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 102
Safety first: Controlling your power tools 103
Chewing through chores with chainsaws 103
Working with trimmers and whackers 104
Tilling soil with rototillers 104
Rolling Out the Wheelbarrows and Carts 106
Wading through Watering Tools 107
Hoses 108
Nozzles 110
Hose-end sprinklers 110
Water timers 111
Part 2: Flowers and Foliage: Growing for Color 113
Chapter 6: Adding Yearly Variety to Your Garden with Annuals 115
Finding Flowers that Fit Your Garden 116
Some like it hot: Warm weather annuals 117
Some annuals like it cool 117
Mixing and Matching Annuals 117
Good habits: Taking advantage of shape, height, and structure 118
Combining colors 121
Designing annual beds for fragrance 122
Buying Annuals 123
Starting with seed packets 123
Starting with annual, well, starts 124
An Annual Event: The Whens, Wheres, and Hows of Planting 125
Filling in the garden after the last frost 125
Deciding where to plant annuals 126
Getting annuals in the ground 127
Feeding the Flower Power: Taking Care of Annuals 127
Watering 128
Fertilizing 128
Mulching 129
Grooming 129
Dealing with annual pests 129
Chapter 7: Growing Perennials: Plants That Make a Comeback 131
Looking at the Repeat Performers 132
Hardy perennials 132
Tender perennials 132
Planning Long-Term Strategies for Your Perennial Garden 133
Timing perennial blooming 133
The living palette: Keeping colors in mind 135
Designing perennial beds and borders 135
Finding and Buying Perennials 138
Getting perennials in containers 138
Buying perennials by mail 139
Acquiring free divisions from others 141
Planting Perennials 141
Figuring out where to plant perennials 141
Deciding when to plant perennials 144
Preparing for the actual planting 147
Taking Care of Your Perennials 148
Supporting with stakes or rings 148
Practicing good grooming habits 150
Dividing perennials 151
Preparing perennials for winter 152
Dealing with perennial pests and diseases 152
Chapter 8: Brightening Up the Garden with Bulbs 155
Shedding Light on Bulbs 155
Defining bulb terms 156
Looking at early and late bloomers 160
Getting acquainted with the most popular bulbs 161
Choosing to Combine Your Bulbs 162
Combining various types of tulips 162
Mixing up your daffodils 163
Combining different kinds of bulbs 164
The Search: Where to Get Your Bulbs 166
Buying bulbs - home stores and nurseries 166
Purchasing bulbs through mail-order 167
Getting Down and Dirty: Planting Bulbs 168
When to plant bulbs 168
Where to plant bulbs 172
How to plant bulbs 174
Taking Care of Bulbs 176
Watering your bulbs 177
Fertilizing bulbs 177
Mulching 178
Caring for fading leaves 178
Fighting bulb pests 179
Chapter 9: Coming Up Roses 181
What Makes a Rose Be a Rose Be a Rose 181
Checking out blooming habits 182
Looking at hardiness 183
Identifying the various rose types 183
Deciding Where to Put Your Roses 188
Planning your beds and borders 188
Using roses as groundcovers 190
Screening with roses 191
Using roses as vines 192
Buying the Best Roses 192
Getting a potted rose 193
Purchasing a bareroot rose 193
Planting Your Roses 196
Putting containerized roses in the ground 196
Planting bareroot roses 198
Taking Care of Your Roses 199
Watering 199
Fertilizing 199
Keeping roses in shape 200
Maximizing winter hardiness 203
War of the roses: Tackling rose pests 204
Chapter 10: Multiplying Your Plants 207
Growing Plants from Seeds (Sexual Propagation) 208
Recognizing the different kinds of seed 208
Sowing seeds versus buying plants 209
Buying seed: What to keep in mind 210
Testing seeds 211
Treating seeds to increase germination 212
Sowing Seed Indoors 213
Getting better results 214
Thinning seedlings 216
Hardening off 216
Transplanting seedlings 217
Sowing Seed Directly Outdoors 218
Cloning Your Plants - Vegetative Reproduction 219
Cutting and rooting stems 220
Air layering 221
Reproducing Bulbs 223
Bulb scooping 224
Reproducing lilies 224
Part 3: Stretching Your Garden beyond Its Boundaries: The Permanent Landscape 227
Chapter 11: Growing a Perfect Lawn 229
Patching Up the Lawn You Already Have 229
Making a Lawn from Scratch 230
Preparing your yard for a lawn 230
Designing the lawn 232
Seeding and Sodding: Adding the Grass 233
Determining the grass you want or need 233
Cool-season and warm-season grasses 234
Growing lawns from seed 235
Your own turf: Growing lawns from sod 240
Watering a Thirsty Lawn 242
Getting the water balance right 243
Boosting watering efficiency 244
Fertilizing Your Lawn 244
Deciding on the kind of fertilizer 245
Knowing your serving sizes: How much fertilizer is enough 247
Checking out the fertilizing schedule 247
Mowing the Lawn, Cutting the Grass, and Otherwise Giving the Yard a Trim 248
Battling the Weeds 250
Preventing lawn weeds 250
Treating already-weedy lawns 251
Chapter 12: Reaching New Heights with Trees 253
Knowing Your Trees 253
Exploring evergreen trees 254
Falling for deciduous trees 256
Choosing the Right Tree for Where You Live 259
Getting Treed! Planting Trees 260
Not just for Arbor Day: Deciding when to plant your tree 261
Finding a suitable location 261
Planting your tree 264
Taking Care of Your Tree 267
Giving trees a tall drink of water 267
Fertilizing trees 269
Life and limb: Pruning judiciously 269
Raising the stakes: Offering some support 271
Chapter 13: Going Low with Shrubs 275
