Book Description
Desert gardening is different!
Wherever you live in the desertup to 3,500-feet elevationthis guide is for you. Enjoy plentiful fruits and vegetables from your desert garden. Desert gardening expert George Brookbank will help you with your desert garden. A tremendous reference tool you'll use all year 'round!
1. Complete how-to-do-it guide
-Drip irrigation & watering
-How to prepare desert soil
-Which plant & tree varieties to choose
-Citrus: Watering, pruning, fertilizing
2. New varieties for favorites:
-Tomatoes Strawberries
-Grapes Melons
And the unusual:
-Low-chill apples
-Oriental Vegetables
-Yard-long beans
New chapters on Hydroponics and Alternatives to Poisonous Chemicals
3. Week-by-week desert calendar:
Learn how to work with the desert's short seasons, hot weather, insects and soils
-When to plant
-When to prune
Great for Arizona, California, New Mexico, Nevada and Texas.
Customer Reviews:
Desert Gardening: Fruits and Vegetables.......2007-08-13
The most practical and helpful garden book I have found for planting in the desert. The calendar for planting and caring for the garden is also very helpful.
A Great Find.......2007-04-26
I am so glad I found Desert Gardening. I have tried for years to grow vegetables organically here in Decatur, Texas (about eighty miles northwest of Dallas, Texas). Firstly let me tell you that Desert Gardening is not an organic gardening book, but it has helped me anyway--I'll explain more on that later. I began trying to garden here by looking at the "standard gardening advice" in books I found at the local public library and bookstores, asking for help at the local gardening centers, and reading the backs of seed packages for instructions on how to plant them. At the gardening centers, I found that they wanted to load me up with chemicals, and if I didn't want chemicals they would offer me some weird, expensive organic soil amendments but they couldn't tell me the first thing about what they were for or how to use them. They also never seemed to have seeds, seedlings and trees for sale at the time of year I needed them. The books at my public library and bookstores were completely inappropriate for Texas. They had tips on gardening that were supposed to work anywhere in the U.S.--what a laugh that is! There seems to be a consensus among "U.S. gardening experts" that the Southwest doesn't even exist. It was when I tested my soil pH that I found out I couldn't trust these books at all: they all said to add lime to the soil to raise the pH, and my soil already had a pH of 8.5! I realized that if I wasn't careful what kind of soil improvement advice I followed, I could permanently ruin my soil.
Next, I tried looking for books on gardening specifically for Texas. There weren't many of them out there, but I found two. I bought Neil Sperry's "Texas Gardening" and Howard Garrett's "Basic Organic Program". Sperry's "Texas Gardening" is great for selecting the right varieties to plant in Texas--in fact, for Texas it's an even better source for selecting varieties than Desert Gardening is; but it gives inadequate information on all the other aspects of gardening. Howard Garrett is into using expensive organic soil amendments, the few of which I tried didn't work, and his bug-zapping recipies don't seem to work either.
So, for a couple of years I stopped reading gardening books and didn't add anything to my soil at all except compost. I was able to grow squash, green onions, peaches, and banana peppers, but everything else either didn't grow or else it grew but didn't fruit very well.
Then, last year, I got the idea of searching Amazon for a gardening book for Texas. I was surprised when my search pulled up books on desert gardening. I never thought of myself as being in the desert here. We've got grass, scattered clumps of trees, black dirt, temperatures that stay between 90 and 110F in the summertime, occasionally-adequate rainfalls, and a few streams and lakes. Still, when I read the reviews for Desert Gardening it sounded like a great book, so I decided to give it a try.
When I opened up the book I went straight to the section on soil and how to improve it. I was amazed when I saw that they were describing my soil to a T! Alkaline, white caliche rocks, heavy clay or sand, solid layer of caliche which makes it hard for trees to grow. Some of the photos looked exactly like the soil at my house, with grass growing on the surface. I was still leery of adding soil amendments so I decided to test the soil improvement advice in a few small areas first. In those areas, I planted about six kinds of vegetables which had never grown before. The results were great! Everything grew and produced.
