Jump into spring with garden ideas

Is this the year you finally do something about that unattractive backyard? Want to perk up the front with some continuous summer color, but don't know where to begin? Before the endless summer heat begins, get those spring make-over projects out of the way using this pair of garden helpers. They're loaded with ideas and inspiration to see you through the early growing season.

REVIEWS BY PAT REGEL

Your backyard is an extension of your home and with a little planning, it can be a beautiful, livable space you'll use like any other room. You don't need a degree in horticulture, landscape architecture, a lot of space, or money when you consider the suggestions offered in Kathy Sheldon's Designing & Planting the Backyard.

Beautiful color photos help you visualize the possibilities, and step-by-step instructions lead the way in building projects such as a dry-stacked stone wall, trellis planter, potting bench, and garden tool shelf. The chapter on "Privacy & Relaxation" offers suggestions for creating a peaceful, private retreat. And, if you have a "new" gardener in your family, the chapter on "Families" shows you how to plan a child's first garden and attract birds and butterflies. The chapters on "Aromas & Flavors" and "Health & History" instruct on the uses of herbs and fragrant plantings. And, if you're one of the uninitiated, there's even a chapter on "Garden Basics" to get you up to gardening speed.

In addition to the various annuals, perennial, and bulb garden designs (with plant lists), the author also includes a metric conversion chart and helpful bibliography for further reading. Whether you're a beginner, experienced gardener, or simply interested in doing something with the backyard, Designing & Planting the Backyard offers a lot for a small volume.


Backyard or front, continuous color throughout the long summer months adds vibrant beauty to any landscape for a low price. Annuals With Style can show you how to achieve a colorful look in your own yard. Authors Michael A. Ruggiero and Tom Christopher present design ideas for beds, borders, and containers as well as tips for growing more than 70 annuals. Color photos illustrate the unlimited use of annuals in many settings.

Part 1 discusses annual basics: definition and use; creating various garden displays (formal and informal); using color, foliage and scale. Part 2 illustrates gardening techniques from purchasing plants to fertilizing and weeding. Part 3 offers an extensive plant directory and a long listing of annuals for special uses. Annuals With Style is a volume you'll be turning to often.


Mowed over

If you'd prefer to spend your summer Saturdays lounging in a hammock rather than trudging behind a lawn mower, pick up a copy of The Landscape Revolution. Authors Andy and Sally Wasowski instruct homeowners on converting their yards from chemical-drenched, high-maintenance wastelands to attractive natural landscapes. The Wasowskis are wise and witty -- never preachy -- as they extol the advantages of native plants. The Landscape Revolution will lead you through the process of converting your yard -- and your neighbors -- to the natural approach. So join the revolution and park that mower!


Pat Regel is the author of The Houseplant Survival Guide.

© 2000 ProMotion, inc.
www@bookpage.com