cover image Making a Garden: Reliable Techniques, Outstanding Plants, and Honest Advice

Making a Garden: Reliable Techniques, Outstanding Plants, and Honest Advice

Rita Buchanan, Steve Buchanan. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH), $35 (160pp) ISBN 978-0-395-89753-9

""There is no such thing as an ex-gardener,"" Buchanan observes. ""It's a lifelong passion."" With this straightforward, comprehensive guide covering all the basics of soil preparation, plant siting and planting, the horticulture writer (Plants for Winter Beauty) means to ignite that passion. The first step before actually getting your hands dirty, she suggests, is photographing the existing area and scouting out local plants and resources. Of real value are Buchanan's unique approaches to perennial division (which she argues is a practical approach to economically expand the garden) followed by comprehensive lists of perennials classed according to root structure and growth patterns. She discusses ground cover--too often ignored in garden literature; offers extensive suggestions for what to plant and where; and tackles the challenges of planting near trees and on slopes. Other chapters cover bulb gardening, flowers for hot summers, plants for winter interest, herbs, cutting gardens and fragrant plants. Although Buchanan could have developed her earlier chapters more fully (only brief explanations are given for each step of planning the garden), her practical book offers some fresh approaches for both the novice and the experienced gardener. Illustrations by Steve Buchanan, the author's husband. (Nov.)