I looked through the book more and more and I realized that this is about the best gardening book I've ever seen. Everytime I have a gardening question, I look in the book and the answer is right there. The advice is all just perfect for my area; I think it would work anywhere in Texas. Soil preparation, fertilizing, watering, water conservation, insects and diseases, pest barriers, variety selection, planting times, seasonal changes, frost and heat protection, growing seedlings, care and harvest of vegetables and fruits (many fruits and vegetables have their own chapters), planting and pruning fruit trees and grapevines, and fall and winter gardening are all discussed in great detail. There's also a chapters on hydroponics and container gardening, for places where there's not enough soil to grow anything in. And unlike other sources, it not only tells you what to do but how you're supposed to go about doing it. For instance, Neil Sperry's book tells you you need to keep strawberries alive and growing all summer and winter--but it doesn't say how to do it. Desert Gardening tells you how! What I like best is this book tells you how to do things in the most practical, affordable, and easy way possible--unlike some people/books who want you to spend to the max and knock yourself out with unnecessary work.
The only problem I can see myself having with Desert Gardening is that sometimes the winters here in north Texas are a bit too cold to carry plants through the wintertime like the book recommends. We have an advantage though, in that the summers here are not quite as hot as they are in Arizona (where Desert Gardening was written), so I'm able to use heavy shade from the west and create a longer summer growing season than the what the book says is possible--some plants can even grow all summer. Another thing is that, since I'm trying to grow organically, I've had to manipulate the soil improvement advice. In the book, chemicals are recommended along with compost, manure, and other organic soil amendments as an overall soil-improvement and fertilizing program. What I do is, I take the chemical soil amendment recommendations and convert them to something organic. For instance, if they say to use ammonium phosphate, I look for an organic fertilizer which contains lots of nitrogen and phosphorus. The bug-killing advice in the book is already mostly organic or poison-free.
If you're not sure that where you live would be a good place to use Desert Gardening, ask yourself these questions: 1) Do you live in Nevada, California, Arizona, New Mexico, or Texas? 2) Do you live below 3500 feet elevation? 3) Is your soil alkaline? Is it either sand or heavy clay? In some areas, you may not have any soil at all, just rocks. If you have soil, you may hit a solid layer of white, crumbly rocks called caliche rocks when you dig, anywhere from 6" to 5' deep. 4) Do daytime high temperatures usually stay above 95F in the summertime? 5) Do you have frequent droughts? Is soil being saturated by excessive rainfall usually not a problem? If you answered "yes" to all of these questions, then you're in the low desert and Desert Gardening is a good book for you to get.
.
Simply the Best.......2001-04-18
This book fooled me at first glance. I browsed the bookstore and purchased several other books on gardening for hot, arid climates and passed on this book. The lack of color and the obviously amateur photographs in this book led me to believe that the text would be amateur too. This assumption was complete in error! After reading the other books I still didn't feel satisfied that I had received the knowledge I was seeking so I took a chance on this book. This book is very detailed and is really the only book I should have purchased. The author is conversational in his writing style which makes it easy to understand and to the point.
If you have tried gardening in Phoenix or other hot places you know that, with our very short growing seasons, the timing and preperation is critical. This book addresses both these issues and more. It tells you exactly how to prepare our basically "crappy" soil and goes week by week on the gardening activities such as planting, fertilizing, pruning, etc... Buy this book and you will soon realize that it is all you need to get started. The only other thing you need is your own practical experience.
Very detailed book.......2000-05-19
Why does everyone who uses this book live near me?
I bought this book for my father, a very experienced gardener and landscaper who recently moved to the desert. Although he is not a big book reader I see him using this book repeatedly.
The book is easy to follow, gives a number of great tips, and presents ideas that even a seasoned professional like my father hasn't thought of.
Totally sufficient knowledge for desert gardening.......1999-06-15
This complete desert gardening guide is the finest I have ever encountered. After trying to grow veggies and fruit in this dry high-desert for over 40 years, I have confidence that it will happen now. I highly recommend this for desert dwellers and as a much appreciated gift.
Book Description
This book is a comprehensive gardening book for the high desert regions with emphasis on growing vegetables. The author also discusses various aspects of fruit tree culture in the high desert and drought-tolerant perennials, shrubs and tress.
