5 comments about The American Horticultural Society Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers (American Horticultural Society Practical Guides).

1. Pair this book with The American Horticultural Society A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants and you will have the most comprehensive gardening guides you will ever need! The reviews suggested buying the books together and I'm glad I took the advice.
   The books are HUGE! I wasn't prepared for the sheer weight of them but they are beautiful as well as informative.



2. My kids and I use this as part of their homeschool education. It has wonderful pictures and TONS of information!



3. Great for anygardener and it is a useful reference for people trying to figure out what to plant and where to plant it. Great book would highly recommend to any one.



4. VERY thorough but the vast majority listed do not include the common name, not even in a crossref table/index, which makes it too tough to discuss with family, friends, neighbors. I had to return the book.



5. It is vary hard to find any thing in this book. If I knew what kind of plant it was or its proper name I would not need the book. If it takes a plant expert to use it thay don't need it. I don't know if a plant is anual or preanual or what ever.

5 comments about The New Self-Sufficient Gardener.

1. Do yourself a major favor and disregard the shameful "Redundant" review. Instead, look up, "The Self-Sufficient Gardener" ( not this New one) here and see that this is HIGHLY regarded. I've had the old one for years, will buy this new updated one as well since I've worn out the former one. Many gardening books nowaday seem more akin to compilations of snippets from classics, but this one IS a classic written by a master gardener who truly "talked the talk and walked the walk". In addition, it's a beautiful book with loads of colored line drawings of plants and gardens. The author, John Seymour, is a "demigod" in the organic gardening world for good reason. Read it and gain major gardening wisdom and understand how to fit each concept together to form a seemless ecosystem in your own garden.



2. All of John Seymour's books are wonderful! This book is beautifully illustrated and a must for any gardener. It's adaptable to any size garden.



3. I bought this new edition because, like the other reviewer, I simply wore out my old copy reading it over and over again. I think all of his books are wonderful, but this one is my favorite.
   
   The information is presented in a clear simple manner, that will benefit anyone from the first time gardener to a seasoned expert. The illustrations are superb. It is so much more than a run of the mill gardening book.
   
   If you are looking for a single book to help you grow more and better food for your table, you can't go wrong with this one.



4. the fact that oil prices and food prices have been soaring exorbitantly should by itself be enough to make the everyday person want to consider self-sufficiency. I've been contemplating it recently because I've always loved to play in the dirt. Previously, I have been a 'tomato plants and maybe some herbs' kind of gardener. This year my garden crops have doubled and I have become more and more interested in different types of crops and self-sufficiency ideas. This books is chock-full of ideas and suggestions for just that outlook. Some self-sufficiency guides are nothing more than expensive wishful thinking. Not everyone can afford to put up a $12,500 wind turbine in their backyard. We can't all install geo-thermal heating systems in our houses. Some of us live in the CITY and cannot get away from city zoning laws. John Seymour's book is extremely practical in explanation and suggestion about simply learning how to garden for your own food needs. I learned some brand new techniques for growing potatoes and other root vegetables, and also learned how to get my own fertilizer without having to build compost bins which will probably offend the neighbors. I'm so pleased with this book and so glad that I spent the cash to get it.



5. I am an avid reader, and avid gardener. I have bought thousands of dollars of books and this is the first book I have ever felt I NEEDED to write a review for.
   
   This is a wonderful book for the experienced gardener and new alike. The suggestions are practical, inexpensive, and can be applied in any garden. He covers soil, pests, different crops, spacing, garden layout, composting, and more. I checked this book out of the library, but am here today to buy it. It may be the only gardening book you will need (although if you are like me you will add others!).
   
   I love his down to earth way of writing, and practical, useful information.

5 comments about PERMACULTURE: A Designers' Manual.

1. ...and probably one of the most fun to read. I read the first 8 chapters while working on a permaculture site on Isla Ometepe in Nicaragua, and ordered it immediately upon returning home.
   
   Bill Mollison carefully and beautifully lays out the theory and practice of Permaculture (permanent agriculture). Permaculture is a holistic design system that sustainably envisions, creates, and organizes the spaces that we as humans inhabit on this planet. It takes everything that I feel is good for the world-Green architecture, local food, water conservation, renewable energy, organic agriculture, etc.-and wraps them into one cohesive scheme for planning the spaces and manner in which we live.
   
