Annuals for Every Purpose: Choose the Right Plants for Your Conditions, Your Garden, and Your Taste

by Larry Hodgson

Book Overview

Hot on the heels of the best-selling Perennials for Every Purpose , this new book has the same goal in mind-- to make growing annuals easier by presenting them in the way you use them in the garden.... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 087596916X
• ISBN13: 9780875969169
• Release Date: August 2003
• Publisher: Rodale Books
• Length: 416 Pages
• Weight: 2.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 7.1" x 8.8"

Customer Reviews

My Favorite

This is by far the most useful book on growing annual flowers that I own. Very few books provide the information needed for those of us who prefer to grow our flowers from seed. He covers all the common flowers as well as many unusual and rarely heard of flowers.

All About Annuals

Some gardeners tend to look down their nose at annuals. I've seen T-shirts with the saying "Friends don't let friends buy annuals". Planting annuals sometimes seems like owning a mongrel dog on a street where all the other dogs have pedigrees. Well, I have a mongrel dog and I plant annuals, so I was happy to see Larry Hodgson's detailed and careful book "Annuals for Every Purpose".Annuals are those wonderful little plants that bloom their little hearts out every growing season, being humbly content to be poked into what otherwise would be a bald spot in your garden. Still, I think many writers would think it below their dignity to produce a book about them. Larry hodgson, however, a well-known garden writer and lecturer, has produced a knowledgeable and down-to-earht book on the topic. It's one of quite a long list of books he has written, and sister to "Perennials for Every Purpose". Like that book this is very readable for the novice, but quite detailed enough for the more experienced gardener.Hodgson is an old hand at presenting gardening information and this shows in the competent way he organizes his material. The first part is titled "Annual Gardening Made Easy" and it covers all you need to know from preparing the site to designing with annuals and keeping them alive.The second part helps you choose the best annuals for your purpose or needs. You look at the Table of Contents to select the purpose - drought-reistant perhaps, or giants for the back of the garden - then look through that section to select the annual you think will do best. To help with your decision the writer lists basic information such as height, spread and hardiness for each species, and gives you growing tips, lists pests and diseases andgives you some recommended varieties and ideas for neighbouring plants.Annuals for Every Purpose has a source list and a list of recommended reading. Kudos to Rodale for publishing a beautifully illustrated and informative book on this topic.

A Must Have for a New Gardener

As a novice gardener, I have found this book to be an invaluable resource. When I'm not studying it at home and planning my next flower bed, it is in my tote bag going to the local nurseries with me. When I find a flower I like, I look it up to get more details and find recommended companion plants.Although I've not found the plants to be nearly as available in my nurseries here in the Atlanta area (I've had a little more success with mail ordering a few), there are still some great features to his book.My two favorite features are:Organized by Plant Type - The book is organized into sections such as General Purposes, Drought Tolerant, Flowers for Containers, Foliage for Containers, etc. It has helped me as a new gardener focus in on plants that fit my need rather than reading about all plants and determining what's right.Good Neighbors - This is probably my most used section. For every plant, there is a "Good Neighbors" section. In this section, Larry lists several plants that would do well with the plant being described. Especially for a novice gardener, this section is great to help choose a plant that is not only going to look good alone but gives you some companion suggestions to put together that gorgeous bed or container.

ANNUALS FOR EVERY PURPOSE

WHILE I LOVED HODGSON'S PERENNIALS FOR EVERY PURPOSE, I FIND THE ANNUALS FOR EVERY PURPOSE BOOK A LITTLE LESS HELPFUL, BUT WOULD STILL RATE IT A 3.5-4. THERE ARE LOTS OF PICTURES OF THE ANNUALS, BUT MOST OF THEM ARE CLOSE UPS...SOME OF THE CLOSE UP PICTURES YOU LOOK AT AND SAY "WHILE I KNOW THAT IS THE CORRECT ANNUAL, IT REALLY DOESN'T LOOK LIKE THAT FROM A DISTANCE OR IN THE GARDEN". HOWEVER, THE SECTIONS FOR EACH ANNUAL ENTITLED "PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS" "GOOD NEIGHBORS" AND "TOP PERFORMER" ARE STILL HELPFUL....HOWEVER, I AM STILL LOOKING FOR A BETTER ANNUAL BOOK... LANSING, ILLINOIS

Look no further for a book on annuals

This is THE book you'll need on annuals. I've been looking for two years for one that sorts flowers by use and growing conditions and tells you everything you need to know. Others make all annuals sound like they'll be successful in your situation. But as someone who strictly grows only annuals (I have a rooftop garden), even treating flowers according to directions in other books doesn't always work. This book will save you money in the end. Buy it!!!!