California Gardener's Handbook: Your Complete Guide: Select - Plan - Plant - Maintain - Problem-solve

by Bruce Asakawa, Sharon Asakawa

The California Gardener’s Resource is filled with need-to-know information from popular gardening experts who include their collective wisdom in one complete guide. In addition to the hundreds of proven plants, this resource has monthly-to do calendars assisting gardeners with the proper care and timing for everything from planting to watering. Water-wise plant selections and advice on gardening with less water addresses the challenges of gardening in California.

Genres: Gardening

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[Bridget · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s a starting place, a guide with a desire to cover the vast topic. They offer a pictographic of plant benefits for each plant description. Topic chapters open with a general discussion and how to plant followed by multiple plants with excellent closeup pictures of each topic and finishes w a What to do for each month break down. My only gripe was there just didn’t seem a great deal of native plants offered.

[Leanna · Rating 2 out of 5]

If plant choices for California is a priority, this book is good for that. I wish more gardening books would show plants, shrubs, flowers, etc from a distance as well as a close-up picture. This book is filled with mostly close-up pictures except when the item is so big, a close-up doesn't help (like a tree). There are tons of close-up pictures, which was awesome. I was also hoping since it was a planning type book that it would cover some different landscape design examples. There were suggestions with each plant, but I like looking at yards, and how people incorporate plants into yards, not just individual plants. For that reason, it was a disappointment for me. Maybe I have read too many garden books by now for me to be an objective critic of a garden book. They all start looking alike, where had this book been my introduction, I would probably rate it with more stars. I think there may be a relative of this author on You Tube that is a wealth of information for California gardening. That's originally why I chose this book (same last name).

[Cherie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not as useful as I had hoped; a bit dated and I am always seeking on pests like rabbits and squirrels, not insect pests (and I know many others in other areas of CA have deer issues).

[Maria Jansson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am re-reading this book, as I found it most helpful. It doesn’t go very deep into any areas of gardening, but gives a great overall view. Taught me about many plants I was unfamiliar with. A great book to have in your personal library.