average-intelligence adult and is not at all "art-speak"!



2. This is an excellent resource for learning concrete sculpture! Start with this one, then get her other book, "Creative Concrete Ornaments for the Garden: Making pots, birdbaths..." for more advanced projects that reinforce your skill leves.



3. This is a good book for learning how to make your own hypertufa and concrete ornaments, including how to make the molds or reinforcements. Some of the projects are of overwhelming size for a person who is interested in small things for their garden. I like the planters, but some of the other things in this book are way too modern and gaudy for me.
   
   If you want to learn to do concrete ornaments for your yard, there is an incredible book still in print since 1904 called Concrete Pottery and Garden Furniture by Ralph C. Davison, which shows how to make garden ornaments such as columns, table, benches, planters in the Victorian and Greek styles--more my taste. This little book is packed with valuable photos and diagrams of how it's done.
   
   I would recommend Davison's book over this one, but Warner's book still has some great recipes for hypertufa and unique ways to construct molds for concrete statuary.



4. As soon as this book came, I had to go through it cover to cover. I love the projects, and the way everything is explained step by step. You are also given advice on using different mixes and techniques. I feel that the author not only teaches you how to do the projects in her book, but gives you the knowledge, skills, and encouragement to go beyond that. And that is exciting!



5. I've already made about 10 projects from this book. If you are a gardener, or like to 'ornament' your yard with tasteful items, this may be your book.

2 comments about Gardening Basics For Dummies (Gardening Basics for Dummies).

1. If you're looking to start gardening or to update your current knowledge about gardening, this book is the place to start. Steve Frowine makes the gardening information accessible, practical and fun. Like all the ...for Dummies books, I particularly like the no-nonsense way he describes some fundamental gardening tasks like planting a tree or creating a flower bed. This book covers all the basics such as vegetable and fruit gardening, herb gardening, flower gardening, landscaping with trees and shrubs, growing bulbs, container gardening and even gardening projects with kids.
   
   But it's also good for a more experienced gardener. There's a detailed chapter on building and water gardens and raising fish and some quick, handy gardening projects to do.



2. I really enjoyed this book and can't wait till next spring to start my first garden. This book is full of helpful information and tips for the first time gardener.

5 comments about Natural Swimming Pools: Inspiration For Harmony With Nature (Schiffer Design Book).

1. Simply put this book is a MUST READ for anyone intersted in any aspect of Sustainable and Ecological Design. It should be read right along with Permaculture by Mollison, the Passive Solar Handbook by Mazria, Rainwater Harvesting by Lancaster, and ecocities to Living Machines by Todd. Even if you aren't specifically interested in making a swimming pool (which you will be after reading it) the insights into the workings of hydro-ecologies and how to design natural systems are invaluable!
   
   If you aren't interested in the whole range of sustainability but just this particular topic of pool design then this book is STILL A MUST READ. If you're an ecologist who wants to make a pool, or a pool designer who wants to do something ecological this book provides an excellent layman's understanding of ecological design, with good technical and artistic advice for how to do it, and good technical and artistic advice for swimming pool construction.
   
   I would still advise you to also purchase the book Poolscaping as a companion to this one.
   
   This is an all around excellent book buy it now.



2. Great book for all aspects of creating a variety of green/natural pools. Beautiful pictures and good illustrations and copy to help in decision making.



3. THIS BOOK IS REALLY GOOD BUT IT DOES NOT GO INTO A LOT OF DETAIL IF YOU ARE ACTUALLY WANTING DIRECTION.



4. Lovely inspirational book, good pictures, diagrams and technical info. An excellent planning guide for natural swimming ponds and pools



5. The fantastic photos go on and on. The architectural plan and section views are very helpful. This book has all the information you need to come up with a good plan and list of needs/desires. You'll need to convert to metric and also research specific climate concerns, like temperature and regionally appropriate plants - everything listed in the book is for Europe.

5 comments about Bamboo for Gardens.

1. I am a bamboo grower and member of the Northern California Chapter of the American Bamboo Society. I have praised Meredith's book in two articles for the ABS magazine BAMBOO so I might as well do so here. It is really the bible of bamboo cultivation, answering every question-- well just about! As every bamboo grower knows, problems often arise for which one is unprepared-- for instance this season I found slugs living inside my bamboos and eating them from within! But Ted is available to respond to such questions, although he may not thank me for saying so here-- try contacting him first through his publisher. One thing I really like about him is that he is not, in contrast to some bamboo growers who think they know one's own environment better than one knows it oneself, dogmatic. He is very open-minded and thoughtful, listening carefully to what one says and responding in a balanced fashion. However, I must say that his book is not exactly a good guide to the first-time bamboo grower. There are so many facts that one tends to read it and then forget them until one runs into problems later. It is best kept as a reference book, although I highly recommend looking through his discussion of the various species before one decides to buy a bamboo. This is a book for serious bamboo growers, not people who think of bamboo as a mere hedge around their yard, but those who seek a gorgeous centerpiece to their garden which may eventually grow to be seventy feet tall with stalks which are several inches in diameter.



