THE GROWING YEAR

A fine book. Other gardening books have followed the pattern of what to expect and chores to be done each month of the year, but the treatment in this book is new. Here is the personal story of a small garden in Pennsylvania built around a cottage on a steep-terraced hillside. The author manages to have green and some blossoms in his garden even in January, while Spring, Summer, Fall are a riot of color. Small his garden is, but the planning prevents its seeming cluttered. Imagination went into using a sunken ""splash"" pool instead of a fountain, into transforming an ugly gulley into a wild garden. There are plenty of helpful hints for other gardeners, not only on flowers but on fertilizers, pruning, planting, and garden operations. Each chapter has a check list and a diary of the month. Inevitably repetition is evident when flowers overlap, as the lawn needs almost constant attention, as spraying and dusting are repeated. He writes with love and fervor of growing things; one can excuse a bit of sentiment. An excellent gift for any small house gardener; good garden club item.