Even if you’ve never picked up a shovel, Beginner’s Illustrated Guide to Gardening can get you growing.
Unlike many gardening guides, this one is written for the raw beginner. Horticulturist and lifelong gardener Katie Elzer-Peters assumes her readers know little or nothing about gardening and teaches them the basics — and just the basics.
The book addresses simple tasks such as reading a plant tag or identifying a plant hardiness zone, and guides readers in common lawn- and garden-care chores. In the process, it teaches basic terminology and techniques that will make it easier to understand more advanced gardening advice.
Elzer-Peters has arranged the material into a series of how-to topics, each providing a list of the tools and materials needed, instructions and photos. Because each topic is self-contained, you don’t have to read the whole book before you can try planting some flower bulbs or seeding the bare spots in your lawn.
Beginner’s Illustrated Guide to Gardening is published by Cool Springs Press and sells for $21.99 in softcover.
— Mary Beth Breckenridge
