The Southeast Native Plant Primer Larry Mellichamp; Paula Gross

Living in Florida with our hot wet summers and dry springs it is not always easy to figure out what to plant and when. This book gives you so many options it is hard to decide which way to go. This book is for Native plants, not Lowe's or other garden center's  plants. It tells you about each plant, what they are good for, when to plant, how to plant, and even what plants to stay away from. The photography in the book is stunning. There are photo's of the plants, and photo's of different garden areas featuring some of the plants. This is a very useful, informative and beautiful book for the home gardener, especially if you want to keep it native.

I received this book from the Author or Publisher via Netgalley.com and chose to leave this review.

Starting & Saving Seeds Julie Thompson-Adolf

I have always loved gardening. Plants of all types like flowers, fruits and veggies. I love watching something grow from a tiny little seed. Seeds can get quite expensive when purchased at a garden center. This book will guide you through collecting the seeds from the plants you have grown or even ones bought from the store, how to prepare them, store them and replant them next season so you will have an endless supply of seeds in the future. Most are supper easy, simply take them out of the fruit, veggie, or flower, allow them to dry then store them in an airtight container. Some seeds need to placed into a refrigerator for germination purposes. The book will give you step by step directions for all things seeds. The book is very informative and easy to follow.

I received this book from the Author or Publisher via Netgalley.com and chose to leave this review.

KNASI Bonsai Tools Kit

KNASI Bonsai Tools Kit

This is a really nice 8 piece set of Bonsai Tools. Great for pruning and shaping bonsai trees as well as other plants. Everything comes nicely packaged in a nylon zippered bag. You get 2 Bonsai Pruning scissors + 1 Folding Scissor + 1 Wooden rake + 2 Wooden spades + 1 Stainless Steel tweezers and 1 wooden cleaning brush. The folding scissors and the 2 pair of pruning scissors comes in nice plastic packages that should protect the cutting blades. The tips or the pruning scissors as well a the blade are very sharp, these should be kept in a safe place and away from children. The only problem I have had with this set is the folding scissors. Thy are very stiff. I had a hard time pulling them into the scissor shape and then again folding them back up. They are also stiff when snipping with them. A little olive or mineral oil may loosen them up. If you buy the and yours are stiff, use only natural or food grade oil or you could damage your plan if you get the oil on them. I will be rubbing the oil on and wiping it back off. Other then the stiff scissors I love this set and will be getting lots of use with the set. I have lots of plants and mess with them a lot, all of the pieces in this set will be very handy.

Check it out on Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CWSCY67

I received this product for free or  at a discounted price in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

FLORA GUARD Professional Sharp Garden Pruner

FLORA GUARD Professional Sharp Garden Pruner

My husband decided to give me a hand on this review. He was cutting the grape vines off the back fence. We have a wood privacy fence and the vines are growing up and over and through the fence wood. He made it his project this weekend to get them off of the fence befor ethe weight of them could damage the fence. I handed him this pair of Flora Guard Pruning shears to see how well they would work on the vines. Some of the vines are very skinny others go up to about the size of my finger.

He said these pruning shears are Very sharp and takes very little effort to cut vines and limbs. The cut very easy and fit into his hand very nicely. He is quite happy with how well these pruning shears work.


These pruning shears have a safety lock that can be locked and unlocked with just one hand. The blades are made of steel, and very sharp. These pruning shears also have anti rust protection, and non sticking layer design. These pruners can cut up to 20mm or 3/4-inch diameter size tree branches, great for most of your yard projects. The handles are plastic and the whole set is lightweight.

Check these out on Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XZ3TPW4

I received this product for free or  at a discounted price in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Countertop Gardens by Shelley Levis

4*
I have been growing plants all my life. I lived on a farm as a child and our veggies came from a garden. I was thrilled to be given  copy of this book through NetGalley. I honestly have to say that this book makes countertop gardening look a bit harder then it really is. It is a great book for tips and tricks don't get me wrong. I love how the author shows several ways of making pots, and waterers out of things you think are garbage. I love the space saving tips as well. There is a ton of useful information in this book, but I do feel that it is very intimidating to the beginner.

I received this book from the Author or Publisher via Netgalley.com to read and review.

Vegetables Love Flowers by Lisa Mason Ziegler

Growing up in the south and in the country I have always seen vegetable gardens with some flowering plants mixed in. I never really thought about why. Now I know. Did you know that certain flowering plants can keep bugs off your fruits and vegetables? By mixing a few flowers in with your garden you can keep a lot of chemical treatments out of your food by letting the plants get rid of the bugs and even the animals who want to munch on your other plants.

The book is filled with some awesome pictures of the the Authors own garden showing the placements of the flowering plants among the food bearing plants. She goes in depth on how these flowering plants rid your garden of the pests. Certain plants help with certain bugs so you want to make sure to have those flowering plants next to the fruit or vegetable instead of across the garden from them.

The author also talks a lot about her cut flower buisness and how she is having the best of both worlds.  This books is great for me I live in Florida where there are some of the craziest bugs you have ever seen. Maybe this year and the years to come my garden will be a lot healthier and will produce more and be beautiful all at the same time.

I received this book from the Author or Publisher via Netgalley.com to read and review.

