[.ca] Don Hastings' Month-By-Month Gardening in the South: ... (ISBN 1563523299)

You'll use this book constantly. Not just for Georgians!:
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!)

Extremely Helpful!:
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!

The Perfect Gardening Book:
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!

Well organized to help you organize:
I live in Houston and often find myself frustrated by gardening advice both in books and on-line because it virtually NEVER applies to my climate. I am not a master gardener by any stretch, but I do like to keep a neat, atractive yard and to dabble in vegetable gardening on a very small scale. I immediately liked this book the minute I began flipping through it. It is organized for the entire year by month and then by type of plant (lawns, trees, shrubs, etc...), with helpful do's and dont's sprinkled throughout. There is also a section in the back, 'Pests & Problems', devoted to harmful plant insects, etc. The book has many nice pictures and is printed on glossy pages that will stand up to moderate use. What this book is NOT: This book is not a be-all-end-all resource on everything you need to know about everything, but rather a general guide to point you in the right direction and help you focus on the tasks appropriate for each month. Unless you possess an extensive knowledge of plants and gardening, you will probably need to supplement it with sources of information specific to the plants you have in your own yard. The only NEGATIVE thing I can say is that this book recommends use of dangerous chemicals for treating and fertalizing. It would have been nice if the author had included more organic and non-toxic alternatives, other than those mentioned in the section on vegetables.

Mostly good, but a few problems:
Yes, it's a good schedule. However, the writing is kind of folksy. I tire of his personal examples; doesn't he know anyone else who gardens? More illustrations or photographs would help, too. Overall, it's a good book, but certainly not a comprehensive guide to gardening.