The Way We Garden Now: 41 Pick-and-Choose Projects for Planting Your Paradise Large or Small

by Katherine Whiteside

Energizing, Inspiring, Edible, and That’s what bestselling author Katherine Whiteside says gardening ought to be. Whether you have a half acre of land in the country or a tiny patch of grass in the city, whether you’re an experienced digger or you’ve never held a trowel, Whiteside offers forty-one versatile projects that will make anyone into a proud gardener.

In The Way We Garden Now , Whiteside, known as House Beautiful’s Garden Goddess, tackles every aspect of creating beautiful and personal gardens, from making a new bed to adding decorative details. Always down-to-earth, Whiteside believes that “fretting over having a perfect garden is not fun, but getting out there and accomplishing basic garden goals will always leave you happily fulfilled.” To that end, she shows how to create the garden that’s just right for you by mixing and matching projects according to your skill level, space limitations, climate, and even how much time you have. The Way We Garden Now is graced with whimsical watercolors, fun sidebars, and Whiteside’s expert tips. In five accessible sections, she teaches you how

-Get going with ten easy, manageable projects that will turn your yard into a garden while helping you master basic garden chores
-Surmount design dilemmas with solutions such
as hedges, paths, and patios
-Organize ornamentals—from containers to a
cutting garden
-Add Start a small salad garden that can evolve into an organic herb and vegetable potager
-Be a gardener for all seasons with summer bulbs, winter gardens, spring shows, and more...

With all the information about the supplies you’ll need, preparations to make, and even a helpful rating of how big an undertaking each project is, this is an indispensable book from a wise and witty mentor—a gardener who has been there and tried that.  

Genres: Gardening, Nonfiction, Reference

300 pages, Hardcover

First published February 13, 2007

Reviews

[Cassandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite gardening books to reread often. Super practical and inspiring. Step by step how-tos for everything. Lovely illustrations.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good beginners guide on how to accomplish some basic gardening tasks. I am going to do the bed preparation this year and start composting. I expect to check it out again next spring to get started on a vegetable garden.

**Spring time is here and I did check this book out again. I like all the good info on watering, fertilizing, bugs, vegetables and planning where everything will go. our compost bins are very full from the previous year and the compost ready to be spread in our garden. our garden area is also free of weeds and grass and was relatively loose considering our clay soil.

Her step by step directions are easy to understand. i especially like how she lists the project by how much work is involved. each project has a clear list of things you will need to buy and tools you will need.

i find a lot of gardening books assume a certain amount of prior knowledge. This book didn't assume that, which, as a beginner, i appreciated.

[Karina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful and inspirational. Very straightforward step by step instructions to gardening. I read it 3 times. I want to do all the projects inside. Very fun to read.

[Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

simple thoughtful steps. we can do it [of course easier to read in the winter when no digging or weeding to be done]

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good beginners guide to gardening. It has a lot of tips and projects. I liked the detail lists for each project and the fact that the author did not assume any prior knowledge when laying out the projects. I do wish the pictures would have been actual photos instead of illustrations. Some of them were not that clear. I definitely want to try several of the things in here and might have to check the book out again come spring.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book covering the basics of container gardens to large kitchen gardens. If you have to dig up a bed of grass to create your garden, read this book first for a back-saving technique...cover the grass up and let time and heat kill it, then turn it into the ground. That would've been easier for my old garden in Georgia - if only I had known!

[Alaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. The information was put together in an easy to digest manner; even a novice could take these projects on, and feel confident with the results. I enjoyed the whimsical hand-illustrated plans. I recommend this for any new gardener/homeowner/landscaper looking for inspiration. Why grow only grass when there are so many wonderful things to do with your space?

[Amy Linton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Could be subtitled, "Don't fear your garden." This reference offers design and strategy techniques for the beginning gardener, all very encouraging and cheering. In the same way that reading a cook-book might inspire you to cook -- even if not one of the recipes –– this book opens the way for thinking about working the garden.

[Blackbook · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book for beginners. It is presented in a beautiful way with watercolor illustrations. It has step by step projects and is written in clear language. It has great ideas on designing garden beds, creating compost piles, watering and organic fertilizing.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

good advice on planting perfumes, growing a salad, building a patio, houseplants, attracting birds, watering correctly and cultivating a cutting garden. I also enjoyed the compost design using bales of hay.

[adlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really like this book. Illustrations and style are great as are the projects. The author gives step by step and nothing is really over the top.

[Marla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book! Full of great, practical ideas for all types of gardening. Also has useful tips for attracting birds.

[Maribel · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is a great beginner's book for easy, straightforward new techniques to create beautiful gardens. I really liked the watercolor illustrations too.

[Sue · Rating 2 out of 5]

The best thing about this book is the very nicely done watercolor illustrations - whimsical and fun. But the book itself is quite shallow and (from my experience) not practical.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great gardening book. Simple projects and good inspiration

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

good refernce book