Gardens Books

I recently purchased this book because of the wonderful recipes that gives so much information about the finished foods: Nutrition information, daily values and diabetic exchanges. This makes the book useful for many people. The recipes require some real kitchen effort, but my results so far have been excellent. Great taste and healthy eating. This book is for people who like to cook and are comfortable in the kitchen. The processes are not complicated, but this is not short order cooking. In addition to recipes, there is a wealth of information on techniques, measurements, conversions, substitutions, and information on how to increase healthy eating in children. The first chapter discusses weight loss, but this is not just a dieter's cookbook. It is a book that teaches healthy options and then provides recipes that cover every time of day and every season of the year. My kitchen is going to be a busy place where I enjoy duplicating many of these meals, snacks, lunches, brunches, guest-worthy dinners and desserts. Nothing is lost but calories.

I have made several recipes out of this book and have only had it a month. The recipes are good and tasty whether you are dieting or not. The recipes are healthy,easy to make and just gives lots of great ideas for dinner. I enjoy cooking, but hate to figure out what to make, this book takes care of that. I have several cook books, this is now my favorite.

My mom bought this book for me and I love it!!! There is a picture for each recipe in the book (which I really like) and I have a lot of them tagged to try.

I purchased this book about two months ago & the first thing I did when I got it was to go thru all of the recipes & put a "tag" on each one I wanted to try. By the time I was done, nearly every page had a tag on it! My husband had been quite leary of meals since I switched to a healthier lifestyle last year because he believed he would have to sacrifice taste for health. With this book, it's certainly not true! He loves these recipes just as much as I do (if not more so)! It's so refreshing to have so many new recipes to try that turn out to be excellent AND healthy! After we make a meal, we then put a =) or a =( on the tag for that recipe so that we can remember if we likd it. So far, they all have =) on them! I also bought two other healthy cookbooks at the same time as this one & so far I haven't even tried anything out of the other two because I'm just loving this one so much & there's so many choices in it. I love how a lot of the recipes use fresh fruit. That is something that I never thought to cook with in the past & what a difference that fresh fruit flavor adds to food. With this new recipes, I'm excited to cook each week. I also love that they include pictures for all of them. The only suggestion I would make about this book is that I would have liked them to other side suggestions to go with the meal. The pictures do show a side for the meal but it'd be nice if the book told you what is was. One of my favorite recipes so far is the Spicy, Sweet Chili. I never would've thought to add pineapples to chili & I was a little unsure at first, but what a great flavor it gave! Buy this book, you won't be disappointed.

I've had this book for quite some time now, and have finally decided to give it a much deserved review. I buy a lot of cookbooks and a lot of them just languish on my shelf despite yummy sounding recipes. I don't really know why. Lately, I've been snapping up "healthy" cookbooks and magazines to find inspiration and clean up my family's diet. I almost didn't buy this little gem, but I am SO glad that I did. The price of the book was worth it to me just for the Light Waldorf Salad on pg. 55. I LOVE that salad... it is sooo scrumptious and completely customizable to your own tastes. Try throwing a handful of chopped dried cherries into that one. There is also a fantastic recipe for Lemon Dill Twice-Baked potatoes that I made for the first time last night. I loved them so much, I ate a half cold this morning (though I will brush the outside with a little bit of oil before baking next time). There are LOTS of recipes in this book. They all come with an inviting picture and nutrition information. I love the fact that the calorie count per serving is in large type right below the picture of the recipe. Makes it easy to determine quickly if a recipe will fit into a particular meal plan. Also, the recipes are simple... easy instructions and easy ingredients, without being bland and boring. The first few pages of the book discuss weight loss strategies and tips, exercise, and even gives a sample 14 day menu. After that there is nothing but recipes. Don't expect 'gourmet', just straightforward recipes that are satisfying, simple, and yummy. And for crying out loud, try that Waldorf!

