CHF20.50
Download est disponible immédiatement
Cultivate your passion to grow
In a 1625 essay, Francis Bacon called gardens "the purest of human pleasures," and what was true then is even more so today-gardening can give you a serene refuge from the short-lived (and noisy!) distractions of modern life and a fertile basis for satisfaction that will bear fruit long into the future. To help you get started on your own leafy paradise, the new edition of Gardening Basics For Dummies grounds you thoroughly in the fundamentals of soil, flowers, trees, and lawns-and helps you get to know the names of what you're planting along the way!
In a friendly, straightforward style, professional horticulturist Steven A. Frowine distills 50 years of gardening experience to show you how to start growing your expertise-from planning out your own mini-Eden and planting your first annuals, bulbs, and perennials through to laying the perfect lawn, raising tasty crops, and even introducing fish to your landscape! He also digs into the grubbier side of horticultural life, making sure you're as prepared as any seasoned farmer to deal with pests, weeds, and other challenges the earth will throw up at you.
Get creative with butterfly and children's gardens
Whether you're beginning with a tiny garden in a box, or beautifying your property with tree-lined groves and flowery bowers, this is the ideal introduction to the intense pleasure of gardening and will make you happy to reap what you've sown!
Auteur
Steven A. Frowine is a noted professional horticulturist and a longtime avid gardener and communicator.
The National Gardening Association is the leading garden-based educational nonprofit in the USA. Visit http://garden.org.
Texte du rabat
Let your creativity take root and bloom!
Gardening can help you relax, spark your imagination, and even provide a source of home-grown food. This new edition of Gardening Basics For Dummies is your guide as you discover your green thumb, no matter where you live or how much space you have! From growing the picture-perfect lawn to landscaping masterpieces fit for a palace, this book explains it all. With this reference under your arm and a patch of earth under your feet (or in a pot), you're ready. Your newfound plant-friends will thank you!
Inside. . . Gather the right garden gearChoose annuals and perennials that will thriveGrow greener, healthier grassProduce your own produceRaise colorful flowerbedsInvolve your kids in gardeningGarden with ponds and fish
Contenu
Introduction 1
About This Book 1
Foolish Assumptions 3
Icons Used in This Book 3
Where to Go from Here 4
Part 1: Preparing Yourself (and Your Garden) for Planting 5
Chapter 1: Getting Ready for Gardening 7
Playing the Name Game 8
Getting used to plant nomenclature 8
Anatomy 101: Naming plant parts 10
Beautifying with Flowers (and Foliage) 11
Amazing annuals 11
Perennial plants 15
Bulbs and roses 18
Gardening for Your Dining Pleasure 18
Working with Woody (or Viny) Plants 19
Shrubs 19
Trees 21
Vines 22
The World Is Flat: Caring for Your Lawn 23
Chapter 2: Creating a Landscape That You'll Love 25
Evaluating What You Already Have 26
Looking at the big picture 26
Identifying problems and restrictions 27
Taking advantage of your yard's assets 31
Getting Ideas for Your Garden Space 33
Gardening with the kids in mind 33
Establishing a good garden for pets 34
Creating space for entertainment 35
Designing a sanctuary 36
Cooking up an edible garden 37
Zeroing In on Your Ideal Garden Style 39
Gardening around a theme 39
Perusing sources for inspired ideas 42
Keeping Your Budget in Mind 43
Bringing Your Garden Ideas to Reality 44
Sketching out the yard you have now 45
Making your drawing match your dream 46
Defining key areas to start 47
Getting Professional Help 48
Considering different professionals 48
Hiring a pro for landscaping help 50
Chapter 3: Getting into the Zone Your Garden's Zone 51
Focusing on Location Different Hardiness Zone Maps for Different Folks 52
Looking at the world's plant hardiness zone maps 52
Warming up to the heat-zone map 54
Savoring the Sunset zones 54
Reading plant hardiness zone maps 55
Fathoming Frost Zones and Growing Seasons 57
Zoning Out: Breaking the Zone and Growing Season Rules 58
Managing your microclimates 59
Cheating the system: Creating microclimates 61
Bending the rules to stretch your growing season 62
Chapter 4: Live Long and Prosper: Giving Plants What They Need 65
Welcoming the Sun Let There Be Light! 66
Facing Fertilizer Facts 67
What to use: Natural versus chemical 71
When to fertilize your garden 71
Composting: More Than Just Fertilizer 72
Demystifying Soil pH 75
Matching plants to different pH levels 75
Finding out your soil's pH 76
Adjusting your soil's pH 76
Much Ado about Mulch 77
Knowing your mulches 78
Applying mulch how to and how much 79
Tackling Watering Issues 80
Providing the right amount of moisture 80
Determining which watering system to use 82
Cutting back on watering 84
Dealing with drainage problems 85
Making Sure Your Plants Get Enough Air 86
Chapter 5: Gathering Your Gardening Gear 87
Digging into Those Digging Tools 88
Getting down with shovels and spades 88
Trowels: More than just little shovels 91
Garden forks: Not for dining! 93
Dabbling in dibbles (or dibbers) 94
Cultivating 101: Clues to Quality Tools 95
No Santa Claus: Ho, ho, hoes 96
Weeding out the weeders 97
Making the Right Cut with Cutting Tools 98
Getting a handle on hand pruners 99
Hedging your bets on hedge shears 101
Branching out with loppers 101
Moving up to pruning saws 102 Putting Power Tools to Use ...