The New Gardener

Displaying forty kinds of flowering plants arranged by shape, color, and common name, the companion to The New Gardener offers gardeners all the essential motivation and data needed for the cultivation of flowering plants, accompanied by gorgeous and vibrant close-up photographs.

Greenwood, a British TV garden show host, presents a nonchallenging introduction to gardening. She briefly reviews garden planning, lawns, beds and borders, fencing, patios and terraces, container gardening, water features, and edibles. Each chapter contains at least one "project," for instance, laying a brick path or pruning a rose bush. The illustrations are plentiful and inspiring; most are color photographs, but there are also line drawings to illustrate particular techniques. Some effort seems to have been made to list cultivars known in the United States, especially in the vegetable section, but the sample backyard gardens are very much in the English style, and there is neither a USDA hardiness zone map nor a discussion of the differences in gardening in New England or Arizona. An attractive volume to lure the novice, who will soon need to move on to more comprehensive works like Barbara Damrosch's The Garden Primer (LJ 2/15/89).?Molly Newling, Piscataway P.L.,
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Information in this gardening guide is divided into numerous separate sections, with each one devoted to details of an individual topic. Be it advice on planting and designing a new garden, tips on protecting tender specimens, or instructions for controlling weeds and insects, there are ample color photographs isolated throughout the text to boldly illustrate every area of interest and to provide step-by-step instructions. Beginners, in particular, should enjoy Greenwood's consistent counsel on various facets of plant culture and care. For more experienced gardeners, there are innovative suggestions for problem areas. Overall, the book's design brings considerable freshness to standard, if fairly extensive, material. Alice Joyce