Month by Month Gardenin

I have a small collection of general audience books, and I was looking for one tailored to my neck of the woods. I have only owned a home for two years, so keeping up a yard was new to me. I had gardened in the past at my parent's but never been in charge of it all (lawn, trees, shrubs, mulch, flowers, etc.). This book makes it all seem so easy! My yard is looking better in the six months I've been reading this book, and I have no doubt that it will be spectacular next spring thanks to the Hastings' wise book layout!

This is EXACTLY the book I've needed for years and didn't know about! I'm so glad to have found it. Now I know exactly when to do all my gardening tasks and HOW to do them! This book includes great month by month instructions on what a Southern gardener should be doing. It also includes fabulous instructions on how to do many tasks [like pruning!] that I really had no good idea how to do correctly. I love gardening and I'm so happy to have this book - I'm finding it exceptionally useful! This book is money well spent!

I own an embarrassingly large number of gardening books, some of them quite wonderful. But this one has quickly become my favorite, for many reasons. In it, the experience and wisdom of Don Hastings have been paired with the insights of his son, Chris, who realized that the month-by-month format would be a godsend for many gardeners, especially younger ones who are overwhelmed by books that take an encyclopedic approach. The photographs are superb (finally, I am able to recognize some of the common pests in my garden!). The advice, which is understandable and pleasant to read without being simplistic, is as useful for Northern Virginians like me as it is for those in the deep south. But I think my favorite thing about Don and Chris Hastings' book is the same thing I appreciate about my favorite cookbooks: rather than merely telling you what to do, they tell you WHY you are doing it, and explain the reasons behind each piece of advice. By sharing their understanding in this way, they help the reader to become a knowledgeable gardener rather than simply a memorizer and follower of instructions. (Plus, the book turns gardening into a year-round pleasure, rather than something you look forward to beginning in March!)

Although I very much enjoy books that simply educate me about certain plants, I am not able to remember all I need to know in a regular, timely fashion. This book, with its month to month format, overcomes that by reminding me to weed-n-feed my lawn, prune my summer flowering shrubs, plant bare root roses, and spray my fruit trees -- all in one chapter entitled, "March"! Also, great reading and pictures! Along with my Southern Living Garden Problem Solver book, I don't need any other gardening books!

Being new to the south and the Director of Grounds for a school in NW Georgia that has ALOT of property to keep up, I have found this book to be indispensible! I have learned much and keeping up with the longer growing season has been easy with this book to guide and teach me. I am planning to add all of the Hastings' books to my library.