|
- Still armchair gardening this week after all the recent rain. Isn’t it
great to see SA Water deprived of some income, however small? Time to read
and be inspired.
- I regularly get asked to recommend a book that is a good basic reference
to a new gardener and was recently asked to recommend one for a keen12 year
old gardener. Honestly since our daily papers are written to be understood
by 12 year olds, I would not be splitting hairs over their reading
comprehension, especially in the garden. If parting with $90.00 doesn’t
worry you, "Botanica’" by Random House, is a very sound A-Z
investment that details many subjects you may want to grow. It is rather
weak on annuals, lawns, fruit and vegetables though, so the "Yates
Garden Guide" by A&R fills the gaps for about $20.00.
- If you only take your gardening information in small bytes on the small
screen, then the CD-ROM "Botanica Plus" by Beaver Multimedia at
$29.95 is excellent. This is not the same CD-ROM that was included with the
above book as a freebie, this one whirls.
- If roses are you passion, then the "Combined Rose List 2001" by
Beverley Dobson and Peter Schneider is 194 pages of every rose cultivar in
the world (including our local cause roses) listing their universal
registration names, synonyms and cross referenced to "Modern
Roses". It sells for US$19.50 from Peter Schnider PO Box 677 Mantua
Ohio 44255 USA. I send US$25 in crisp greenback bills (that covers postage)
each year and it arrives quickly.
- For the digitally connected "Botanica Roses" on CD-ROM is cute
and ‘on special’ around town at about $60.00 that includes the hard
cover book of 700 pages.
- If you are a mail order shopper, then "The Aussie Plant Finder
2001/2002" by Margaret Hibbert in a Florilegium imprint is a gem. Soft
cover 410 pages detailing where to find over 30,000 hard to find plants, not
your common everyday garden plants. It lists catalogues galore and many are
free!
|
