Gardening: The Complete Guide: Growing Secrets & Techniques

by Miranda Smith

Overview

A comprehensive reference for growing flowers, fruits, vegetables, herbs, and more—with step-by-step instructions and over a thousand illustrations.

Gardening: The Complete Guide lets you enjoy the process of gardening as much as the finished product. With plenty of inspirational photographs and hands-on instructional pictures, it presents the latest techniques for the twenty-first century gardener with an emphasis on time-saving, efficient practices, and devotes considerable space to growing herbs, flowers, vegetables, and fruit. This book is perfect for the gardener who wants to know how things grow and why certain practices are more effective. Includes:

• Valuable information on planning, planting, and maintaining all types of gardens, including vegetable, fruit, flower, water gardens, and specialty gardens
• Illustrated Plant-by-Plant Directories with detailed information on annuals, perennials, bulbs, biennials, water-garden plants, herbs, vines, fruits, and vegetables
• Step-by-step planting and growing instructions for all types of garden plants
• Tables and charts filled with valuable information that will help get you organized
• Tips for harvesting and storing fruits and vegetables from the garden, and for drying flowers
• More than one thousand garden-related color photographs and watercolors

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781607654360
Publisher:	Fox Chapel Publishing Company, Incorporated
Publication date:	12/15/2021
Series:	Gardening
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	400
File size:	225 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Miranda Smith was an expert grower who gardened and taught gardening for over 3 years. She was the author of five top-selling garden books, including Your Backyard Herb Garden, Backyard Fruits and Berries, and Greenhouse Gardening. She edited and was the primary writer of The Real Dirt, Farmers Tell about Organic and Low Input Practices in the Northeast.

Table of Contents

Gardening: The Complete Guide 

Table of Contents

Introduction...8 • Tools, Materials, and Plants • About the Plant Directories

Chapter 1 Gardening Basics...10 • Getting Started • Plant Basics• Buying Plants • Propagation • Seeds • Planting • Watering

Chapter 2 Garden Prep...28 • Making a Plan• Designing for Easy Care • Laying Out the Garden • Soil • Composting • Testing Your Soil • Soil Amendments and Fertilizers • Cover Crops and Green Manures • Climate • Hardiness and Heat-Zone Maps

Chapter 3 Growing Vegetables...58 • Planning Your Vegetable Garden • Keeping Soil and Plants Healthy • Benefits of Hybrids vs. Open-Pollinated Plants • Plant-by-Plant Directory of Vegetables

Chapter 4 Growing Herbs...102 • The Benefits of Herbs• Designing Herb Gardens • Containers • A Garden of Treasures • Herbs for Beauty • Plant-by-Plant Directory of Herbs

Chapter 5 Growing Fruit...126 • Why Grow Fruit? • Fruit Trees • Planting Fruit Trees • Pruning Fruit Trees • Espaliered Fruit Trees • Care of Your Fruit Trees • Plant-by-Plant Directory of Fruit Trees • Choosing Fruiting Shrubs • Pruning Fruiting Shrubs • Plant-by-Plant Directory of Fruiting Shrubs • Choosing Fruiting Vines • Pruning and Training Fruiting Vines • Caring for Your Fruit Vines • Plant-by-Plant Directory of Fruiting Vines • Choosing Bramble Fruit • Planting, Pruning, and Training Brambles • Plant-by-Plant Directory of Bramble Fruits • Strawberries

Chapter 6 Creating Water Gardens...174 • Considering Your Lifestyle • Siting Your Water Feature • Practical Considerations • Liners • Edging • Designing the Pond Configuration • How to Make a Site Plan • Choosing Plants • Beware of Invasive Plants • Plant-by-Plant Directory of Recommended Oxygenators • Floating Plants • Plant-by-Plant Directory Recommended Floating Plants • Water Lilies • Plant-by-Plant Directory of Hardy Water Lilies • Plant-by-Plant Directory of Tropical Water Lilies • Lotuses • Plant-by-Plant Directory of Readily Available Lotuses • Marginal Plants • Plant-by-Plant Directory of Recommended Marginal Plants • Plants for the Periphery • Plant-by-Plant Directory of Recommended Perennials • Plant-by-Plant Directory of Recommended Bulbs • Plant-by-Plant Directory of Recommended Ferns  • Plant-by-Plant Directory of Recommended Grasses

Chapter 7 Growing Flowers...254 • Garden Design• Planning Flower Beds • Bulbs • Plant-by-Plant Directory of Bulbs • Perennials • Deadheading and Trimming • Plant-by-Plant Directory of Common Perennials • Annuals • Cultural Requirements  • Plant-by-Plant Directory of Common Annuals • Biennials • Plant-by-Plant Directory of Common Biennials

Chapter 8 Specialty Flower Gardens...310 • Garden Inspiration• Rose Gardens • Gardens for Bees, Birds, and Butterflies • Rock Gardens • Gardens for Dried Arrangements

Chapter 9 Growing Vines...330 • Vine Basics• How Vines Climb • Training and Pruning Vines • Watering and Routine Care • Plant-by-Plant Directory of Vines

Chapter 10 Maintaining Your Garden...346 • Good Management• Weeds • Common "Beneficial" Weeds • Animal Pests • Insect and Mite Pests • Directory of Pests, Including Controls • Diseases • Directory of Diseases

Glossary...384 Index...387 Credits...398