2. Since I became interested in growing bamboo several years ago, I have reviewed every book I could find on the subject. None compare with Mr. Meredith's book. It is very conprehensive, easy and interesting to read, and the only book one needs on the subject whether he/she is a novice who wants to grow a few plants in the backyard, or a person who has a historical or scientific interest in bamboo. It also has many full color photos and illustrations.
   
   In summary, it is a complete, easy to understand and interesting book on the subject of bamboo. One could not ask for more on the subject.



3. This starts as a practical solution to a problem. A developer cut down the forest. The author lost his visual privacy. He set out to learn how to grow bamboo. His detailed understanding of what he learned in the process is invaluable to all who consider appreciation of this amazing grass.
   If you only want one book on bamboo this is It!



4. My husband is a registered LA and has used this book as a resource book for his designs. Highly recommends and we have purchased another book that was cited in this one as well



5. If you only own one book on bamboo propagation, this is the one! Although it does not cover some of the newest hybrids, it covers more varieties than the average person can easily absorb.

1 comments about Marijuana Buds for Less: Grow 8 oz. of Bud for Less Than $100.

1. This book was wonderful. Short, concise, with pictures! I found it extremely helpful. Go SeeMoreBuds.

3 comments about Building Bamboo Fences.

1. "Building Bamboo Fences" is beautifully illustrated with 31 pages of full color pictures and a fairly decent how to section about how to build them. One thing I do not like though is the books organization. There is a section of pictures and a section on history and a section illustrating construction technique. The book would be much more readable if these sections were mixed (i.e. the color pictures should be near the relivant history and how to illustrations. There needs to be a section discussing the different varieties and how and where to grow them. Bamboo grows nearly anywhere in the US, but tropical varieties are more rot resistant. There also needs to be a section on tools. Thin bladed knives are useless to split bamboo, but you would not get this from reading the book. And, where do you get tools and bamboo cultivars? It is not in the book...



2. "Building Bamboo Fences" has all the information you will need to build your own bamboo fence. Additionally, Mr. Yoshida has included a brief history of bamboo fences in Japan, a complete glossary of terms and many beautiful color photographs for inspiration. Fence diagrams range from simple see-through fences to more complex bamboo screening fences. The diagrams, techniques, and instructions for building different types of bamboo fences are clear, complete, easy to follow and even include tips on how to correct any problems you may have in construction. I turned an open work bamboo fence diagram into a trellis for my climbing rose bush in one afternoon. Whether you are looking to build simple edgings for garden paths or a full-screen fence - this is the book to use.



3. This is a Great book for bamboo lovers. Especially if you have access to the waste branches .I can't wait to do more with those! The more ideas here you try....the more the fever grips you.....Possiblities endless!
   Lots of pictures with great informative diagrams, inspiratinal ideas and plans as well as info on how to harvest and preserve poles. I like to fire harden....but watch out for explosions!
   One of the 2 best bamboo books I have seen. The other one is in Spanish

5 comments about Seed Sowing and Saving: Step-by-Step Techniques for Collecting and Growing More Than 100 Vegetables, Flowers, and Herbs (Storey's Gardening Skills Illustrated).

1. Judging by the table of contents, this book appears to cover all the basics for seed saving from your garden for flowers, vegetables and herbs. It also has over 300 photos of flowers, vegetables and herbs. This will help in identifying plants in your garden. The book comes in both paperback and hardcover and is reasonably priced. The author appears to be well-educated on gardening matters. My only negative is I had wished a more complex review access to information about the book.



2. I bought this after seeing it as one of the few books offered by Vesseys Seeds (vesseys.com). (It was listed at[money] - lucky for me I often comparison shop.) Many propagation books contain information on seed starting, but because this one concentrates on seed propagation, it has more room to expand on the topic and gives more than books that have to save space to discuss other techniques like cuttings, dividing, layering etc. It discusses seed saving plant by plant, and contained an entry for nearly every plant I looked up.



3. I liked the fact that this book not only contained information on saving & sowing seeds for EACH type of flower of vegetable, but also contained info about starting seeds in general. It contains VERY, VERY, VERY useful info. I thought I was an advanced gardener, but I learned some things from this book.



4. I purchased two books at the same time. This one is excellant for a beginner in gardening as well as an old timer. Easy to use and understand.



5. Book was ok but not was I was looking for. It has no real pictures of the plants to see what to take off of each plant at harvest time it just has drawn in pictures of say-a flower. I purchased a lot of heirloom seeds this year so that I could start harvesting my own seeds and I am no more knowledgeable now than before I read the book.-sorry

4 comments about Growing Fruit (RHS Encyclopedia of Practical Gardening).

1. I have an extensive home orchard with 56 trees (18 varietals) of fruit and nut trees. This little volume covered everything I needed in a short, erudite and amazingly well-detailed volume. I live in the Southeastern US and this book was spot on everything from blueberries to stone fruits and pears and apples, (not to mention Walnuts and Filberts). It covers everything from soil preparation, pruning, fertilization, pests and diseases, propagation, healing-in, ad infinitum. I have nearly every book available on fruit and nut production for the home orchard. This is the best one I own by leaps and bounds.



