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RHS How To Garden When You're New To Gardening: The Basics For Absolute Beginners

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If the desire to start a garden has been planted in your heart, then this essential guide is a wonderful companion to accompany you on your new adventure!

If you're not sure of the first steps to take, this handbook takes the anxiety out of plotting and planting and equips you with all the know-how and confidence you need to get digging into your garden.

Creating a garden that you can enjoy and keep looking beautiful all year round is easier than you think!With the expertise of the Royal Horticultural Society, you'll find simple step-by-step instructions, with clear images to help you create your dream garden, no matter the size and scale.

Get to know your garden and choose plants that will grow well in particular soil types and conditions year after year. From growing root crop to cutting back ivy, this book gives you lots of simple garden ideas and projects that you can do yourself.

Even if you've never sowed a seed or pulled a weed, RHS How to Garden When You're New To Gardening contains everything you need to kickstart your new outdoor hobby! This refreshingly accessible book is perfect for the novice gardener who wants to make the most of whatever garden they have.

Your Guide to Creating the Garden of Your Dreams

Do you want to create a garden you can show off with pride? Would you like to grow your own food? This book will get you started quickly! By following the simple steps and projects outlined in this book, you will reap instant rewards and long-term successes so that you can enjoy your garden in all seasons.

Inside the pages of this comprehensive gardening book, you'll discover:
- Clear definitions and descriptions of the different types of plants.
- Tips on choosing the type of garden you want.
- Easy-to-follow instructions for choosing the right plants for your soil.
- Simple step-by-step instructions to producing your first crop.
- Practical gardening advice on planting, growing, and caring for different plants.

258 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 22, 2018

38 people are currently reading
247 people want to read

About the author

Emma Tennant

93 books37 followers
Since the early 1970s, when she was in her mid-thirties, Emma Tennant has been a prolific novelist and has established herself as one of the leading British exponents of "new fiction." This does not mean that she is an imitator of either the French nouveaux romanciers or the American post-modernists, although her work reveals an indebtedness to the methods and preoccupations of some of the latter. Like them, she employs parody and rewriting, is interested in the fictiveness of fiction, appropriates some science-fiction conventions, and exploits the possibilities of generic dislocation and mutation, especially the blending of realism and fantasy. Yet, although parallels can be cited and influences suggested, her work is strongly individual, the product of an intensely personal, even idiosyncratic, attempt to create an original type of highly imaginative fiction.

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5 stars
62 (30%)
4 stars
88 (42%)
3 stars
47 (22%)
2 stars
7 (3%)
1 star
1 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
Profile Image for Ryan Rossi.
87 reviews3 followers
March 24, 2022
I'm this books target audience. My gardening prowess before this book can be summed up with 'plants like water' and I keeping things alive by instinct and trail and error. If, like me, you want something that will give you a good foundation of knowledge and that you can refer back to, this is not that book.

If you really like pictures of holes and intern written magazine layouts, this book is for you. If you sit down to read all the words, it'd take you about an hour: 250+ page. A star per thing learned.
Profile Image for Vanya Prodanova.
830 reviews25 followers
June 30, 2022
Не бих казала, че тази книга е наистина за пълни начинаещи в градината. По-скоро е за хора, които си имат някаква идея какво правят.

Информативна книга е що-годе, добре подредена в отделни секции, но е тотално нищожна като количество ако нищо не разбираш от градинарство. Добра книга е за референция на какво ти трябва да го потърсиш допълнително в интернет (поне за някои неща), но да се научиш да не убиеш градината си само от тази книга, е невъзможно.

Наистина съм доста разочарована. Очаквах повече информация за инструменти, как да започнеш от нищото. Защото повечето абсолютни начинаещи нямат готова градина, а почват от тотално дива и неподдържана градина. И другият проблем е, че книгата е насочена към типичната английска градина и няма шанс да ти помогне ако не си много ентусиазиран как си подреждат градините тук.

Оставяйки настрана безполезността на книгата за градинарство, стои много красиво на масичка или в библиотеката ти.
Profile Image for Evelyn.
692 reviews63 followers
February 2, 2019
As expected, this book does what it says on the blurb and covers all of the basics of gardening, from soil management and general maintenance to growing a range of veg from seed, and everything in between.

The DK books are beautifully presented with lots of clear photographs and easy to follow step-by-step guides. They also offer inspiration and tips for gardens of all sizes and show how easy it is to develop some green fingers!
519 reviews1 follower
May 13, 2020
A very good book for beginners which is easy to read and accompanied by step-by-step photographs. There are chapters on Flowers & Foliage, Lawns, Climbers, Shrubs, Grasses, Small Trees, Vegetables, Herbs, and Fruit so a great breadth of knowledge is covered.

4 stars.
8 reviews
May 25, 2022
This isn't a how to book it's a picture book with only the most barest of bullet points information.
There is even plenty of misinformation in there too (you don't need rocks at the bottom of your pots so long as you have well draining soil, dispite the common myth). There are things in here that are contridicted on the RHS website. There is a whole page dedicated to Ivy, a highly invasive plant that people shouldn't be growing. Overall, not great
Profile Image for Lee Petersen.
79 reviews
February 21, 2024
‘RHS How to Garden When You're New to Gardening’ earns a 3/5 for its straightforward approach, living up to its title with basic guidance.

The inclusion of vibrant images enhances the user experience, though the content spans a wide array of topics, including seed sowing, trees, vegetables, and potted plants.

Perfect gift for an absolute beginner.
Profile Image for Kerem.
414 reviews15 followers
April 10, 2022
Good: covers every area of gardening, and if you really know nothing yet, you will learn a few key basics.

Bad: rather than big fancy pictures of various plants and flowers, there could be much more text/info (or pictures of detailing how to do). A bit too short.
Profile Image for Elly McCabe.
14 reviews1 follower
August 16, 2023
Very useful little handbook for someone who grew up in flats with no access to a garden and absolutely zero gardening skills. I still had to do a bit of digging (excuse the pun) online but I'm happy to have this book in my arsenal as the garden at our new house needs a lot of TLC.
Profile Image for Kerry.
28 reviews
Read
May 1, 2021
I found this straightforward to understand, and inspired to give some of the projects a go in our garden.

It's not extensive on the plants available but gives you a flavour of what's out there.
Profile Image for Lauren Maudsley.
6 reviews
May 8, 2025
Easy read with useful tips for new gardeners who are learning the lingo
70 reviews
September 17, 2024
This is the 3rd RHS book I read after the books on house plants and succulents. I still found it very useful, but less accessible than the other RHS I read. But perhaps I'm too newbie on the newbie spectrum to understand everything! The book has lots of useful ideas for planning your garden and step by step instructions for common gardening tasks.
1 review
December 7, 2020
new garden

I am a new gard ener and
found this book extremely helpful
it is full of good tips and ideas
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews

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