I'm not sure I'd give this 5 stars (who am I to consider anything to be perfect?). However, Amazon suffers from grade inflation, so I have no choice but to grade on a curve. I'm a food geek and a herbivore who spends too much time thinking about food, and who owns way too many cookbooks. I received this years ago, and it's one of the most used books on my shelf--along with Mark Bittman's "How to Cook Everything," "The Joy of Cooking," and Faith Willinger's "Red White and Greens". This cheap paperback is an under-appreciated gem, and one of the few cookbooks you can actually use in the world you inhabit. It's a steal--get it.

I've been a vegetarian for many years and this is one of the first cookbooks I used. The recipes are amazing and authentic Italian. I wish they would reissue this book as I would like to buy a bunch of copies to give as gifts.

I'm not much of a cook, but I was delighted to receive this book from my friends Paola Scaravelli and Jon Cohen some years ago, and have occasionally turned to the recipes here when all other ideas fail me. It's a fantastic collection of meatless meals and other delights, and will be sure to please vegetarians, health-conscious cooks and anyone who's simply curious. A great book, even for those of us not known for our kitchen expertise.

I have tried out dozens of recipes from this charming book, none have failed. Although the recipes here are all meatless, the book rises above the genre of vegetarian cooking; my carnivor friends have not even noticed the absence of meat. There are, after all, only two kinds of cooking, bad cooking and good cooking, and this book is about good cooking.

I love looking and cooking from this book. The soups are wonderful and have spent endless reading and cooking from this gem!

Cork Silver And Gold: Four Centuries Of Craftsmanship was published to coincide with the exhibition in the Crawford Gallery Cork, but stands alone as well as the first to detail the work of Cork silversmiths and goldsmiths, and will appeal to specialty art collections. Both public and private holdings were culled for this feature: what results is a display which will serve as both a history and a reference to any dedicated jewelry student studying Cork craftsmanship.

Cork Silver And Gold: Four Centuries Of Craftsmanship was published to coincide with the exhibition in the Crawford Gallery Cork, but stands alone as well as the first to detail the work of Cork silversmiths and goldsmiths, and will appeal to specialty art collections. Both public and private holdings were culled for this feature: what results is a display which will serve as both a history and a reference to any dedicated jewelry student studying Cork craftsmanship.

Cork Silver And Gold: Four Centuries Of Craftsmanship was published to coincide with the exhibition in the Crawford Gallery Cork, but stands alone as well as the first to detail the work of Cork silversmiths and goldsmiths, and will appeal to specialty art collections. Both public and private holdings were culled for this feature: what results is a display which will serve as both a history and a reference to any dedicated jewelry student studying Cork craftsmanship.

Cork Silver And Gold: Four Centuries Of Craftsmanship was published to coincide with the exhibition in the Crawford Gallery Cork, but stands alone as well as the first to detail the work of Cork silversmiths and goldsmiths, and will appeal to specialty art collections. Both public and private holdings were culled for this feature: what results is a display which will serve as both a history and a reference to any dedicated jewelry student studying Cork craftsmanship.

Cork Silver And Gold: Four Centuries Of Craftsmanship was published to coincide with the exhibition in the Crawford Gallery Cork, but stands alone as well as the first to detail the work of Cork silversmiths and goldsmiths, and will appeal to specialty art collections. Both public and private holdings were culled for this feature: what results is a display which will serve as both a history and a reference to any dedicated jewelry student studying Cork craftsmanship.

Just got this book for my 21-month-old daughter and from the moment I took it out of the box, she loved it! Now she runs around the house saying "Counting In The Garden" to get me to read it to her (I hid it on a high shelf so that she wouldn't destroy it - it is so pretty!). The illustrations are beautiful and after I read it, I went online and purchased another copy for a friend's daughter and a box of matching notecards, too! Kim Parker is an amazing illustrator - I highly recommend the book.

Although this book is appropriate for ages 2-4ish, my 6 year-old daughter LOVES finding the garden friends hidden amongst the pages. She also loves talking about what mediums the illustrator may have used- she came up with crayola water colors!!! This book is definitly a keeper for the years to come.

