great for beginner and those with gardening knowledge.

A great book at a good price.Ideal for the first time greenhouse owner aswell as experanced owners.
It has advice on what to grow, pests and how to treat them.great advice all-round.

Fantastic easy to understand read

I bought this book as I'm a novice to greenhouse gardening. This book is a must for others like me. It is written in an easy to understand manner and is structured so that you can pick out the sections you want or need without having to wade through endless pages of the stuff you don't want - not that there are any pages in the book that are surplus to requirements! The illustrations and photographs are very helpful too. The author doesn't use jargon or techno speak beyond the understanding of beginners and manages to instill the belief that greenhouse gardening is quite achievable for anyone who wants to have a go. Full of tips on what you need and don't need to buy also. An excellent book overall.

I'm sorry but it didn't inspire me

I bought this book following on from all the rave reviews it got. Granted it gives practical advice and reasons for clearing clutter, it is well written and a convenient size so worthy of 4 stars, however, unlike the other reviewers, it did not inspire me to start clearing clutter which was the main reason I had bought this book in the first place.

Months later it is on my bookshelf along with How Clean is Your House, Life Laundry etc. Like most people who live in clutter I want to change and in desperation I searched Amazon for something that would actually inspire me and came across 'Sink Reflections'. Whilst the writing (very American) and references to God breezes can be a bit syrupy, the content actually works. After reading the opening chapters I got up and started clearing clutter with amazing results. Whilst Clearing Clutter with Feng Shui no doubt works for the vast majority, I found the quirky Sink Reflections gave me better inspiration and dramatic results in a short space of time.

Good improvements in this 4th edition of a popular text

This new edition of a core text for students of horticulture is welcomed. The addition of colour plates is helpful and the layout has generally improved. I think the book does a difficult job well as the subject is huge and it must be very difficult to decide what to leave out and how much depth to go to. I'm hoping it will help me with the RHS Advanced Cerificate exam.

a pretty little book but do you need two?

This book is a recycling of Cath Kidstons' original book 'Vintage Style' so dont make the mistake loads of others have by buying both and being really dissapointed (me included!)

By recycling I mean it's basicaly exactly the same book, same text, same pictures but a smaller,cheaper, paperback version with a different cover.

Having said that, it is great and you should read the reviews for her Vintage Style book to get a better idea of what you are buying!

Excellent advice and motivation

Given that I’m currently living in a flat several floors above the earth, I have to do my gardening vicariously these days … largely through reading and reviewing books. My present situation is one of choice - I don’t have time to maintain the garden I’d want. And my reason for advocating that we should all do a bit of garden is that it is relaxing and plays a vital role in making you feel a connection with the world and life. Even if you don’t have a garden, you can keep pot plants and window boxes, can enjoy seeding and taking cuttings and growing your own herbs and a few salad vegetables.

Alan Titchmarsh has established himself as the face and voice of gardening. He has served his apprenticeship, has done all the cold, dirty, wet jobs, and spent most of his life working with the soil. He has the experience, he has undoubted practical knowledge, and he has an extraordinarily warm and communicative personality which regularly graces television. His"The Complete How to be a Gardener" is a first class guide for anyone wanting practical advice.

"The Gardener’s Year", meanwhile, supplements and extends this earlier title. Gardening is intimately bound to the seasons and the weather. To garden successfully, you have to plan ahead, have to visualise. Those beautiful blooms or that rich crop of potatoes didn’t happen over night. You have to time things, prepare the ground at the right time, plant at the right time, prune, feed, stake, weed at the right time.

Titchmarsh looks at the routines of gardening, the planning of gardening. It’s a good book to buy at Christmas so you can map out your year ahead. What do you want from your garden? Colour? Wildlife? A year round harvest of vegetables? Much television latterly has emphasised garden design - but planning your gardening, getting the jobs into the right order is really the essential factor. And planning should be a joy - sitting on a cold, wet January night and imagining the bulbs in bloom, or the taste of fresh picked strawberries, or whatever … that’s one of the real joys of gardening.

Excellent package, loads of first class advice, but also a book which should motivate and enthuse you. A book to enjoy and use … but enjoy it first.

