Gardening Books > John Evans Gardening Books

Advantages: Great pictures, lots of information on individual plants, rare exoctics and old favourites all in one book
Disadvantages: Not for someone who wants general information on houseplants

...the plant world, John Evans’s 100 Great Houseplants is a definite must for anyone starting or adding to a collection of greenery to brighten the home. The book illustrates the hundred most popular plants on sale at today’s nurseries, garden centres and supermarkets, which include those most people know of and a few newer less widely appreciated varieties (my personal favourites) that anyone could try growing at home. Although the book ...
...your local discount book store at a more acceptable price – that’s where I got mine from. The book is of very high quality and divides the plants into four different sections Foliage Plants, Bromeliads, Ferns and Flowering plants. When you look at the sections you may feel that it may have been a waste of time using the Bromeliads and Fern sections as there are only four plants described in each section. I would have lumped them into ... Read review

Advantages: Lovely and clear and well written. Includes every part of life and home.
Disadvantages: Sadly no diagrams/photos

...about vacuuming the floors or how clean the windows look, the book goes further into your home. Helping you to organise areas in your life as well as your wardrobe. Covering household tasks like the laundry to the household bills and finances. It covers pests and diseases and stain removal. How to entertain for Christmas and parties and how to be prepared for emergencies. Sadly there are no diagrams to refer to but the book is well written and does ... Read review

Advantages: Quick and easy flick through with handy hints and ideas
Disadvantages: No illustrations or diagrams

Smart little hand-held book full of quick tips and tips to get your housework done. A mini reference book for those who dont want to be overwhelmed by all the housekeeping in one go. Although there are no diagrams or illustrations. The "10 minute Housekeeping" book gives out money and time saving tips, how to make your own cleaners and ideas on how to prevent your home getting messy to begin with, also Eco-friendly solutions and advice on allergies ... Read review

Advantages: Accurate Descriptions and Illustrations
Disadvantages: Small text

...and Europe What is it? Collins Tree Guide is a book that describes over 1500 trees. This is the largest single-volume ever included in a field guide. The book has a black cover with white and gold text with a solitary tree illustrated in the centre of the cover. The book is stunning and feels like a prized possession in your hand. The cover is very well designed but we all know the saying, never judge a book by the cover! Inside the book ...
...I have never found a Collins Guide that has poor illustrations and this book is no exception. The Illustrations are very accurate and every species is portrayed in fine detail. Seasonal changes are considered along with flowers and fruit. (N.B. in botanical terms fruit refers to the seed). Summary I think it fair to say that this is a very comprehensive guide to the trees of Britain and Ireland. The author acknowledges that not all trees could ... Read review

Advantages: An inspiring guide to organic kitchen gardening in small spaces
Disadvantages: The author's garden is a hard act to follow

The Edible Container Garden is written for people who want to grow their own healthy fruit and vegetables, but only have a small space in which to do so. It's written by a man, Michael Guerra, who has done just that - and you can see exactly how because the author has included photos of his suburban garden, a plan and a description of how the garden evolved over the first few years. This is a book about organic gardening. Chapter 1 takes you through ...
...making a proper design for the garden. Next there is everything you need to know about soil and compost, water and containers. Hard landscaping is also covered and there's advice on keeping your garden as low maintenance as possible. Chapter 2 is more eclectic, with sections on tools, pruning and supporting structures, but also on techniques like catch cropping and rotation. Various types of garden are examined (roofs, windowsills, patios, balconies) ... Read review