My 2 year old got this as a gift from my aunt for Christmas - by far a favorite gift this year. It has such beautiful illustrations. She loves the cadence of counting so she'll go through the book on her own and "count". I love that. She relates each page to a certain number of taps on the page. I think the illustrations really help with that because they are so colorful and really keep her interest. The animals throughout are somewhat hidden in the garden and it's fun to find them all. This book is not in hardback so the pages are worn already but that's ok. It shows that it's a loved book!

This is truly a treasure....a sweet story and the most beautiful illustrations. The colors alone will make you smile.

I purchased two of these books for my granddaughters who are beyond learning to count, but certainly not beyond appreciating the beautiful illustrations by Kim Parker. This book is as pleasant for the eyes as it is to read. Highly recommend it.

OK, I give this four stars because it IS good. BUT, be careful! Jill MacKay co-authored another book on this subject. It is frustrating to purchase a "new" book only to discover that it is filled with many of the same patterns and images from another on my shelf. This book is like a rerun of McKay's part in "The Pattern Companion". For someone who has never picked up that book, this, I think, is the better choice to purchase. There are many clever ideas here - some new ones, as well. I only wish I had known that half of the book was already in my possession. I wouldn't have purchased this one.

If you have thought of exploring mosaics and want interesting and exciting new approaches and sound technique this book will do it.

I've never written a review before but I felt compelled to spread the word about this book. It's incredible! Every design featured in this book is a masterpiece of creativity. After viewing the art, I can't wait to get started on a project of my own. And the best part is that each design in the book is explained out step-by-step from materials needed to simple techniques. As if that wasn't enough, the back of the book even has templates so you can recreate the exact design if you wish. For inspiration, you can't beat this book.

This is a great book for inspiring creative ideas for making outdoor mosaics. Well written, beautifully photographed, the book shows original problem solving techniques not found in other "how-to" mosaic book...particularly in the construction of 3-D objects. Ms MacKay is a talented writer and mosiac artist.

This book is a great read for aspiring mosaic artists and for beginners. The beautiful pictures show what is possible, the text is well written, and the "how-to" part is easy to follow.
This is a book for those who want to venture beyond the commonplace in mosaics.

Lena

I bought this book because I love flowers and the challenge of creating interesting designs with the art of crochet. This book presents a wide variety of styles and techniques and the construction of each afghan varies from square motifs to strips or joining pieces as you go type of assembly.

I particularly like the square motifs, since once the technique for the square is mastered, you can work on it by memory. Small pieces are portable so that you can take your project anywhere you go. It is very satisfying to crochet, since each block that you create becomes a more refined masterpiece than the last one!

The afghans make a priceless gift for special people for weddings, birthdays, etc.

I found this book a valuable investment!!

I have owned this book since it was released and I can say that I've knit in full, or baby sized, at least 5 of these afghans. They are, by and large, simply gorgeous. The book is laid out with clear instructions written in nice large print, and each afghan enjoys a gorgeous color photo. This is the kind of book that you take to Staples to have cut and spiral bound because it's going to get a LOT of use.


From simple to opulent, traditional to mile-a-minute, you will find plenty to keep you busy within this book.

This is the best and maybe only grouping of colorful and textured afghans found in one place that I have ever seen. You can almost smell the flowers! There really is something here for everyone, for beginners all the way to advanced. I have made 3 of these and there are still some that I have to try. They dress up any room and people are always impressed that I made them.

This is one of the best books on crochet squares I own. The projects are gorgeous and I even want to make floral scarves from some patterns!!!
The only disadvantage is not having graphics, just written description of patterns.
A must have!

This book has the most amazing collection of floral afghans to be found in one book.
This book includes 48 patterns. There are patterns inspired by primroses, sunflowers, zinnias, daisies, carnations, dahlias, lavender, pansies, tulips, roses, violets and poppies, to name a few.
You will find it really hard to choose which pattern to make first.
The instructions are easy to follow and a stitch guide is included.
Each pattern is accompanied by a beautiful coloured photograph. Patterns include patchwork grannies and mile-a minutes.