Excellent for beginners and experts alike

I borrowed a couple of books in the series a few years ago when we first started our garden. They really are excellent value, and it's much easier to garden with them than without. I've only ever seen them in garden centres so far, so I'm well-chuffed that they've appeared on Amazon. Now I just have to persuade people to give me the ones I want as presents. Wahey!

It relies too heavily on the artwork.

It seems that the author relies heavily on the startling photograhy in this book, perhaps he should concentrate his efforts elsewhere, as the text is neither here nor there.
I could not tune into this lacklustre offering at all.

a pretty little book but do you need two?

This book is a recycling of Cath Kidstons' original book 'Vintage Style' so dont make the mistake loads of others have by buying both and being really dissapointed (me included!)

By recycling I mean it's basicaly exactly the same book, same text, same pictures but a smaller,cheaper, paperback version with a different cover.

Having said that, it is great and you should read the reviews for her Vintage Style book to get a better idea of what you are buying!

Very well written descriptions of how plants work

Reading about botany bores me (which is strange for someone who loves growing plants for a living), but I LOVE this book. When I was studying for the RHS Advanced Certificate in Horticulture (a Level 3 qualification) it provided just the right level of detail, well explained. Some great, simple diagrams clarify heavy subjects and the few pictures taken through microscopes are fascinating. There's no waffle, just facts.

If, like me when I started, you have very little knowledge of botany, you may find that 'Principles of Horticulture' by Adams, Bamford & Early is a better starting point. I used to read a chapter in PoH for the basics and then turn to Capon for a more satifactory level of detail.
Capon became the"Bible" of our botany class and we referred to it constantly as we struggled to understand and retain the botanical knowledge we needed.

Most useful book I've seen on hot climate gardening

The great thing about this book is that it gives at-a-glance lowest temperatures in centigrade and fahrenheit that each plant will tolerate - very important if you are planting in the Vaucluse or other frost-bitten areas of southern France. Most other books have complicated numbering systems for cold/heat tolerance information.This book is beautiful to look at and has separate easy reference chapters for trees,shrubs and flowers. Definitely number one on my shelf.

An excellent guide to growing fruit by the RHS

I have found this to be an invaluable book which I have used together with the Fruit Expert by Dr Hessayon. The latter is in full colour and is probably a superior guide to choosing your fruit trees and bushes with descriptions, colour pictures and ratings of lots of varieties. The RHS book is aimed at the planting, pruning and care of your fruits once chosen (although it does have short descriptions of the more popular varieties but no pictures of them). This book is in black and white and one other colour but this doesn't really detract from the numerous beatiful drawings. It has comprehensive detail with illustrations on planting and long term care of your fruit trees/ bushes. In particular it has illustrations of pruning for each fruit and each year of growth of that fruit in each of the growing styles available (eg illustrations of how to prune maiden, 2yr, 3yr, 4yr old trees, cordons, fans, pyramids, espaliers for apples with different illustrations for each fruit covered). This scores significantly over the fruit expert book which is much more limited in this regard with very generalised pruning techniques which you have to try and extrapolate to different types of fruit and different years of growth.
In summary an excellent book once you have chosen which variety to plant.

a good book for a complete beginner

This book is not what I after (I was after a book that is concentrating more on the structure of a vegetable plot). However, it does have a good guide on growing basic vegetables like carrots, potatoes, salad leaves etc...

There are quite a few receipes in this book but personally do not find them useful but some ideas are cool though!

If you buy only one garden book this year, this should be it

Oudolf has an approach to plant form and function that make other design books look strictly two dimensional. He creates moods, mysticism, and makes us re-think why we appreciate natural beauty. With no disrespect intended, this book makes most of the classic British garden designers look, well, like they lived in the 19th century.

I recently bought this for a friend and signed it:"the only garden book you really need"

Good, although I found diagrams a little confusing for an inexperienced sewer

As the other reviewers say, this is a good book. It has inspirational pictures and ideas and descriptions of how to measure and make blinds and curtains for windows and also cushions. I have found some of the diagrams and descriptions a little difficult to follow, which is why I have given it 4 stars, but I am an inexperienced sewer.