1001 Hints & Tips for Your Garden : An Indispensable Guide to Easier and More Effective Gardening

From Library Journal

Quick tips seem to be the order of the day in gardening literature, as this book follows hard on the heels of Pippa Greenwood's Gardening Hints and Tips (LJ 10/15/96). Unlike Greenwood, Reader's Digest takes an encyclopedic approach with an alphabetic rather than thematic arrangement, which allows a greater number of topics to be addressed in more detail. Six tips are listed under "Swiss Chard" alone, and a full page is found under broader topics like "Patios." Included alphabetically with these topics are two- to four-page spreads on such subjects as Heirloom Roses. Following the "Garden Dictionary" are two useful sections: "Enemies of the Garden," which illustrates, describes, and gives remedies for an exhaustive array of plant diseases and damaging insects, and "The Garden Calendar," a monthly guide to garden activities for four climate types and eight types of plants. While readers will browse Gardening Hints for ideas to apply to their own yard, they are more likely to consult 1001 Hints for answers to questions about specific plants or garden problems. Both books have a useful place in gardening collections.?Molly Newling, Piscataway P.L., N.J. Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

With its color illustrations, attractive format, and expanded size, this readable dictionary for the beginning or general gardener might be mistaken for a coffee-table book. It contains basic, alphabetically arranged information on trees, shrubs, flowers, fruits, and vegetables. There are also entries on animal life found in the garden (Birds, Earthworms), on tools, and on other topics. Boxes include featured plants to complement a situation, auxiliary gardening facts, or historical or folklore details. Special sections include a USDA hardiness guide that the editors further simplify into four general regions, a garden calendar with a month-by-month checklist, and an "Enemies of the Garden" section that describes prevention and treatment. Cross-referencing, an index, and a glossary make the information readily available to the user.

This is a companion book to Reader's Digest Illustrated Guide to Gardening (1987), and three related books were published this fall. All these titles are meant to be part of a comprehensive home gardening library. This book should be considered an optional purchase for public libraries where there is a need for general gardening material written in a simple style.