Knowing Your Shrubs 275
Nonflowering shrubs 276
Flowering shrubs 276
Planning Practical Uses for Bushes 279
Planting Shrubs 279
Deciding when to plant your shrubs 280
Situating your shrubs 280
Perfecting your shrub-planting skills 282
Caring for Your Shrubs 283
Watering your shrubs 283
Fertilizing your shrubs 284
Pruning for shape and rejuvenation 284
Chapter 14: Climbers and Crawlers: Growing Vines and Groundcovers 289
Looking at How Vines Hold On 290
Twining 291
Tendrils 291
Adhesive discs 291
Holdfasts 292
Sprawling 292
Choosing the Right Vines 293
Considering your basic options 293
Deciding cold-hardy or not 295
Sizing up your vines 296
Examining site considerations for vines 296
Planting and Supporting Vines 298
Giving vines a little backup 298
Using trees and shrubs as living supports 300
Maintaining Vines through Pruning 300
Looking at Groundcovers 302
Examining groundcover varieties 302
Seeing how groundcover spreads 305
Considering what groundcover takes up 306
Exploring site considerations 307
Planting and Maintaining Groundcovers 309
Watering 309
Fertilizing 309
Mulching 309
Keeping groundcovers in shape 310
Getting weeds out (and keeping them out) 310
Part 4: Producing Your Own Produce 311
Chapter 15: Food, Glorious Food! Raising Your Own Veggies 313
Perusing the Varieties of Veggies 314
Growing vegetables by seasons 314
Defining hybrids 317
Appreciating heirlooms 319
Designing for Dining and Getting Your Vegetable Garden Ready 321
Working with the sun: Where to plant vegetables 321
Sketching your plan 322
Using planting patterns and systems 322
Prepping your soil 325
Finding Your Vegetables 327
Buying seeds 328
Buying nursery transplants 328
Planting Your Vegetables 329
Deciding when to plant your veggies 329
Sowing and planting your veggies 330
Chapter 16: Taking Your Veggie Garden to the Next Level 337
Composting Your Vegetable Garden 337
Making your own compost 338
Knowing what to include and not include in your compost pile 340
Fertilizing Your Vegetable Garden 341
Using Frames and Supports for Veggies 342
Dealing with Vegetable Pests 346
Rodents, rabbits, and other miscreants 347
Deer 347
Birds 348
Bugs 348
Chapter 17: Adding Flavor to Your Garden with Herbs 351
Recognizing Common Culinary Herbs You Can Grow 352
Planting Herbs: A Lesson in Adaptation 352
Getting the timing right 353
Helping herbs find their place in the world 353
Putting herbs in their place: How to plant 356
Raising herbs from seed 357
Taking Care of Your Herbs 358
Providing an herb's basic needs 359
Dealing with herb pests 360
Chapter 18: Sweet and Crunchy: Growing Fruits, Berries, and Nuts 363
Choosing the Fruits for Your Garden 364
Examining the types of fruits 364
Getting the lowdown on chill factors 365
Studying your size accommodations 366
Going solo or in pairs: Pollination 372
Finding and Buying Your Fruit Bearers 372
Planting Your Fruit 373
Making the soil deep and wide enough 374
Choosing the best time to plant fruits 374
Deciding where to plant your fruits 375
Getting your fruit in the ground 376
Taking Care of Fruits 381
Watering 381
Fertilizing 381
Cutting back on mulch 382
Supporting and training your fruit 382
Pruning 384
Dealing with fruit pests 386
Part 5: Designing Special and Fun Gardens 391
Chapter 19: Mini Gardens and Microcosms: Gardening in Containers 393
Exploring Different Kinds of Containers 394
Examining standard container materials 395
Thinking about alternative choices 396
Getting the Container Soil Right 397
Purchasing a potting mix 398
Whipping up your own mix 399
Picking Plants for Your Containers 401
Up close and personal displays 401
Tucked in attention-grabbers 403
Containers of mixed company 403
Arranging Containers for a Container Garden 405
Taking Care of Your Container Plants 406
Tending to the most vulnerable plants 406
Gauging your garden's water needs 407
Fertilizing your container plants 408
Chapter 20: Taking the Plunge: Gardening with Ponds and Fish 411
Planning Your Water Garden 412
Looking at location 412
Aboveground or in-ground gardens? 414
Choosing the best lining 416
Picking Out Your Parts and Supplies 417
Identifying what you need (and don't) 418
Pumps 420
Bubblers and fountains 420
Filters 421
Installing and Filling Your Pond 422
Choosing Plants for Water Gardens 423
Waterlilies 424
Lotus 425
So-called marginal plants 426
Floaters and submerged plants 427
Adding Goldfish to Your Water Garden 427
Maintaining Your Water Garden 430
Taking care of the plants 430
Winterizing your plants and fish 431
Controlling algae in troubled waters 431
Part 6: The Part of Tens 433
Chapter 21: Ten Great Perennials for Northern Climate Gardeners 435
Achillea 435
Astilbe 436
False Indigo (Baptisia) 436
Bellflower (Campanula) 436
Coneflower (Echinacea) 437
Ox-Eye Sunflower (Heliopsis) 437
Plantain Lily (Hosta) 437
Rose Campion (Lychnis Coronaria) 438
Catmint (Nepeta) 438
Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia Fulgida) 438
Chapter 22: Ten Garden Projects for Children 439
Create a Dinosaur Garden 439
Grow a Sunflower Fort 440
Make Sunprints 440
Plant Mini-Pumpkins 440
Write with Seeds 440
Trap a Zucchini 441
Make a Home-Grown Salad 441
Grow Paperwhites 441
Set Up a Birdbath 442
Attract Butterflies to the Garden 442
Appendix A: Basic Gardening Resources 443
Appendix B: English-Metric Conversion Tables 449
Index 451
