Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #129943 in Books
• Published on: 1992-09-30
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 648 pages

Synopsis
This reference book gives photographic explanations of every gardening technique and has more than 500 separate step-by-step sequences. Written by a team of international experts over three years, its range and depth illustrates authoritative and up-to-date practical gardening skills from simple to advanced. There are four major sections. Part one covers all the different plant groups and areas of the garden, advising on the uses of the plants, soil preparation, planting, maintenance, pruning and propagation. The chapters include: ornamental trees and shrubs, climbers, the rose garden, perennials, annuals and biennials, the rock garden, the water garden, cacti, the herb and vegetable gardens and fruit. Part two gets to grips with the practicalities of tools and equipment, greenhouses and frames, and garden structures and surfaces. Part three covers successful cultivation and propagation techniques by looking at the climate and how to protect plants, soil types and fertilizers, treating pests and diseases - including organic methods of treatment alongside conventional or chemical controls, plant problems, and dealing with weeds.

Part four contains seasonal reminders, and a glossary and index which includes common names.

Customer Reviews

Best gardening book you can buy!
This is the best gardening book I have ever seen. I bought it as a gift for my parents but borrowed it so much I had to buy my own! And, who cares about the spelling!! (see Lord Manley review!)

Very thorough garden planning book
A good book for those planning a garden. It has special sections on commonly cultivated plants and sections on how to troubleshoot. I planned my garden using this and it was a great help.
Just a note that it's not really for:
- looking up a plant you've seen in a garden centre
- identifying a mysterious thing you've got in your inherited garden
If you want to do either of those, you need to use a different kind of book.

Encylopedia?
Whilst an excellent read, I am utterly befuddled as to how a bastion of Britishness such as the RHS could produce such a tome, filled, as it is, to the very gunnels with useful advice for any gardener, without managing the relatively simple accompanying feat of spelling the word encyclopaedia correctly.

Perhaps there is a new American royalty which has somehow escaped my attention?