2. This is an informative book without being boring. Lots of diagrams. The book is laid out well and it's easy to find the information.



3. I am very glad I purchased this book before I started planting my fruit trees. I did not realize what needed to be done, for best results, before the trees were planted. I also got a better idea of the size fruit trees I needed for our use. The book is very informative. I look forward to studying it during the summer and, hopefully, starting the planting of trees in late fall when everything is prepared. It is a little complicated to follow and I found I needed real quiet to get the details lined out. I had to take many notes in order get everything into a easy format to follow.



4. I never tire of looking through my Growing Fruit book, and find endless new things about fruit everytime I do read it. The subject is fascinating and the drawings well executed. I work in a garden nursery, am a horticulture student, and have a small garden of my own; helping customers with their fruit tree problems and small garden fruit needs is one of my tasks. Some people are looking at fruit trees for their smaller gardens, having never been able to consider them before due to size issues and the like. This is a small career investment I am glad I made.

5 comments about Hardy Bamboos: Taming the Dragon.

1. This book is surprisingly interesting to read, mostly because of anecdotes that the author includes--Paul Whittaker's self deprecating sense of humor makes you interested in meeting him in person.
   
   The things that I appreciated the most about the book, outside of the easy going, easy to read nature of the book:
   1. Characterization of the exhaustive list of bamboos included the spreading habit of the plant--how wide the bamboo would get in 10 years. This is great info for those of us who have to worry about containing bamboo...
   2. Great pencil drawings of the nature of the bamboo--density of culms, upright vs. fountain appearance. It gave a sense of what the plant might look like in the yard.
   3. Great pictures, including close-ups of leaves, and branches in addition to the typical photos of culms.
   4. It gave me a better appreciation of the branching characteristics of bamboo families, which presumably has some relation to the density of leaves associated with a plant.
   
   This is the book that I would read over and over again if I were trying to decide which bamboo to plant, or even if I were dreaming about getting a bamboo in the future.



2. The best bamboo book period. Wonderful pictures, excellent categorizing. I have several other bamboo books and this is by far the best.



3. Absolutely!!!
   
   I grew up in Southern California, and my favorite gardens had beautiful bamboo. I now live in Alaska, and had thought I would never ever be able to grow bamboo here in the Kenai Peninsula, until I somehow ran across this book while surfing on Amazon.
   
   The author reminded me that even in China, there are areas with the same climate as Kenai, and now I'm in the process of tracking down plants to relocate. And considering that I have a protected inner courtyard, I might be able to squeak a few Zone 7's, too.
   
   This is an amazing resource! If one could only buy one book, this would be it -- it has everything regarding growing these mammoth plants, plus the author's enthusiasm for these plants is very contagious.



4. If all authors paid as much attention to detail and organization as much as Paul Whittaker does in Hardy Bamboos, I would read a lot more books! His book balances being an encyclopedia and being a hand-held, fun-to-read book perfectly. If you are interested in growing hardy bamboos, you will be impressed with this book.



5. I find this book to be the most entertaining and informative book for the bamboo hobbyist available with respect to cooler climate species. Paul breaks each species down for the reader from a VERY experienced but non-scientific perspective. He gives you a personal insight into each plant that will greatly help you know what to expect from a new plant and better understand the plants you may already have. He writes with a smooth and poetic style. You learn from this book more like you would from a personal conversation as opposed to a lecture.
   
   Keep in mind that his experience is from the UK so his information is best for those in similar climates. These plants will not behave as he would describe in very dissimilar climates.
   
   Not to be left out is the best bamboo photography in any book ever.

5 comments about Hydrangeas for American Gardens.

1. Beautiful photos but disappointed that the name wasn't on the picture- was cumbersome to go between the list of names and the photos



2. This guy knows his posies. Everything I've seen that he has written has been well done and most informative. I'm using his hydrangea book as my bible for beginning to raise these gorgeous things and am finding that he knows varieties, tactics, and possible problems (and solutions)I'd never heard of.



3. I think it's the best book I ever saw on the subject. It will be useful to amateurs and specialists. It is critical, complete, and honest. It is exact, practical, and technical, but with personal notes here and there that I find touching, amusing, and endearing. Did you know that Hydrangea anomala subsp petiolaris'flowers stare at the passerby? Now you know. If you love Hydrangeas do buy this book.



4. This was not what I wanted. These are great pictures but I want to learn more about my hydrangeas not your's or anyone else's. My bad! Very pretty pictures.



5. While this CD-Rom is pretty good as far as content and info, the format really needs an overhaul. The window overall is too small. Something like 6x6, which makes for smaller images. And there is no way to enlarge any of the images. Also, navigation needs to be more intuitive. It's not very user friendly to go back and forth between fields for information. Praise is given for content, but one would be better off with a book version.