[.uk] The Garden Primer (ISBN 0894803166)

Single most handy book on gardening:
Having discovered gardening about four years ago, I have been buying books on this subject, and about nature generally, with a certain abandon that others, less charitably disposed, might say "... buying with the abandon of a man possessed." Among the thirty or so titles that I have amassed since then, and another twenty books or thereabouts, bought in garage sales and from public library overstocks, I like Barbara's book the best when I want a quick overview and advice on a gardening issue. But this is more than just a practical "go to" book. I have spent several pleasant hours with the "Garden Primer" on the patio under the shade of a lovely oak in summer and this winter, by the woodstove, reading the chapters as one would Gertrude Jekyll's or Amy Stewart's insightful and opionated garden essays. Barbara's style is less assertive than either woman's; she writes with insight and a gentle wit, much like a well-informed, good humored friend. Witness her remarks on weeds, for example. I have two copies: one by the stove and the other in the greenhouse, well-thumbed and annotated.The illustrations are splendid, the book design has Workman Publishing's unmistakable look, and, come to think of it, I liked the garden gate on the cover so much that I am having one made just like it to add some definition to the kitchen garden. And, now to Home Depot to buy the woood...

If you only buy one gardening book, buy this one:
I have been gardening for more than fifty years and have acquired a library of hundreds of gardening books. If I had to sacrifice all my books but one, this is the book I'd keep. It is amazingly concise yet informative, the best book of all for a beginning gardener and an excellent overview and review for experienced ones. And it is amazingly affordable, perhaps because it sticks with excellent black-and-white line drawings instead of expensive but often useless full color photographs. The only criticism I have is that the sources appendix for commercial suppliers of seeds, plants and equipment is hopelessly out of date and nearly useless--but that's to be expected given the 1988 date of publication and the constantly changing repertoire of companies, etc. that make such lists even a couple of years old outdated. Perhaps bound books should omit these lists altogether because they become obsolete so rapidly.

This Book Is Like A Old Friend:
I bought The Garden Primer back in the 1980's when I first caught the gardening bug. Over the years I have added many garden books to my library, but this seems to ALWAYS be the one I turn to for quick general information. I have bought copies for two friends and am buying another one right now. I would be lost without this book, and keep all sorts of added information and plant tags stuffed between the pages. Its an old friend that is always there with the right answer!!!

TIMELESS BOOK:
I bought this book in 1988 when it was just published. Here it is, 2007, and I still reach for it whenever I need to refer to plant maintenance. I have a container garden, so most of my plants are houseplants. This book does contain information on the most common houseplants that exist, and goes over their description and maintenance in a straightforward manner. Today I will be going to my best friend's house, because she has a garden, but she is not an experienced gardener. This book will be traveling with me, and together, we will "work her garden." As a matter of fact, I am going to gift my friend with a copy of this book.

Get growing!:
I picked up this book and was at first just smitten by the illustration of an orderly tool shed -- I lust for an orderly tool shed! -- and kept on reading all through the book. Although I have dabbled in gardening for years, only recently did I have my own plot of land to work on with only a couple of shrubs and many shade trees. I was unsure how to start, but learned what sort of tools I needed and what to look for when buying them; how to design the overall layout, how to create new beds, and so on. This is a readable reference that provides much specific plant data in addition to the more general topics mentioned above. I read it and keep going back for seconds and thirds. I gave it as a gift to a friend who is just starting to garden as well.