Gardening For Dummies, Pocket Edition E-Book

Steven A. Frowine

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 165

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2015

Beschreibung

Put down roots with the basics of gardening! Don't know your Hosta undulata from your Bellis perennis? Leaf through this fun and easy reference to learn all about gardening! First, find your gardening style and plan the garden you want while staying within a budget, then check out explanations of all those mysterious zones. Still curious? Grab all the right gear and pick out the right plants for you. You'll be growing your own annuals, perennials, and vegetables before you can say Lychnis coronaria! Open the book and find: * Guidance on planning your garden * Explanations of hardiness and frost zones * Descriptions of proper gear * The differences between annuals and perennials * Tips for growing vegetables * Information on what you need to keep your plants happy

Leseprobe

Gardening For Dummies Portable Edition®

Table of Contents

Introduction

About This Book

Conventions Used in This Book

What You’re Not to Read

Foolish Assumptions

Icons Used in This Book

Where to Go from Here

Chapter 1: Getting Ready for Gardening

Playing the Name Game

“Hello, my name is . . .”: Getting used to plant nomenclature

Anatomy 101: Naming plant parts

Bringing in Beauty with Flowers

Amazing annuals

Perennial plants

Gardening for Your Dining Pleasure

Chapter 2: Planning Your Own Eden

Taking Stock: Evaluating What You Already Have

Identifying problems and restrictions

Taking advantage of your yard’s assets

Getting Ideas for Your Garden Space

Gardening with the kids in mind

Creating space for entertainment

Designing a sanctuary: The quiet garden retreat

Cooking up an edible garden: Gardening for your kitchen

Zeroing In on Your Ideal Garden Style

Gardening around a theme

An inspired idea: Perusing books, magazines, and local gardens

Making Sure Costs Don’t Outgrow Your Budget

Bringing Your Garden Ideas to Reality

Sketching out the yard you have now

Making your drawing match your dream garden

Defining key areas so you know where to start

Chapter 3: Getting into the Zone — Your Garden’s Zone

Different Hardiness Zone Maps for Different Folks

Taking a look at plant hardiness zone maps

Warming up to the heat-zone map

Savoring the Sunset zones

Reading plant hardiness zone maps

Fathoming Frost Zones and Growing Seasons

Chapter 4: Gathering Your Gardening Gear

Digging Those, Er, Digging Tools

Getting down with shovels and spades

Trowels: More than just little shovels

Garden forks: Not for dining!

Clues to Quality Cultivating Tools

Ho, ho, hoes

Weeding out poor weeders to get to the best

Getting a Handle on Hand Pruners

Wading through Wondrous Watering Tools

Hoses

Nozzles

Hose-end sprinklers

Water timers

Chapter 5: Growing Annuals and Perennials

Finding Annuals that Fit Your Garden

Some like it hot: Warm weather annuals

Some annuals like it cool

Buying Annuals

Starting with seed packets

Starting with nursery, well, starts

An Annual Event: The Whens, Wheres, and Hows of Planting

Filling in the garden after the last frost

Deciding where to plant annuals

Getting annuals in the ground

Looking at Perennials, the Repeat Performers

Hardy perennials

Tender perennials

Finding and Buying Perennials

To the market: Getting perennials in containers

Buying perennials through mail-order

Acquiring free divisions

Planting Perennials

Figuring out where to plant perennials

Deciding when to plant perennials

Preparing for the actual planting

Chapter 6: Food, Glorious Food! Growing Your Own Veggies

Varieties of Veggies

Growing vegetables by seasons

Defining hybrids

Appreciating heirlooms

Getting Your Vegetable Garden Ready

Sketching out your plan

Working with the sun: Where to plant vegetables

Using planting patterns and systems

Prepping your soil

Finding Your Vegetables

Buying seeds

Buying nursery transplants

Planting Your Vegetables

Deciding when to plant your veggies

Sowing and planting your veggies

Chapter 7: Live Long and Prosper: Giving Plants What They Need

Let There Be Light!

Facing the Fertilizer Facts

Compost: More than Just a Fertilizer

Demystifying Soil pH

Finding out your soil’s pH

Adjusting your soil’s pH

Much Ado about Mulch

Knowing your mulches

How to apply mulch

Tackling Watering Issues

Providing plants with the right amount of moisture

Determining which watering system to use

Cutting back on watering

Dealing with drainage problems

Gardening For Dummies Portable Edition

by Steven A. Frowine with the Editors of the National Gardening Association

Gardening For Dummies®, Portable Edition

Published byWiley Publishing, Inc.111 River St.Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774www.wiley.com

Copyright © 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published simultaneously in Canada

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ISBN: 978-0-470-59533-6

Manufactured in the United States of America

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Publisher’s Acknowledgments

Senior Project Editor: Georgette Beatty

Composition Services: Indianapolis Composition Services Department

Cover Photo: iStock

Introduction

Aren’t you lucky! You’re entering or are already part of the most popular and rewarding lifelong hobby that exists — worldwide. Gardening is a common language that knows no national, socioeconomic, or age boundaries. It’s a common thread that binds all of us together. Whether you’re discussing your outrageous zucchini harvest of the previous year or sharing your secret tips for prizewinning roses, you’ve probably found that gardeners have an instant bond, no matter what their level of experience.