Book Description
Kevin McCloud has been acknowledged as one of the most innovative decorators working today. In this exciting book, he breaks new ground on the subject of paint and decorative techniques. From information on essential colors and the use of different paints, to an unequaled step-by-step section on a vast range of decorating techniques, Kevin McCloud's Complete Book of Paint and Decorative Techniques is a definitive guide to the subject, showing how to decorate any home with originality and style.
From the earthy hues of Italian farmhouses to the cool elegance of Scandinavian interiors, color has always played a crucial role in decorative schemes. In the first section of the book a unique cut-out color selector illustrates the eight essential earth colors on the decorator's palette and shows how to create and combine them successfully by clever intermixing of pigments. These essential colors, together with five secondary colors, are then used in the techniques throughout the book, so that all the stunning decorative effects can be easily recreated.
The techniques section that follows contains instructions and step-by-step photographs for more than 35 glorious decorative effects, plus countless variations. They range from more familiar techniques such as colorwashing and antiquing to exciting new effects such as cissing paint, which creates a play of light between a matte and a glossy surface by brushing an emulsion of acrylic paint over a dry coat of gloss. Each technique contains a list of essential ingredients, step-by-step photographs and a close-up of the finished surface or object. All elements of the home are covered, from walls, floors, and woodwork to furnishings and even individual objects such as lamp bases and picture frames. As well as the basic technique, further swatches illustrate a range of alternative colorways. Many of the effects featured in the book can be equally at home in contemporary or historical, sophisticated or informal settings, and to illustrate this versatility further, inspirational photographs show the techniques in different settings.
With more than 400 color photographs, Kevin McCloud's Complete Book of Paint and Decorative Techniques is an unrivaled reference. Whether you want to revamp a dull room, devise a striking color scheme, or restore your home in accurate period detail, this book has the information and inspiration you need.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent.......2006-07-03
If you are striving for excellence and becoming a master, this is the book for you. Recipes for making your own gesso, plasters, etc. are included along with good step by step photos.
This McCloud's no Highlander.......2001-01-30
This book was a pretty big disappointment. While McCloud does offer a strong presentation of color theory, he does not use realistic examples or materials in a way that someone could take advantage of his color knowledge. As an art historian he seems facinated with the techniques and materials that were used centuries ago. And while McCloud may have plenty of time to travel to France to purchase beautiful, pure, oxidized pigments and then mix them with homemade rabbit glue and curdled-milk concoctions to paint his wall, I for one and happy to have to folks at Lowes mix and shake for me. After all, most of us are just weekenders in this home improvement thing. All said and done, there's not much material about applying "regular" paint to a wall in such a way as to create interesting results. Great pictures, solid color theory (although color theory's been pretty well established for hundreds of years now), lots of info on how to mix paint like they did long ago -- not worth it.
Este libro cambió mi visión de la vida.......1999-05-25
Soy arquitecta y al leer este libro descubrí mi verdadera vocación, pienso que la decoración es un arte y ahora me dedico a ello! quisiera conocerlo y poder trabajar con él.
Excellent addition to K. McCloud's previous books!!.......1999-02-04
As a professional I found this book an excellent addition to my paint book library. Mr. McCloud has used some new approaches to some old techniques. A great read, tremendous pics, very straightforward!!!!!
Book Description
“A welcome companion...The first two chapters—on space and color and on inspiration—set the stage perfectly as motivational tools....Most appealing are the brilliant, illustrative color photgraphs. Twenty projects demonstrate the range of Carter’s artisty....Enjoy this for ideas and inspiration.”—Booklist.
Customer Reviews:
Interesting and informative.......2006-11-24
Carter's book gives a wide-ranging look at many aspects of decorative painting. He starts with a brief introduction, followed by a gallery covering just about every room in the house in his bold, dramatic painted treatments - the cover give just of his interior examples. Take that as an inspriation or warning, as you see fit.
Next, he gives brief descriptions of many basic techniques, including multilayered washes of color, spattering, dragging, marbling, woodgrain finishes and others. This could have been a great resource, but lacks the detail and clarity needed for a do-it-yourselfer to have much chance of success. The project section includes two samples of furniture decoration, but the large majority describe room decorations. Again, I found the directions improvable, especially because I already had reservations about the wisdom or practicality of a beginner tackling such large projects with unfamiliar materials and techniques. I really had to wonder, too, about whether I'd like to live in a room decorated in faux leopard fur by means of stamps cut from potatos.
