The Pleasure of Herbs: A Month-by-Month Guide to Growing, Using, and Enjoying Herbs

This lively book is brimming with information about herbs and herb growing. 298,000 copies in print.

Whether it's creating an herbal wreath for Christmas, a circular herb garden in April, a bridal bouquet in June, or a savory harvest feast, this lively book is brimming with dozens of exciting things to do with herbs every month. You'll learn to plant an indoor herb garden, make herb breads and jellies, grow and use everlastings, create pomanders and herbal pet aids, and much more.

Each chaper presents a potpourri of projects appropriate to a different month. In February, for example, you plan your spring gardens -- a perennial fragrance bed, an all-purple garden, and all-thyme garden, a knot garden. Meanwhile you luxuriate in a lavender bath and sip a hot tisane (herbal tea) -- or perhaps concoct an herbal valentine. November, on the other hand, features recipes for poultry stuffings, directions for making gift baskets, potpourris, and Thanksgiving condiments, and instructions on bedding down the garden for the winter.

An extensive "Gourmet Gardening" section begins each chapter, with advice on seed-starting, soil preparation, companion planting, organic pest control, harvesting, and garden wrap-up.

The book also includes:

* A culinary "herb-of-the-month"

* A chart of botanical names and families

* Harvesting and preserving tips

* Shaudys's previous work, Growing Fragrant Herbs for Profit, with advice on how to package, display, price, and promote herbs

* A brief encyclopedia of herbs

* A list of herb suppliers

* A bibliography

* A chart of herb uses