Gardening Complete: How to Best Grow Vegetables, Flowers, and Other Outdoor Plants by Authors of Cool Springs Press

I love gardening, whether its fruits and vegetables or plants and flowers. This book was so helpful in giving me tips to make my plants grow bigger and better. I have been around plants my whole life and still learned tons from this book. There are lots of pictures, tips, tricks, and just plain great information on each type of plant listed in the book. The wording is very easy to understand you do not have to have a PHD to figure out what the book is talking abut, gotta love that.

I received this book from the Author or Publisher via Netgalley.com to read and review.

How to Read Gardens: A Crash Course in Garden Visiting by Lorraine Harrison

I have a huge appreciation for gardens. I love gardening myself. I also love viewing other peoples gardens. Did you know that gardens are not just a bunch of plants tossed into an empty spot on the ground? They are a work of art as well. My husband and I visit a lot of museums and gardens. Some of the gardens at museums actually speak to you about the people who lived in the home. You can learn a lot of the person who planted the garden, their favorite colors, their favorite flower and more.

This book is a guide to help you understand more of what you are seeing when you visit Gardens. There are a huge variety of types of gardens. There are Flowers, there are trees, there are shrubs, and even some gardens are all about the pots and statues. This book helps you learn what you are looking at and how to appreciate the beauty even more. Most gardens that have withstood the twists and turns of time are not actually the original garden at all. They may have been remade over time and some may of even been restored back to what the planter assumes was the original garden. Knowing what to look for in a garden is also important in being able to appreciate it even more.

This book is an awesome guide. The text sections are short but give you enough to go on by adding the beautiful pictures in the book. There are also some black and white drawings as well. You may even see some ideas in this book for starting your own garden.

I received this book from the Author or Publisher via Netgalley.com to read and review.

Mushroom Cultivation by Tavis Lynch

I love mushrooms. I cook with them a lot, I can even eat them straight out of the can or fresh. I have always wanted to learn how to grow mushrooms so I can have them anytime I want. I also know there are so many types of mushrooms. I also know that some of the mushrooms you see while just walking through the woods are eatable, just never been sure which ones.

This book has tons of pictures, and a lot of information showing how to grow eatable mushrooms. The book is very informative and very helpful. It offers chapters on how and where to grow them like on logs, hay, compost and more. It even gives you recipes to use the mushrooms you have grown. 

I received this book from the Author or Publisher via Netgalley.com to read and review.

Growing Heirloom Flowers by Chris McLaughlin

I love plants. Whether it be fruits and vegetables or Flowers. In this case it is flowers. Growing Heirloom Flowers by Chris McLaughlin is a book filled with stunning photos and tons of information to assist you in making and taking caking care of Heirloom Flowers. Most of these flowers are found in just about every garden department of stores. They are considered Heirloom Flowers because they have been around for so long and are classic.

The book shows you a picture of the flower and tells you how to and where is best to plant, how much water, sun, or shade it needs, when you should feed it, how to cut it back, how to protect during the winter, and so much more. It even gives you some history of the plant.

After reading this book I almost feel like an expert. Now I am off to the garden center to see if I can grow these plants like an expert.

I received this book from the Author or Publisher via Netgalley.com to read and review.

Beginner's Garden Alex Mitchell

I love growing plants, whether it be flowers or veggies. Some plants I have better luck at then others. Also I live in Florida and some plants just won't grow well here while others thrive. This book was extremely helpful in teaching me about the different types of plats, what they need in order to grow well, and the best planting times.  The illustrations were great. The information in this book even though it says the book is for beginners would be helpful to anyone. I wholeheartedly believe you know know enough to stop learning.

I received this book from the Author or Publisher via Netgalley.com to read and review.

Container Gardening Complete by Jessica Walliser

I love plants of all types. Fruits and veggies, flowers, and greenery are all my favorites. I was raised around plants and have them all over my house and yard now. I do know a lot about plants but I also feel you are never to old or to good to learn more, and I did learn more.

This book is packed full of information and tips on Container Gardening. It will teach you how to choose the right size and type of pot, how to get your drainage correct, and so much more. I loved everything about this book.

I really loved the sections on mixed plants in the same pot. I love when puts are filled with different types of plants. but I usually end up putting in at least one pot that over grows or root system takes up to much room, or needs more water then the other plants in the pot and they do not do well. With this book I can now solve that problem.

With Spring almost here I am excited to get started on my house, porch, and yard plants.

I received this book from the Author or Publisher via Netgalley.com to read and review.

You  may also want to read this great article A Comprehensive Guide on Container Gardening
https://www.consumersbase.com/container-gardening/?msID=9bbb7828-1b6e-457b-b3c1-2647a8081d40

Wildflowers of Texas by Michael Eason

When my oldest Daughter was a toddler, we stayed in Texas with my sister for a while. The state has so much beauty I would of loved to just stayed there forever. Just driving down the road while the wildflowers are in bloom would make anyone want to live there. There were so many colors, shapes, and sizes of the flowers, and so many fields just filled with stunning flowers.

This books takes an in depth look at each and every wildflower you will find in Texas. There is a picture of each flower and a short description of each one. It gives you the official name as well as all the other names each flower is known as. It describes the plant, how many flowers per plant or bunch on the plant, the flower size, the height of the plant, and the best parts of Texas to find the plant. There are several plants with diffrent variations and all of those are also picture.

Not all of these plants are only found in Texas. So I see in my yard and driving down the streets in my town in Florida, as well as other states I travel too. So even if you don't live in Texas this book would still be nice to have to show some of the wildflowers in your own state.

I received this book from the Author or Publisher via Netgalley.com to read and review.