The last sections present primers on paints, solvents, media, and surface preparation (primers included, if you'll pardon the pun). This is epsecially helpful for special problems, including metallic and masonry surfaces. In most other ways, though, other books are better for the fussy bits of technique, materials, and suggestions for approachable projects.
//wiredweird, reviewing the 1996 edition
Skip This One if you are a Beginner.......2005-12-03
I checked this book out of the library to determine if it was one I would like to add to my collection.
The first half of the book "Inspirations" showed different rooms with various faux finishes and paint, none of which were detailed. The second half of the book was divided into "Technique and Effects", "Projects" and "Directory of paints and surfaces".
"Technique and Effects" addresses the various techniques, i.e. sponging, splattering, combing, strie and others. Generally there were 1-2 small (about 2" x 4-5") close-up photos of the specific technique. The instructions for the technique followed with a few illustrations, not photographs. Some sections did not have illustrations, just text instruction of the technique (antiquing, aging wood and trompe l'oeil).
"Projects" included things like:
- Crackle-glazed headboard (basic and brief)
- Opulent hallway (some weird star-like spots that seemed more appropriate for a child's room or maybe a celestial theme)
- Faux Fur Interior (walls painted in a leopard-print using potatos)
- Theatrical Drawing Room (very amateurish looking).
There WERE several nice projects such as the:
- Empire Style Salon which used Trompe l'oeil panels (no detailed instructions)
- Townhouse Suite with Blue and white striped walls (again just brief steps)
- Silhouetted Salon - very unusual technique and kind of a stylized art painting of a figure done in a navy color
- Stone Blocked Bathroom - brief instructions but think I could follow this one without too much trouble
"Directory" discusses different type of finishes and how they are used; exterior and how to paint various objects (gutters, brick, doors); tiles/ceramic/glass and plastic. I found this section very informative, even though it did not go into a great amount of detail on each component but it was helpful information.
This book may be great for someone who already does faux-finishing, but I felt it lacked details for the beginner. I do think there are much better books out there for learning paint techniques which go into more detail. You might want to try Fresh Paint by Glenwood Sherry, Walls that Wow from Country Sampler Decorating Ideas (even though many of their techniques are not country) and Great Paint Finishes for a Gorgeous Home by Gary Lord
Excellent Idea Book!.......1999-12-15
I have been a professional faux painter for over 5 years. This is the book I turn to when a client is looking for something unusual. The photos provide endless, timeless finishes and designs. I have spent countless hours poured over Mr. Carter's book and I always find a little something in the pictures that I can turn into a 'new' look. The current 'in-style' colors may change, but that is the beauty of paint! Change the colors and you have a new look. As I always say, the best ideas usually begin as someone else's!
Excellent Idea Book!.......1999-12-15
I have been a professional faux painter for over 5 years. This is the book I turn to when a client is looking for something unusual. The photos provide endless, timeless finishes and designs. I have spent countless hours poured over Mr. Carter's book and I always find a little something in the pictures that I can turn into a 'new' look. The current 'in-style' colors may change, but that is the beauty of paint! Change the colors and you have a new look. As I always say, the best ideas usually begin as someone else's!
Average customer rating:
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Complete Paint & Wall Coverings
Manufacturer: Sunset Publishing Corporation
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Decorative Paint & Faux Finishes
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The Ultimate Wall Book
ASIN: 0376013966 |
Customer Reviews:
A Great Beginner's Guide.......2006-09-10
This book provides the basics for any inexperienced painter or wallpaperer. Beginning with a list of materials needed for each type of project, this book outlines the steps from preparation to finished product in a detailed manner (with photos and illustrations to help along the way). A great find for the beginner!
Product Description
This sourcebook of paint effects should be useful for home decorators. It contains over 50 recipes for different techniques, ranging from sponging and colour-washing to ageing, gilding and stencilling; information on tools and equipment; and projects for walls, floors and simple furniture.
