Gardening Books

I've worked about half my life in horticulture, whether in garden centers, as an independent contractor, a landscape installer, a landscape designer, a perennial manager, a rosarian, a greenhouse manager, a municipal horticulturist. Now I just write books about gardening because it's much easier on the back.

Easy-Growing - High Resolution - Book 1

Don't Throw in the Trowel!: Vegetable Gardening Month by Month

Even if you've never been a farmer or a gardener before, this vegetable gardening book covers everything you need to know to get started. Here you can find specific information about starting seeds, transplanting, mulching, organic fertilizers, dealing with pest and disease problems,compost, and of course, information about different vegetables and helpful advice on how to grow them.

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how to grow roses

Rose to the Occasion: An Easy-Growing Guide to Rose Gardening

Rose gardening can be easy and pleasant. I've worked 25 years in horticulture and cared for over 300 roses in a public rose garden when I was municipal horticulturist. I found ways to keep rose gardening fussbudgetry to a minimum while growing vigorous roses that bloomed their heads off. Rose to the Occasion shares tricks and shortcuts, plus simple ways you can keep up with your to-do list in the rose garden.

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If You’re a Tomato I’ll Ketchup With You: Tomato Gardening Tips and Tricks

There’s nothing as sweet and good as a sun-warmed tomato fresh from the garden on a hot summer afternoon. It’s no wonder that tomatoes are the most popular vegetable in America (though botanically, tomatoes are a fruit). Includes plenty of information for advanced gardeners, ready help for beginning gardeners, lots of expert knowledge, and a smidgeon of wit.

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Perennial Classics: Planting & Growing Great Perennial Gardens

Perennials are the backbone of the garden -- a low-maintenance, long-growing mainstay that the garden revolves around. I've worked with perennials for 20 years, as a manager in the perennials section at the local nursery, and as a municipal horticulturist. I've grown perennials from seed, potted them bare-rooted, divided them, deadheaded them, treated them for diseases and pests. Everything I've learned over the years I share here in this book -- Perennial Classics.

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Petal to the Metal: Growing Gorgeous Houseplants

Houseplants can be a challenge when you have poor conditions (poor lighting, freezing windows in winter, humidity levels that match the Sahara Desert’s, destructive toddlers, cats that use flowerpots as a litter box, etc.) This book goes through a few simple tips for caring for and raising houseplants, things I've learned through the years as I worked at various garden centers, greenhouses, and when I ran my own greenhouse as city horticulturist.

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Design of the Times: How to Plan Glorious Landscapes and Gardens

Style: Everybody has it but nobody really knows what it is. And when it comes to garden design, everybody has style. Sometimes, though, they have just haven’t figured out what their gardening style is. Some people lean more toward traditional gardens with flowers to cram them into. Other lean more toward the formal gardens and parterres. Or maybe you might prefer a tropical style with all its orange and yellows and cannas and lush leaves. And some like to mix styles in a fun pastiche of plants and colors. What do you like?

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Leave Me A Lawn: Lawn Care for Tired Gardeners

Leave Me A Lawn lays out the best ways to make a great lawn without having to buy hundreds of dollars worth of chemicals and supplies. I’ll talk about how to add fertility to the soil, how to water to keep the grass growing up and the water bill down, and how to keep your lawn mower serviced and working. And we’ll pick up a lot of other helpful tips along the way.

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Japanese Beetles and Grubs: Trap, Spray, and Control Them

Japanese Beetles and Grubs: Trap, Spray, and Control Them is an indispensable guide for home gardeners, landscape professionals, and farmers. This Japanese beetle book is your secret weapon to help you control the beetles and safeguard your trees, roses, and vegetables.

This book walks you through many methods for stopping Japanese beetles, whether through organic means or (in some cases) chemical means. The book relies mainly on eco-friendly ways to control these garden pests so you don't have to rely on harsh chemicals.

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Stay Grounded: Soil Building for Sustainable Gardens

One of the most important things a gardener can do is to build up the soil in her garden. But keep in mind that soil-building is not a one-time operation – it’s a process. As humus is devoured by microorganisms, worms, and plants, more organic material must constantly be added in order to keep the soil biomass, and thereby the plants, well-fed and happy.
This book shows you all sorts of ways to get organic material into the soil to improve soil health and soil fertility, which in turn improves plant health -- for better gardens, higher yields, and more gorgeous flowers.

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Genius Gardening Hacks: Tips and Fixes for the Creative Gardener

Every seasoned gardener has a few tricks up their sleeves to make the work easier. They can improvise materials that get the job done in a way that's more sustainable for all. This book shares many gardening lifehacks that can make your work easier and your plants happier.

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Gardening Month by Month: Tips for Flowers, Vegetables, Lawns, & Houseplants

Gardening Month by Month lays out general gardening tips and tricks through the whole year. Are you planting vegetables, growing orchids, finding organic ways to care for your lawn, trying to raise fragrant roses? This book lays out what you need to know. Written for the beginning gardener, but also with plenty of information for the more advanced gardener.

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