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Books > Health, Home & Family > Gardening > General
Gardening in Texas is not for the faint of heart or weak-willed.
Given the remarkable variety of soils, climate ranges, and the
potential for stifling heat, humidity, and drought, the dedication
of so many gardening enthusiasts speaks to the powerful hold plants
have over people. Living and gardening in Central Texas since 1969,
Bill Scheick has celebrated successes and analyzed failures;
techniques and plants that worked in one yard did not necessarily
work in another just a few miles away. In Adventures of Texas
Gardening, Scheick shares, through personal accounts as well as
stories from fellow gardeners, big gardening efforts-transforming
an entire backyard, dealing with unruly pets and marauding
wildlife, and fostering vanishing bees. Attention is also given to
challenges like soil erosion and yard contamination. With a firm
understanding of horticulture and a good dose of humor, Scheick
offers beginning and experienced gardeners a resource for
inspiration, information, and commiseration as they pursue their
own gardening adventures in Texas.
Having an understanding of botanical Latin unlocks an entirely new
layer of the plant world. Gardeners deciding between a Crocus
flavus and Crocus graveolens will know that one produces deep
yellow flowers while the other boasts a prominent smell. They can
tell whether a plant should have one (unifolius), two (diphyllus),
or even nine leaves (enneaphyllus). And they can catch the nods to
Sir Joseph Banks in Cordyline banksia and Queen Victoria in Agave
victoriae-reginae. A Portable Latin for Gardeners is the perfect
quick reference for working in the garden, shopping for plants, or
doing botanical research--and no prior knowledge of Latin is
required. The 1,500 terms are grouped by categories, making it easy
to describe color, size, form, habitat, scent, taste, and time.
Gardeners will make new connections and discoveries in a way
standard alphabetical lists simply don't allow. Alternately,
gardeners who want to look up a particular term can jump right into
the alphabetical index. Each entry includes the different forms of
the term, a basic pronunciation guide, the definition, and an
example plant species. Rich botanical illustrations make this guide
as beautiful as it is useful, while a durable flexi-bound cover
means the book can withstand both days in the garden and evenings
on the nightstand.
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