   For more information, check out the Permaculture Research Institute's page at www.permaculture.org.au, especially the quick video "Greening the Desert", which is an excellent introduction.



2. The information presented in this book is worth a semester of agriculture, chemistry, and geography classes.
   
   I was initially set back when I went looking for a copy of this classic and discovered that there wasn't a recent printing available and all of the ones on the market were over $100 at the time. Still, I wanted to learn about Permaculture and everyone said that this was the place to start.
   
   I am extremely happy with my decision to buck up and fork over my money. This text is the source from which all others on the topic are written and they pale in comparison.
   
   If you are someone who is looking to homestead, or currently doing so, this book will help you plan your own gardens, manage your land as a whole, and be able to assist others in the community.
   
   Lastly, the book is a nice hardcover, the pages are thick for a tome of this size, and the print is nice and dark. The copy in front of me has been well thumbed, tossed around, and shelved on many occassions and is still holding up nicely. Only the corners are dinged up a little.



3. I bought this book many years ago and still find myself going back and re-reading it over and over. If you're new to the Permaculture thought process you will be knocked off your horse with the common-sense, integrated approach to gardening and farming systems. I attribute this book and the thoughts provoked by it as the catalyst in seeking integrations and aggregation on many different fronts. This will always be one of the books I will treasure. I wore off the cover and have punched holes in all the pages and keep it in a three-ring binder.



4. Bill Mollison represents the most successful attempt to mainstream practical home-scale sustainable design principles. I found myself needing to do an enormous amount of supplementary research to actually understand what bill was talking about, but to explain them in depth here would have taken away from the thrust of the book - which is mainly to show you example after example (many on every page) at sustainable principles of design put into practice.
   
   The book remains the best book on sustainability written to date. There are some aspects of his system that are lacking that I will briefly draw attention to. Understand that I deeply appreciate his genius, but I want to just mention that these other things need to be integrated into his system to be fully fully sustainable.
   
   1) He doesn't pay enough attention to seed saving and plant breeding. A loss of seed diversity and a re-invigoration of seed savers is essential to truly sustainable self-sufficient design.
   
   See:
   Seed to Seed - by Suzanne Ashworth and Kent Whealy
   Breed your own Vegetable Varieties - by Carol Deppe
   
   2) He very rarely mentions the role mushrooms and fungi can play in sustainability.
   
   See:
   Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World by Paul Stamets
   
   3) He doesn't stress the science behind it enough, which is fine, but leaves you asking sometimes... how do we know this is really ecologically sound? How can I NOT imitate mr. mollison but still create an ecologically sound system? Basically, Mollison's proscriptions are incredibly scientifically informed but not always scientifically explicit.
   
   See:
   Plant Ecophysiological Ecology
   New Dimensions in Agro-Ecology
   Smallholders, Householders: farm families and the ecology of intensive sustainable agriculture - by Rober Netting
   
   4) In relation to the first point, he also doesn't stress the role that evolution plays in sustainability. This is a very complicated problem, see book.
   
   See:
   Evolutionary Conservation Biology.
   
   These are not really criticism so much as signs of slight conceptual anal retentiveness on my part... Also please don't forget mollison's OTHER books which are incredible as well, especially the permaculture book of ferment and human nutrition.



5. Mollison must be credited with promotion of the concept of Permaculture and this book is a world-wide view with enough examples to stimulate the thinking of a designer in any climate. It would be the bible for anyone working as an ecological designer on a worldwide scale. This tome includes not only a wealth of information but Mollison's personal views are given at every opportunity as well. With the breadth of his knowledge it can sometimes be helpful. That said, it is not an easy read. Mollison assumes familiarity with terminology from many disciplines, but with a scientific background it makes it all the more credible.
   
   However, since its publication, there are other books for specific climate types that provide more detail. For those living in temperate climates, particularly the NE US, Dave Jacke/Eric Toensmeier's Edible Forest Gardens is more focused. If you live and plan to practice permaculture in only such climates, it should be sufficient. For the tropics, see [...] for a manual.

4 comments about Gardening All-in-One for Dummies.

1. Great book. Wonderful service and fast delivery. Thank you.



2. checked this out from the library, but had to purchase it! first of all, i knew NOTHING about gardening, so this gave me a starting point and help with the basics. i am slowly learning ... and have started my first vegetable garden! while there are very FEW pictures, the info itself was valuable to me. i have a book that is chock-full of pics, but the text is designed for a more advanced gardener. i love to look at that (other) book, but i needed something very basic to begin with- and this is it! good price for all the info you get. a must for those just starting out from scratch! good luck & have fun with your hands in the dirt!



