Product Description
Just in time for planting comes this profusely illustrated, immensely practical, and very different approach to gardening-fit for novices and seasoned green thumbs alike.
Most homeowners design their gardens as little decorative plots set amid expanses of green lawn. Europeans, on the other hand, have long understood the value of making the most of what the land has to offer, emphasizing a garden’s potential for year-round productivity and beauty. This highly… More >>
#1 by Hazel Watson on May 15, 2010 - 9:32 pm
I’ve had this book for awhile, so don’t remember what I paid for it, but I’m sure it was worth it, because it’s loaded with useful information for anyone who wants to make full use of yard space.
Edible landscaping certainly does that, and he tells you how you can do it by showing examples and explaining how you can make up your own plan.
If only he would do the digging and planting…
but aside from that, if you’re serious, this is a good book to read and to keep for future reference. You’ll never be sorry you bought it.
Rating: 5 / 5
#2 by C. Brown on May 16, 2010 - 12:03 am
Invaluable resource when it comes to planting and designing a nice-looking yard that you can eat. The front half of the book outline basic design and growing concepts, the back half an index of about every edible plant you can imagine with its growing needs, a detailed description, and size and shape information. Pick up a copy, because I’m not loaning out mine!
Rating: 5 / 5
#3 by N. Hattori on May 16, 2010 - 1:56 am
It is a wonderful book that bridges the traditional landscape designs and the newer permacultural designs. It is great for those who want to incorporate edible plants in to their garden while maintaining the focus on overall beauty, and do not have the need to maximize their garden food production. Sample designs are mostly formal. It dedicates about 60 pages to how to design your landscape. It gives lots of details in an easy-to-understand language even for the first-time home landscapers. Recommended plants are categorizes by size, which is very helpful. The author spends one page for many of the plants with multiple illustrations, and gives lots of info that are sometimes hard to find in other books. It also covers pruning and disease control.
I would’ve given it 5 stars if I lived in the East coast or even in the Mid West. I live in USDA Zone 9, and the book does not include plants that would do wonderfully here. I also wish that included permacultural concepts. However, there is still much in this book that can be applied to Zones 9 and 10, thus the 4-star.
Rating: 4 / 5
#4 by H+E on May 16, 2010 - 4:40 am
Nice illustrations (no photos), and good information on each plant such as size, time to first crop, texture – information helpful for both design and production.
Rating: 4 / 5
#5 by Julie Sargent on May 16, 2010 - 6:48 am
I bought this book because I am interested in adding a few fruit trees and have heard a few intriguing mentions of edible landscaping. This book is excellent. I read it straight through when I received it. The illustrations are gorgeous and the book is laid out in a very thoughtful progression. There is a wealth of practical information on particular cultivars, specific zone information, and even details on which nurseries you can purchase particular cultivars at. There are a number of nurseries mentioned; the book treats them fairly. Thorough, consistent and clear details on each plant. The book introduced me to a number of fruit trees and fruit-bearing shrubs I was unfamiliar with. Basic landscape design information and good pruning information is included as well. The book also has some very inspiring and beautifully illustrated sample plans. I am very happy with this purchase and would recommend it to anyone interested in fruit and nut trees, edible landscaping, or vegetable gardening.
Rating: 5 / 5