By:  Creative Homeowner (a publisher of Home and Garden books)

Buy at: Amazon.com

Introduction

As the title suggests “The Beginner’s Guide to Gardening: Basic Techniques” is designed for the beginning gardener.  It targets someone who is looking for a solid grounding in the basics. It can be used by someone who has no prior experience in gardening. The book begins with an introduction to basic gardening fundamentals such as plant selection, climate, soil preparation, garden tools and many other topics. It then devotes individual chapters to more specific areas.  Ample coverage is given to annuals and perennials, trees and shrubs, groundcovers and flowers.  There is even an introduction to vegetable gardening. If your desire is to learn how to grow roses, there is a chapter devoted to it in this book.

Features

The thing that stands out when you open up this book is its beautiful illustration. It would be worth purchasing just for the inspiration of the stunning photographs, but there is much more to sink your teeth into.

The book is very well laid out by category.  Each chapter provides relevant information and advice, lists, and illustrations. There are sidebars for “Smart Tips” providing little nuggets of gardening wisdom.  Several “How to” sections throughout the pages provide step by step guidance on topics such as how to start plantings from seed, planting a garden bed, transplanting your existing plants, and many more.

There was really nothing in the book that disappointed me, but it is a general book. Some of the plants it offers as suggestions may not be suitable for where you are. This is where you need to be aware of your particular area, climate, soil, etc. But the book overcomes its general nature by doing a fine job of covering these topics.

Conclusion

This book covers virtually everything you will need to know to get started in gardening. I would highly suggest “The Beginner’s Guide to Gardening” as a foundation book for what I hope will be an expanding collection in your personal gardening library. As you have more specific questions and begin various projects you can add books that cover things in greater detail, but this particular book is a tremendous source of knowledge and information on the fundamentals that a beginning gardener needs to get going.