This is a great book. I've found it very helpful in planning my cuttting garden. The only point that surprised me a bit was the lack of photos. There are hand drawings which are nice, but really don't convey what the flowers look like. I'd love to see a new addition with a directory of photos that corresponds to the text. Regardless, I do recommend the book.

Very good resource for learning about fall/winter gardening in Florida. There is a lot of information in it on how to cut & preserve the different flowers for arrangements. And it lists and describes which flowering plants will survive in Florida (so many won't), using the authors' firsthand experience. This book was very helpful in that way. Too bad I found out my soil is too alkaline. Hopefully, it can be improved.

Living in Florida I can vouch for the difficulties of growing just about anything in the sandy, nutrient poor, water deficient soil. Starting from that less than perfect base Betty Barr Mackey and Monica Moran Brandies walk the reader through the various things they need to know in order to grow a beautiful cutting garden. From finding the right place, to properly preparing the soil, to picking the appropriate flowers for soil, sun, and moisture conditions "A Cutting Garden for Florida" covers everything you need to know to have a successful garden. It even covers germination times, when a particular flower blooms, how long it blooms, and other information so you can make sure that when one flower goes out of season another is coming in. This is a highly recommended book for anyone dealing with the daunting task of getting flowers to grow in Florida.

A practical, precise, and unique book, essential for anyone trying to grow a floriferous garden in Central Florida's challenging climate... If you're not interested in cut flowers per se, don't be put off -- the book is an excellent reference for growing any flowers in Central Florida.

Though the title says it's for Florida, in fact the authors are pretty upfront with their geographical focus: North Florida can use any gardening book published for the Deep South, so this book concentrates on gardening in Central and, to a lesser degree, South Florida.

A Cutting Garden is not the work of horticultural experts in the narrow sense, since neither of the authors is a professional landscaper or botanist. That's by no means a criticism: Sometimes you need the wise words of experienced lovers of green things. Add that to a pretty good ear for good gardening prose and enough exactitude to please without overwhelming, and Brandies and Mackey's book fills a real niche.

The level of specificity is this book's best attribute: To a degree I've never before encountered in a gardening book for Florida, "Cutting Garden" offers exact advice on when, where and what to plant in your garden to produce plenty of blooms. They begin the book with an excellent and efficient discussion of Florida's climactic and soil conditions before offering the the whys and hows of establishing a cutting garden, intelligently treating the installation of garden beds, mulching, frost insurance, pest control. Readers will find the best seasonal guide to planting I've found for Florida (with the exception of MacCubbin's Month-by-month Gardening In Florida) and a fine section on starting plants from seeds and cutting.

Florida's humidity, heat and sun make growing Foxglove, Snapdragons, Delphinum, Stock, and many other traditional cutting flowers difficult. Mackey and Brandies advise planting many of these perennials as biennials, taking advantage of Central Florida's nearly frost-free climate to plant seedlings in November for blooms in February through June. Of course, since most of these plants aren't available in the nurseries around here, you'll have to start them as seeds. The book offers advice on specific cultivars and species, and even seed distributors.

A long chapter, the best of its kind for Florida, is devoted to bulbs that work in Central Florida's sandy, hot and nematode-prone soils. Many of these are hard-to-find or "old-fashioned" bulbs that have fallen out of favor: Sparaxis, Freesia, Camassia, Babiana, Watsonia and Tritonia. (They can be purchased through easytogrowbulbs.com, which specializes in hot-climate bulbs.) Some bulbs are practically care-free: Spraxis and Watsonia, for instance, are essentially Gladiolus, bulbs that perform well here 10 months of the year. Some of the bulbs they recommend Ranunculus and (maybe) Oxalis will have to be dug out and stored. Frankly, many of these bulbs cost less than a dollar apiece when bought in quantity -- I plan to treat them like annuals and, if they come back next year, so much the better.

Especially strong is their concentration on atypical bulbs, perennials and annuals -- plants like Candytuft, Bells of Ireland, Sweet William Catchfly, Toadflax, Laurentia, Pot Marigolds, Shoo-fly Plants, and Love in a Mist. I haven't had a chance to try any of these, but I've bought the seeds at Thompson & Morgan and Parks Seeds and already started many of them.

