I have a wonderful book that I found in 2004 that I enjoy and use very often. It has such wonderful little quick reads on gardening. It is actually a question and answer guide. 'The New York Times 1000 Gardening Questions and Answers' . Written using the column 'Garden Q&A' and materials by Leslie Land. It's an inviting looking book as well, a very nice bright green cover with a beautiful tulip in the center of the front cover. It looks quite large, but don't steer away from it on that account. Each subject question and answer really only populate 1 or 2 pages at most. It's a great resource to quickly find the answer to that daunting question you keep asking yourself or someone else keeps asking you.
Take all those questions folks have on hydrangeas for example: what kind of hydrangea do I have? how do I get my hydrangea blooms blue? or pink? when should I prune my hydrangea? An experienced gardener could purchase a book that is entirely about hydrangeas and enjoy obtaining detailed knowledge on the species, but most folks just want to cut to the chase and get the direct answer to their direct question, without being a plant guru. This book provides just that, a direct question with a short descriptive direct answer.
Although there is a great Table of Contents that lists topics by gardening type, I prefer to use the Index. I usually find my answer in less than a minute or two this way. The book sections are also page tabbed with 2 or 3 word sub-category description making it easy to fan thru the book and find a particular area of interest as well.
There are some very nice drawings here and there throughout the book. Typically the drawings seem to be available in cases where it's just better to show you than to try to describe in words the information you need to absorb to get it right. Roses are a good example, pruning, planting, over-wintering are all subjects that describe textually the information and offer drawings for the reader.
As an accredited organic landcare professional I find that most of the practices recommended in the book are within the guidelines we are committed to following, this is a very welcoming feature. As an example. It's January, most if not all Christmas Trees that were cut down and placed in our living rooms for the season have been removed. Most trees probably ended up at the road side waiting for some very large gas guzzling truck to pick them up and leave them at some undetermined trash site and process. The book has sections that are not questions or answers but informational/educational blocks of text highlighted with a light green background. The tip in this case is to Recycle That Tree, suggesting uses for the Tree beyond the use in the Living Room during the holidays. Don't have a garden? No problem, use the boughs on your outdoor window boxes and containers.
I'm traveling soon to attend a wedding in Florida. I plan to bring this book along with me and thumb through it adding a few more dog-ears to the pages and curl to the front cover. I so enjoy the ease of using it and the instant gratification of learning about something and/or having the answer stored in my head for the next time someone asks me their question or plea for help. I have had more than a few interesting conversations at airport gates waiting for a flight with this little big green book in my hand, and I suspect, so will you!
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