3. A must read to all those new to gardening. It is a simple, easy to read and will give you a general understand of all aspects of gardening.
   
   This book is written in the typical style and format of all the Dummy books and is great!



4. I was looking for more specific information on plants, this is truly a "gardening" book, helping with layout, soil, etc. Good value, though

5 comments about The Southern Living Garden Book.

1. this is a wonderful guide to all the plants growing in the SouthEast. i treasured this book thru gardens in maryland, virginia, and south carolina. however, if you move to Florida, this is not the book for you. here, the growing seasons as well as many of the plants change. but it is a fantastic reference for everyone else.



2. This book is an indispensable resource, both for my work answering homeowner gardening questions and for my own gardening interests. The plant descriptions are easy to find (both common and Latin names are in the index) and a breeze to understand. This is a great reference manual for Southern gardeners.



3. This is the most comprehensive book on a single subject I have ever seen. An absolute must for the beginner or seasoned gardener. If you have only one book on southern gardening then buy this one and forget the rest. Steve Bender and Southern Living have created a reference work of true beauty. I am retired and considered the extent of my gardening knowledge was my ability to dig a hole and turn on the water. This book gave me the confidence to discover the joys of home gardening.
   
   I ordered my copy in soft cover and may order a hard cover edition to pass on to my children as a sourthern classic.



4. This book is very informative. It's everything one would expect from Southern Living. Nice pictures. Up to date varieties. Would strongly recommend to Southern gardeners.



5. I am new to the world of gardening and also the south. I found this book helpful in picking native plants for my area and how to keep them looking beautiful year after year.

5 comments about Grow Great Marijuana: An Uncomplicated Guide to Growing the World's Finest Cannabis.

1. Great guide for beginners. Covers all topics in a simple, easy to read layout. Pictures help a little. Good first grow book.



2. Looks near a one stop guide to this neophyte. Pretty pictures. This has tidbits outhers don't (yet, they do too). So, complete? I wounder if any book is complete. Darn near though! Recomended.



3. This book is a great resource with great pictures - it is well worth your money!



4. I was reviewing this book for my friends headshop to see if it was worth selling. Most of the other reviews talk about this book being a "for dummies" book. I've read a couple of those and considered this book to be just as informative. Unfortunately the topics it covers is not broad enough and very specific as to how you should grow. FYI: Its all about Hydro. If you have ever grown any sort of plant, this book is NOT for you. It is far too simple and uninformative.



5. If you are looking for a book of this type think about this one seriously as it has most everything you will need. It really is usefull in many details, and goes through allot of basic things as well. There are other books on this subject I like but for solid info, and need to know knowledge this is a must. I will know what not to spend time, and money on. So I find it is worth the cost. It confirms some things and teaches new things. It also put some of the previous ideas I had straight by explaining the facts. It is an awesome reference to just keep with you if you decide to do a medical grow thing. [ASIN:0977650502 Grow Great Marijuana: An Uncomplicated Guide to Growing the World's Finest Cannabis]]

5 comments about Garden Insects of North America: The Ultimate Guide to Backyard Bugs (Princeton Field Guides).

1. one shouldn't take this book lightly, it is a large and heavy tome with lots of great information and photos. i think that the author, whitney cranshaw, did a great job in how he presents the information. one bit that i would have liked to have is distribution map. information is given about distribution, but i like to have maps too.
   
   i would have enjoyed even more information on each insect he covers, but that would make the book at least twice it's size. that probably wouldn't work at it is already 656 pages long.
   
   it would also be neat if this author could do books on different regions of our country in this format.



2. This bok is very inclusive in it's content and very easy to look up insect for information or identification. It is used by Master Gardeners in our part of the country wth great appreciation for a book of such quality buyt yet affordble.



3. I received this as a gift after I mentioned that I loved the Orkin insect zoo at the Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. It was not a book I would have bought for myself, but it has become indispensable bedtime reading! The pictures are vibrant and accompanied by hard-to-forget descriptions and explanations. I especially love the pictures taken by Whitney Cranshaw himself. This book is very accessible to those who are interested in the secret tiny life that exists off of their back porch, people who don't know where to start and therefore keep pushing it off. Even the way the bugs are organized in the book is perfect- Leaf Chewers, Sap Suckers, Gall Makers, Twig Damagers, Branch Borers, Bulb Feeders... doesn't this sound like the most beautiful poem in the world??



