Book Review: Garden Wisdom & Know-How

My dear hubby gave me an enormous soft cover book for my birthday this year. It is called Garden Wisdom & Know-How by The Editors of Rodale Gardening Books. It is like an encyclopedia for gardening! There are step-by-step instructions for everything from seed starting to building a removable window box. It boasts "7,354 Charts, Lists, Tips, Instructions, Diagrams and Illustrations." I have spent hours reading this book since I received it last week.

While, there isn't a ton of information on gardening in the desert. There is an extensive section on watering techniques, water conservation, and rain water harvesting. And I am SO inspired by the garden plans that are detailed — my favorite is the Dye Garden full of plants that are used for different color dyes.

Every time I pick this book up, I find something new I want to try or build. I love it! My only complaint would be the lack of information on gardening in arid climates and the black & white illustrations. I don't mind black & white for the most part, but it would be nice to see the color of plants, flowers, and insects.