Book Description
With over 300,000 copies sold, Paint Recipes and Decorative Paint Recipes are required reading for anyone decorating with paint. Now The Complete Book of Paint combines the best of both books into one oversized easy reference guide. It offers over 70 painting techniques and finishes designed for walls, floors, and furniture from stenciling, sponging, and stippling, to colorwashing, gilding, and bordering. Creative ideas for 18 weekend projects, plus in-depth guidance on selecting materials and preparing surfaces, are all accompanied by easy-to-follow instructional photographs. Readers will master the skills necessary to convert a dining room into a charming French bistro with the use of stencils or transform a second-hand dining set into an elegant antique by applying a luminescent, oil-based crackle. Packed with accessible information suitable for beginners and experts alike, hundreds of clever ideas will have DIY-ers creating unique looks in no time. This inspiring book, a brush, and a few cans of paint are all anyone needs to color their world.
Customer Reviews:
Great Manual!.......2007-10-05
I actually found this in the bargain books section at Borders about a year ago for $2.99! It's fantastic! The beginning explains not only tools you'll need, but tools of the trade in general. It has photographs of every tool, and explains the uses. After every topic, there is a chart which sums up the uses, and how to's. For example, it has a chart on pretty much every surface you might consider painting, and explains the best ways to clean, and prep them. The recipes for the paint colors are clear, and the instructions to acheive the finished looks are also clear. As with any book, it is important to read it, not just look at the pictures, and as with any instruction manual, it is important to take a chance and actually try the project yourself. Overall, even if I had paid $20.00 or more, I would've been happy with this book. It's great for a personal project library.
Customer Reviews:
Wyland Paint Kit.......2007-01-10
My 8 year old granddaughter did very well with the drawing part. She still does not seem to be interested in the painting yet. I think 8 years old is a little young for most for this type of kit. They are still in the watercolor stage, which for them is easier.
Great for Kids.......2003-05-25
Although I am 25 years old, I bought this book because I love Wyland's work and was curious about how he drew his sea creatures. It came with brushes, some acrylic paints, drawing paper, pencils, and a book giving instruction on how to draw and paint (all in a hard cover folder). It is definetly worth the price and would be a great start up book for kids interested in sea art.
Book Description
Techniques and ideas for decorating every kind of surface, from walls and floors to furniture, furnishings,fittings, objects and ornaments.
Customer Reviews:
My favourite for weekend projects or more.......2001-04-24
This really is one of my favourite books for helping me do new projects. It's just great, as it covers all kind of effects that are good not only for walls but anything you can think of. It helps you plan, prepare, execute and then admire your achievement. With easy to follow instructions for stenciling, wood work or what ever you want (you'll find it in here). It teaches you what products are used for what, how to achieve an effect. You will learn fast HOW TO what ever you want to work on. This book is highly recomended for beginers or those who are still not pro's.
Book Description
Annie Sloan shares her secrets to help you create a variety of patterns and effects to decorate your home. Includes information about decorating tools, materials, paint effects, stenciling, decoupage, wood finishes, gilding, and more. Step-by-step instructions and practical tips on trouble spots make this a complete how-to guide.
Average customer rating:
- Excellent simplification of popular painting techniques.
|
The Complete Book Of Paint Techniques
Penny Swift , and
Janet Szymanowski
Manufacturer: Sterling
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 185368306X |
Book Description
"Decorative painting techniques...illustrated here include sponged, marbled, rag-rolled, stippled, and stenciled walls, and faux tortoiseshell and malachite surfaces...with step-by-step instructions for mastering each technique....Written in a chatty, familiar style, this manual can be considered a basic sourcebook, containing tips on preparation, systematic advice, and sufficient information on tools, paint products, and glaze recipes to undertake a variety of projects."--Booklist. 96 pages (all in color), 8 1/2 x 11.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent simplification of popular painting techniques........1997-12-01
Compared to other books on this subject, which are sometimes overly complex, this is great encouragement to the amateur decorator. Each type of paint treatment is covered step-by-step, with photographs.
There are numerous full-color photographs on every page, which help the reader visualize how each technique might apply to their decorating needs.
The only drawback is that most of the photographs are of professionally painted walls, not amateur results. Nonetheless, this book is very helpful to those interested in dressing up their boring walls.
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- Flora: A Gardener's Encyclopedia
- FOCKE WULF FW 190: From 1940 - 1945 (Planes and Pilots S.)
- