The Book of Outdoor Gardening by Jim Anderson

From Smith & Hawken, and now with a striking new cover, here is a book that offers a distinctly American approach to the art, craft, and pastime of gardening. Embracing British perennial beds, French intensive techniques, antique roses, heirloom vegetables, alternative lawns, and a bedrock philosophy of working with-not against-the ecosystem, this illustrated organic gardener's bible includes a 350-entry color plant guide and is written for all North American regions and hardiness zones. Readers will learn how to feed the dirt, achieve good tilth, create and use compost. How to plant in contours, manage water, plant outdoors. How to work with plants that not only come back every year, but bloom early and long, smell great, and even provide a pleasing silhouette in winter. There are sections on tools and gear, grooming and deadheading, winterizing and ornamenting the garden; digging and planting; propagating garden plants from seed; the secrets of maintenance. Selection of the Book-of-the-Month Club's Country Homes & Gardens Club, the Newbridge Garden Book Club, and the Rodale Book Club. Over 140,000 copies in print. Editorial Reviews Amazon.com Review The editors of the Smith & Hawken catalog have put together an excellent introduction to the art, practice, and enjoyment of gardening that will be of use to experienced gardeners and novice tillers alike. Like the catalog from which it springs, the book sometimes manages to be trendy and breathlessly traditional at the same time. But the prose is lively, the illustrations exact, and the photographs pleasing, and the book will look as good on your coffee table as it will propped up next to your hydrangeas. On second thought, better get two: the hardback for the coffee table and the soft cover for the garden. Review Comprehensive, lively, accessible, and even inspiring, this is the precisely the sort of book to give someone who's recently fallen headlong into the dirt...The scope, handsomeness, and convenience of this primer should earn it many devoted readers. (Michael Pollan, The New York Times Book Review) Thoughtfully gathered by specialists in many fields-including editors of the upscale gift catalog-this compendium reflects the spirit of the company best known for its expensive but excellent selection of gardening tools and environmentally responsible goods. -- Reviews Enjoy a practical outdoor gardening guide with more detail than most. Smith and Hawken attend to the basics rather than presenting flowery color photos: from pruning herbs and roses to choosing the right garden plants and understanding maintenance requirements, this is filled with the basics of gardening which beginners will relish. -- Midwest Book Review The scope, handsomeness, and convenience of this primer should earn it many devoted readers. -- The New York Times Book Review, Michael Pollan From the Back Cover The more you garden, the more you grow. Smith & Hawken offers a distinctly American approach to the art, craft, and pastime of gardening. Embracing English perennial beds, French intensive techniques, antique roses, heirloom vegetables, alternative lawns, and a bedrock philosophy of working within the ecosystem, THE BOOK OF OUTDOOR GARDENING is a fully illustrated guide to gardening responsibly, featuring a separate color reference to 350 favorite plants. It is for anyone who shares the Smith & Hawken belief that every garden counts. END About the Author Puzzability, based in New York, includes Mike Shenk, who has written puzzles for Games magazine and its offshoots, and provided daily crosswords for a major newspaper syndicate. He is currently the crossword editor of The Wall Street Journal; Amy Goldstein, a trivia buff and wordsmith who has served as associate editor and managing editor for Games magazine and its sister publications; and Robert Leighton, an illustrator, writer, New Yorker cartoonist, and creator of unique visual puzzles. From the Back Cover The more you garden, the more you grow. Smith & Hawken offers a distinctly American approach to the art, craft, and pastime of gardening. Embracing English perennial beds, French intensive techniques, antique roses, heirloom vegetables, alternative lawns, and a bedrock philosophy of working within the ecosystem, THE BOOK OF OUTDOOR GARDENING is a fully illustrated guide to gardening responsibly, featuring a separate color reference to 350 favorite plants. It is for anyone who shares the Smith & Hawken belief that every garden counts. END About the Author Puzzability, based in New York, includes Mike Shenk, who has written puzzles for Games magazine and its offshoots, and provided daily crosswords for a major newspaper syndicate. He is currently the crossword editor of The Wall Street Journal; Amy Goldstein, a trivia buff and wordsmith who has served as associate editor and managing editor for Games magazine and its sister publications; and Robert Leighton, an illustrator, writer, New Yorker cartoonist, and creator of unique visual puzzles. About the Author Puzzability, based in New York, includes Mike Shenk, who has written puzzles for Games magazine and its offshoots, and provided daily crosswords for a major newspaper syndicate. He is currently the crossword editor of The Wall Street Journal; Amy Goldstein, a trivia buff and wordsmith who has served as associate editor and managing editor for Games magazine and its sister publications; and Robert Leighton, an illustrator, writer, New Yorker cartoonist, and creator of unique visual puzzles.