Since this is a book devoted to cutting gardens, every flower entry has directions on how to cut and best preserve the flowers for long vase life. The last part of the book is devoted to a discussion of flower arranging -- not my thing, personally, but the advice is good.

Some minor gripes, and then I'll have to bring this review to a close: There's practically no discussion of the garden rose -- the best flower, for cutting or otherwise, here in Central Florida. The authors admit that roses should find their way into every garden, but offer little in the way of substantive advice on choice and cultivation. For that, you'll have to turn to Barbara Oehlbeck's quirky but excellent For the Love of Roses in Florida and Elsewhere. Mackey and Brandies give short shrift to orchids, too, though they are fairly easy to grow here in Florida and make excellent cut flowers.

Finally, I haven't seen the latest edition of the book, but the second edition lacks photographs, illustrations amounting to a few sketches that aren't terribly useful. For pictures to go with the excellent text descriptions, you'll have to look on the web (Dave's Garden is a great place to start) or in other books (Florida Gardener's Guide by Georgia Tasker and Tom MacCubbin has the best, most useful illustrations for Florida flora that I've found).

Simply fabulous is the word for this book and not only for those gardeners who live in Florida! A Cutting Garden For Florida was written to help those who live there learn to extend the season and be able to grow plants for bouquets in both the warm and cool seasons however a gardener in the northern states could just as easily adapt the information to their specific climate.

This is one of the few gardening books that has kept me intrigued enough to not want to put it down until I was finished with it. Also it does contain a lot of basic information about seed starting, choosing a site and other information a more advanced gardener would already know I would still highly recommend this book as there is information that even they may not know.

The book goes on to give specific details about various plants that make excellent cut flowers, as well as tips for drying the bouquets and basic flower design techniques.

This one is definitely up there on my list of books you simply must have regardless of where you live but if you live in Florida you simply cannot do without this one!

As of date, built the cedar lattice & pine bracket birdhouse illustrated on the cover. I enjoy working with cedar, using cheap cedar fencing which I put through a planner bringing out a smooth nice wood grain finish. A coat of Tung Oil further brings out the wood grain and seals the wood.
Electric tools I used were bandsaw, drill press, 12" planner and belt sander.
The instructions are easy to follow. All 20 birdhouses are of unique design and easy to make. I will probably make most of these just to add variety and color to my yard.

The adjective that leaped to mind when I firsst read Designer Birdhouses by Richard T. Banks was: impressive. This book is a visual phenomenon...with instuctions. Whether one is a master carpenter unequalled or a would-be carpenter challenged by a hammer and nail, Designer Birdhouses is unrivaled in its beautiful illustrations, ease of understanding as well as clarity of instructions. In a brief perusal of the book, it becomes readily apparent that Banks executed a brilliant accomplishment in his ability to tie together the relationship between birds and their nesting habits. This relationship is imbedded in the many birdhouse designs.
Banks is a professional architect, author and artist. There is some evidence in the pages of Designer Birdhouses that he has accepted Southern culture, language and some of the humor, e.g. in the design element called "Baffles" he wrote "it's from below that you need to thwart those clinbing critters." For the unfamiliar, "climbing critters" may be squirrels, possums or cats. Later on, in forgiving the would-be carpenter's faulty transgressions he wrote "birds are creatures of he wild...they don't go about measuring holes or potential nesting boxes. So, Mr. spprentice, stop worrying about your mistakes.
Designer Birdhouses covers all aspects of design, building and placement of the completed birdhouse. Note the clever idea of starting many of the designs with a "basic box". this concept would show the apprentice carpenter that he has the ability to recognize and build a "basic box" then move forward with various design embellishments. To assist the apprentice carpenter even further, Banks asks the question, "What makes a good birdhouse?" He answers that question in simple relevant terms. Wow! What more can one ask for in a specialty book such as Designer Birdhouses.
Designer Birdhouses sets a new standard and ranks in the summa cum laude category. It would make a wonderful gift for bird enthusiasts as well as do-it-yourselfers and other hobbyists.

