The Gardening Book: An Accessible Guide to Growing Houseplants, Flowers, and Vegetables for Your Ideal Garden

British gardener and host of BBC’s Gardeners’ World, Don (The Complete Gardener) offers a wide-ranging overview of gardening practices in his latest book, complete with step-by-step instructions and lovely color photographs. He begins with garden styles, soils, and tools, followed by general guidelines for growing vegetables, herbs, and fruits. He discusses growing annuals from seed, as well as planting and dividing various flowering plants, including bulbs, dahlias, bearded iris, lilies, and other perennials. There’s also information about planting trees and lawns and a short section each about how to create a wildlife-friendly garden and how to cultivate houseplants. He concludes by touching on pruning, propagating, and composting, plus mention of weeds, pests, and diseases. The book’s “Job Chart” lists garden tasks and when to perform them. While measurements and temperatures are listed in U.S. units, the timing of tasks reflects Don’s region in England. Note too that some of the book’s suggested plant varieties are not readily available in the United States and that it recommends purple loosestrife, which is considered an invasive plant in much of the U.S.