4. This is a great book it has wonderful pictures so that you may identify the bugs that you are looking for. I purchased one for myself and one for my daughter and we both love them.



5. THIS WILL SHOW YOU THE REAL DEAL OF THE DOG EAT DOG UNIVERSE OF BUGS, IN YOUR FRONT AND BACKYARD...............

5 comments about American Horticultural Society A to Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants.

1. I bought this book several years ago and have since given away literally boxes of other gardening books. This is very concise. If I need further information about a particular plant the internet is always available. The book is big and heavy but this book is a literal A-Z of gardening and worth EVERY penny you pay for it. I highly recommend for ALL gardeners.



2. An illustrated, complete book of garden plants. Offers great information for the advanced as well as the novice gardener. One negative aspect is it's size and weight. Very cumbersome to handle which is not conducive to longevity of the spine of the book. Would have been better published in two volumes.



3. I have been through my book, cover to cover twice so far and the second time through I found plants I thought were missing the first time and both were in photographings of said plants. It(the book) has helped me tremendously as a Master Gardener in selecting plants to propagate wisely for the community butterfly gardens I am now planting from the plants that I have grown from seeds or cuttings at least 90%. The other few were from wise purchases. We(mastergardeners) keep this bible in the shelves to assist the Master Gardener answering the "hotline" with questions about any kind of plants or problems people in Polk County, Fl have to ask our help in solving. I will probably be getting one on propagation to complete my needs and if one for Florida exists, it will be one that I review! I bought the encyclopedia so I could have it at home for personal refrence.
   Master Gardener for Polk Co., Fl



4. Wow and A-Z it is. If you need to know something this has it. Great reference guide



5. This is a great book! I'm very happy with it. The common names are listed as well as the latin names so it's easy to cross reference. I can simplify my gardening library now!

5 comments about Jerry Baker's Giant Book of Garden Solutions: 1,954 Natural Remedies to Handle Your Toughest Garden Problems (Jerry Baker's Good Gardening series).

1. I would read this book even if I didn't have a garden! It is more than informative. I feel like I am listening to a favorite uncle telling stories of the good ol" days and how things were done simply and effectively. I love this book and highly recommend it. -Mary



2. I am enjoying this book very much. It has all kinds of solutions to problems I have in my garden.
   I will be using this book for years to come..



3. If you have a problem in your garden , this book will solve it. You would be surprised what you can do with products you have sitting around in the cabinet and fridge.



4. I gave one of these to my gardener mother who liked it so much she asked me to order another for her to give to my gardener brother! Since I'm the non-gardener in the family I can't report on why the book is so helpful, but I understand it offered solutions for some special problems that could not be found elsewhere.



5. this book gave me a lot of simple solutions for my garden. i recommend it, highly.

5 comments about California Native Plants for the Garden.

1. I bought this book several weeks ago and am very happy with it! Lots of helpful and useful information...and great photos too. This book is definitely a great resource if you are interested in landscaping with California native plants.



2. This is one of two must have books if you are interested in gardening with native California plants. This book is definitely the 'guidebook' half of that collection (the other being Designing California Native Gardens). It does an excellent job of getting you acquainted with all the different plants you may be wanting to bring into your garden, and in giving you actual photographs of the plants! One giant peeve of mine in gardening books and guidebooks is the use of hand done illustrations- in other contexts they are charming but you really can't get a feel for a plant unless you are looking at its' actual picture. It just gives you a much better feeling for the plant- the texture of it's leaves, the weediness of its' growth habit, that kind of thing. This is a book you will find yourself using as a reference again and again. Five stars are given enthusiastically.



3. A beautifully written and edited book that is a must have for the avid gardener. Possibly the 'Bible' of California native plants. I keep it close by for reference or when heading out to do my buying.



4. This book is beautifully illustrated and very comprehensive. I know I'll be using it for many years to come. It is a cut above the others.



5. In additon to a wonderful collection of native plant profile which you'd expect from a book of this kind, this book also provides plant selection recommendation for different function or desired feature which I found to be most practical. You also get a list of nurseries for purchasing, botanic gardens or similar for learning native plants. That's not all. The short yet informational introduction of the history, design and care of native plant is educational. It's a great book for an out-of-state person like me, native plant beginners, or even professionals.