I can't believe this book didn't come up as one of the first when I was looking for birdhouse building ideas. If you like contemporary innovative designs this is the book for you. The designer is an architect and it shows in the original designs. Colorful photos and detailed instructions. I highly recommend.

I recieved this book as a christmas present and I love it. It's really easy to follow, the pictures and diagrams are wonderful. My favorite birdhouse is the Board and Batton Shingle house. I recommend this book if you enjoy interesting and stylish birdhouses.

One of the most memorable gifts you can give a child, a friend or someone special in your life, is a handmade birdhouse. We have two right outside our back den windows and we have enjoyed many special moments watching the families of birds come and go, from one season to the next.

Both of ours were handmade by an uncle from Maine, so I was delighted to come upon this book by Richard T. Banks to buy and send on to him as he continues to make more birdhouses for the next generation of children in our family.

The author's background as an architect is evident in the twenty elegant, simple-to-build designer birdhouse projects he touts as "Upscale homes for sophisticated birds." He devotes the introductory text to "Basic Tools and Materials," "Building the Basic Box" and "From basic to Not-So-Basic" and starts off with: "Building a birdhouse is not exactly rocket science, and you don't need a workshop filled with expensive power tools and hard to find materials to be successful..." Very practical !

A photograph of each birdhouse with a brief commentary as to where the inspiration for the design came from begins each section, followed by careful instructions regarding supplies needed, decorating, and tools, along with easy-to-understand step-by-step instructions on how the construct that partcular design.

For me, however, the real "wow" factor is in the photography and diagrams - Wow! This is an absolutely beautiful book ! The color photography is superb, well-placed and offers a soothing presence to the text.

While Banks states that he wants readers to explore and experiment, interchanging the designs, changing the colors, and so forth -- my thinking is that his designs are so beautifully done, it would be doubtful that one would want to deviate!

This book is a perfect gift for the man who loves to build things and work with his hands, esp. as a birthday or Christmas gift. Also, it's a great acquisition for public libraries and high school libraries with a vocational education program.

R. Neil Scott
Middle Tennessee State University

can not wait to get started on the stockings....the patterns can be used for all ages...which is a good thing as I make them for my grandchildren

The Stocking Collection of Donna Kooler's is a fantastic book, recommending to everyone who likes cross stitching.

This book is great. Many good ideas for making Cross Stitch Christmas Stockings. Excellent pictures and directions. Could use more books like this one. Thank You.

One of my hobbies is cross-stitching Christmas stockings. This book of Donna Kooler's offers superb patterns. Victoria from MA

Great book! Has many sort after stockings with charts.

I love this book. I went to a class at the Arbor Gate Nursery and Dr Welsh was the speaker. He is so enthusiastic and knowledgable about gardening. This book has all the info you need for Texas gardening. It is well written and the illustrations are beautiful.

This book is an excellent resource for the less experienced gardener. It provides location specific information making it a very useful tool. Tried to use few others first without much satisfaction, but LOVED this book. The organization of topics and by month make it incredibly user friendly.

This is a very helpful book for Texas gardeners. The format is user friendly and it would be a great addition to anyone's gardening library.

I like the layout of this book. I read it cover to cover within the first week but have continued to use it as a reference. I like the month-by-month layout and it covers the majority of topics that a Texas gardener wants to know about. It's sort of like combining the best parts of several books...and the format is easy to read and is slightly humerous. The book covers several areas of Texas, so no matter where you live the book covers your area. There are some topics where I wanted more depth, so I used the internet or library to find more detailed information. This book also debunked some of the theories I had learned about specific gardening methods...old wives tales that were truly tales. All said, I would purchase this book again and recommend it for novice to experienced gardeners (stopping short of master gardeners, but they're the ones writing the books anyway).

Excellent book! Very beneficial to both long-term and novice gardeners.

Excellent format and the month to month guide is very useful.

Great choice.