Do you need a book to help you with the basics?..
I found one. But it is glaring example of how a publisher can get its sticky fingerprints all over a good idea. Starting with the cover of Time-saving Gardener, by Carolyn Hutchinson (Firefly) the image is not what would compel me to pick it off a shelf crammed with deliciously pretty garden books.
First off, it looks like it should be a book about starting plants from seed - heavy on the botany, low on the entertainment factor. But the cover image has little, or nothing to do with the contents inside.
The title, Time-saving Gardener? All wrong. Experienced gardeners already know how to cut a few corners and get things done.
I would call it, “The Basics by Season”, “The Illustrated Gardener”, “Digging for Dummies” although anything Dummies is probably trademarked.
Because the inside of the book is very good. Especially for a newbie. Unlike the cover photograph, the inside is an illustrated guide, arranged by season, that shows you how to do just about everything that needs to get done outdoors.
Don’t know what a sucker is or what to do with it even if you did? This book couldn’t make subjects such as suckers more clear. Ditto for every other subject.
Hurray to Hutchinson for a solid book for beginners. Boo to Firefly for the mucked-up cover and misleading title. Buy the book anyway.
