Clueless in the Garden: A Guide for the Horticulturally Helpless

by Peter Cook and Yvonne Cunnington

Have you always wanted to fill your summer with flowers, herbs and vegetables, but feel cursed with a brown thumb? Do you think about turning that empty corner of your yard into a cultivated delight,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1552634094
• ISBN13: 9781552634097
• Release Date: February 2003
• Publisher: Key Porter Books
• Length: 200 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.

Customer Reviews

All the basics

This is a great book for the new gardener. It covers just about all the bases with a light and witty touch. It makes gardening seem so straightforward that no-one will be put off thinking it's too difficult or too complex. While the writer focusses mostly on gardening in cooler climates, the principles are much the same for gardening in most climate zones. Her information is really up-to-date on recent studies, especially in the area of lawn maintenance.This book covers the basics of gardening, from soil and climate to understanding botanical names, weeds, shade plants and veggies. The information is presented in small, easily digested chunks, often in point form, much like the "For Dummies" books, but with a lighter touch. It's packed with good, solid information; a down-to-earth guide written by an enthusiastic gardener.

Terrific advice for the beginning gardener

Yvonne Cunnington writes in a very direct and to-the-point manner, giving lots of practical gardening advice from many years of figuring it all out for herself. The book covers a wide range of topics, from soils and hardiness zones to proper watering, lawn care, growing and pruning of trees and shrubs, flower and vegetable gardening and much, much more. I really like the chapter called To Everything There Is a Season: What to Do When. This goes through the gardening year and offers advice on putting your energy into projects of a timely nature. In other words... making your efforts count! I'm not a beginning gardener, but one thing I feel I now have permission to do from Yvonne is to be ruthless about moving or REMOVING shrubs that are too large for where they grow. It's high time I got around to that, and now I know when and how to go about it. This book is aimed at beginners but is also a good reminder for more seasoned gardeners. All in all, this book is an excellent starting point for brand new gardeners, especially those who live in zones 4 to 6 of Central Canada or the Midwestern USA. By the way, I rate this with four stars for one simple reason: including color photographs to demonstrate certain things like pruning shrubs (before and after pictures) would have made "Clueless in the Garden" an even better all-round reference.

Simple, Informative Fun to Read Gardening Guide

This is the first gardening book I've encountered that's easy and fun to read, yet just as educational is your garden-variety how-to garden book. You'll see yourself in the many humorous personal anecdotes about learning by trial and error to become a confident gardener. This book is geared to beginners but is also a great, handy up-to-date gardening reference for the experienced gardener. I recommend it for people who want an attractive yard but who don't have time for exhaustive research or a lot of work to make it look that way. The book presents useful information about working with the climate, soil and yard that you have instead of fighting Mother Nature. There are lots of tips for plant selection, watering, lawn care, planting tricks, composting, etc. A great gift for someone about to start their very first garden.

Makes Learning about Gardening Fun!

The first gardening book I've encountered that is easy and fun to read yet, just as or more educational than your garden-variety how-to garden book! I would recommend it for homeowners who want an attractive yard but who don't have a lot of time to do exhaustive research or work to make it look that way. The book is chock-full of helpful facts and presents very useful information about working with the climate, soil, yard that you have instead of fighting Mother Nature. There are lots of simple tips for plant selection, watering, lawn care, planting tricks, composting, etc. You'll see yourself in the many humorous personal anecdotes about how one learns by trial and error to become a confident gardener. This book is geared to beginners but is also a great, handy up-to-date gardening reference for the experienced gardener.

This book is a terrific guide for brand new gardeners!

Yvonne writes in a very direct and to-the-point manner, giving lots of practical gardening advice from many years of figuring it all out for herself. The book covers a wide range of topics, from soils and hardiness zones to proper watering, lawn care, growing and pruning of trees and shrubs, flower and vegetable gardening and much, much more.I really like the chapter called "To Everything There Is a Season: What to Do When". This goes through the gardening year and offers advice on putting your energy into projects of a timely nature. In other words... making your efforts count!I'm not a beginning gardener, but one thing I feel I now have permission to do from Yvonne is to be ruthless about moving or REMOVING shrubs that are too large for where they grow. It's high time I got around to that, and now I know when and how to go about it.This book is aimed at beginners but is also a good reminder for more seasoned gardeners, and it's packed with so much information that anybody is bound to pick up more than a few great tips. It is going to be particularly useful to gardeners living in hardiness zones 4 to 6 in Central Canada and the Midwestern USA.By the way, the only reason I didn't rate this book with 5 stars is because of the lack of color photos, which might well have added an extra educational dimension. The artwork and diagrams, however, are attractive and useful -- a nice touch to the overall look of this book.