Steven A. Frowine - Gardening Basics For Dummies

Gardening Basics For Dummies®, 2nd Edition

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Published simultaneously in Canada

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2021932177

ISBN: 978-1-119-78203-2

ISBN: 978-1-119-78204-9 (ebk); ISBN: 978-1-119-78205-6 (ebk)

1 Cover

2 Title Page

3 Copyright

4 Introduction About This Book Foolish Assumptions Icons Used in This Book Where to Go from Here

5 Part 1: Preparing Yourself (and Your Garden) for Planting Chapter 1: Getting Ready for Gardening Playing the Name Game Beautifying with Flowers (and Foliage) Gardening for Your Dining Pleasure Working with Woody (or Viny) Plants The World Is Flat: Caring for Your Lawn Chapter 2: Creating a Landscape That You’ll Love Evaluating What You Already Have Getting Ideas for Your Garden Space Zeroing In on Your Ideal Garden Style Keeping Your Budget in Mind Bringing Your Garden Ideas to Reality Getting Professional Help Chapter 3: Getting into the Zone – Your Garden’s Zone Focusing on Location — Different Hardiness Zone Maps for Different Folks Fathoming Frost Zones and Growing Seasons Zoning Out: Breaking the Zone and Growing Season Rules Chapter 4: Live Long and Prosper: Giving Plants What They Need Welcoming the Sun — Let There Be Light! Facing Fertilizer Facts Composting: More Than Just Fertilizer Demystifying Soil pH Much Ado about Mulch Tackling Watering Issues Making Sure Your Plants Get Enough Air Chapter 5: Gathering Your Gardening Gear Digging into Those Digging Tools Cultivating 101: Clues to Quality Tools Making the Right Cut with Cutting Tools Putting Power Tools to Use Rolling Out the Wheelbarrows and Carts Wading through Watering Tools

6 Part 2: Flowers and Foliage: Growing for Color Chapter 6: Adding Yearly Variety to Your Garden with Annuals Finding Flowers that Fit Your Garden Mixing and Matching Annuals Buying Annuals An Annual Event: The Whens, Wheres, and Hows of Planting Feeding the Flower Power: Taking Care of Annuals Chapter 7: Growing Perennials: Plants That Make a Comeback Looking at the Repeat Performers Planning Long-Term Strategies for Your Perennial Garden Finding and Buying Perennials Planting Perennials Taking Care of Your Perennials Chapter 8: Brightening Up the Garden with Bulbs Shedding Light on Bulbs Choosing to Combine Your Bulbs The Search: Where to Get Your Bulbs Getting Down and Dirty: Planting Bulbs Taking Care of Bulbs Chapter 9: Coming Up Roses What Makes a Rose Be a Rose Be a Rose Deciding Where to Put Your Roses Buying the Best Roses Planting Your Roses Taking Care of Your Roses Chapter 10: Multiplying Your Plants Growing Plants from Seeds (Sexual Propagation) Sowing Seed Indoors Sowing Seed Directly Outdoors Cloning Your Plants — Vegetative Reproduction Reproducing Bulbs

7 Part 3: Stretching Your Garden beyond Its Boundaries: The Permanent Landscape Chapter 11: Growing a Perfect Lawn Patching Up the Lawn You Already Have Making a Lawn from Scratch Seeding and Sodding: Adding the Grass Watering a Thirsty Lawn Fertilizing Your Lawn Mowing the Lawn, Cutting the Grass, and Otherwise Giving the Yard a Trim Battling the Weeds Chapter 12: Reaching New Heights with Trees Knowing Your Trees Choosing the Right Tree for Where You Live Getting Treed! Planting Trees Taking Care of Your Tree Chapter 13: Going Low with Shrubs Knowing Your Shrubs Planning Practical Uses for Bushes Planting Shrubs Caring for Your Shrubs Chapter 14: Climbers and Crawlers: Growing Vines and Groundcovers Looking at How Vines Hold On Choosing the Right Vines Planting and Supporting Vines Maintaining Vines through Pruning Looking at Groundcovers Planting and Maintaining Groundcovers

8 Part 4: Producing Your Own Produce Chapter 15: Food, Glorious Food! Raising Your Own Veggies Perusing the Varieties of Veggies Designing for Dining and Getting Your Vegetable Garden Ready Finding Your Vegetables Planting Your Vegetables Chapter 16: Taking Your Veggie Garden to the Next Level Composting Your Vegetable Garden Fertilizing Your Vegetable Garden Using Frames and Supports for Veggies Dealing with Vegetable Pests Chapter 17: Adding Flavor to Your Garden with Herbs Recognizing Common Culinary Herbs You Can Grow Planting Herbs: A Lesson in Adaptation Taking Care of Your Herbs Chapter 18: Sweet and Crunchy: Growing Fruits, Berries, and Nuts Choosing the Fruits for Your Garden Finding and Buying Your Fruit Bearers Planting Your Fruit Taking Care of Fruits

9 Part 5: Designing Special and Fun Gardens Chapter 19: Mini Gardens and Microcosms: Gardening in Containers Exploring Different Kinds of Containers Getting the Container Soil Right Picking Plants for Your Containers Arranging Containers for a Container Garden Taking Care of Your Container Plants Chapter 20: Taking the Plunge: Gardening with Ponds and Fish Planning Your Water Garden Picking Out Your Parts and Supplies Installing and Filling Your Pond Choosing Plants for Water Gardens Adding Goldfish to Your Water Garden Maintaining Your Water Garden