My Gardening Year

by Shirley Stackhouse

Genres: Gardening

352 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1990

Reviews

[Vickey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I actually read the updated 2008 edition by Jennifer and Shirley Stackhouse. I borrowed it from the library but I am actually going to buy my own copy. I grew up in a family of gardeners but all the knowledge passed down to me is based on cold-climate Northern Hemisphere and doesn’t do me much good when planning a warm-climate Southern Hemisphere garden. This book has monthly checklists on what will bloom or ripen in what month to help you plant and checklists of what chores you should do each month to help your plants thrive. The advice is delivered in a friendly and chatty style that’s like sitting down with a nana over a cup of tea. A great read.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now that the pumpkins have been harvested and the very last of the tomatoes have only days left to ripen, it’s time for the vegie patch to be made ready for Winter crops. And, as I’ve been doing now for 25 years or more, I turn to my copy of Shirley Stackhouse’s Gardening Year, to tell me what to do next.

I’m not keen on gardening. I like having a nice garden, but I don’t much like the labour that goes with it. So I’m not interested in books written for keen gardeners, I want something simple and practical that doesn’t waste my time. First published in 1980 the Stackhouse book is a month-by-month guide to the garden and it’s been my gardening bible since I bought this reprint in 1990. This is why I like it:
•Each month gets its own chapter, which begins with a checklist. The checklist on the left hand side tells what should be flowering now, grouped by trees and shrubs; bulbs; annuals and perennials; climbers and natives. The checklist on the right hand side tells you what to plant in that month, grouped by trees, shrubs and climbers; annuals; bulbs and vegetables. The page also tells you what to prune, if anything, in that month.
•Turn the page and it tells you what pests and diseases may be giving you grief, and what to do about them, and some tips for general garden care.
•Then the chapter launches into more detail about how to achieve an attractive garden for each month whatever the season, and lots more detail about planting, keeping things in bloom, dividing plants, re-potting, composting, pruning, weeding and feeding, pests and all kinds of whatnot. I usually only browse these sections, because ours is now an established garden and I’m not into planting new stuff and flowers. For me, now, it’s the vegetable checklists that are invaluable.

To read the rest of my review please visit http://anzlitlovers.com/2016/03/24/ga...