Neil Sperry’s Complete Guide to Texas Gardening, 2nd Edition
Product Description
The bible of Texas gardening just got better!… More >>
Neil Sperry’s Complete Guide to Texas Gardening, 2nd Edition
Product Description
The bible of Texas gardening just got better!… More >>
Neil Sperry’s Complete Guide to Texas Gardening, 2nd Edition
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If you live in Texas and do anything with your lawn or garden, BUY this book immediately.
Neil covers lawns, perennials, annuals, vegetables, trees, and shrubs in an exhaustive, comprehensive format. Full color pictures guide you through the basics of gardening these types, water and fertilizer, recommendations on your part of Texas, along with summaries of each plant.
If the shrub/plant has pest problems, fungus issues or is high maintenance, Neil lays it out in a no B.S. manner that’s both easy to read and handily referenced later. Every plant has a color picture associated, which helps a lot.
The ONLY thing missing in his book would be house plants, but purchased “The House Plant Expert” for those.
Amazon’s price is a steal compared to my local bookstore – WELL WORTH the twenty-five bucks. It’s a big, hardbound, monster-sized book that you’ll constantly be referring back to again and again!
Texas is a different planet, and Neil Sperry has charted it. No other gardening book in the world prepares someone for the extreme climates, the hideous excuse for soil, and the vast assortment of herbaceous critters that exist in this state. You have to have this book to succeed in landscaping endeavors. The pages on my copy are well-worn. It is an excellent, easy-to-use reference bible. A bargain at twice the price.
This book is wonderfully informative. It has hundreds of color pictures to help you choose plants and covers the ones that are native or adapt very well to our climate. Don’t be thinking you can check it out at the library. I live in Austin and they have dozens of copies but they are checked out at every branch. IT’S A MUST HAVE!
Although there is a lot of helpful information in this book, there are some major drawbacks. First, not every plant described is accompanied by a photo. Also, some basic information is missing for many plants (like mature height, type of light/soil required, when the bloom period is..). The book also feels somewhat dated both in the plants covered (and some of the more newly popular natives that are not covered) and the presentation. There also really isn’t a whole lot of insight offered by this author. Some of my favorite gardening books are Native Texas Plants, Texas Bug Book, and the locally available “Garden Guide for austin and vicinity” and the excellent and free pamphlet “Native and Adapted Landscape Plants” available at local nurseries and the extension office.
As a longtime Texas resident, first in the DFW area and currently in the San Antonio area, and an amateur gardener, I have collected over the years, every book I can find on the subject of gardening, particurally Texas gardening.
Although I believe many aspects of the book could be improved, such as its organization, latest organic techniques, newer varieties etc., (How about a third edition, Neil?) I still believe it is the best single volume reference for the homeowner.
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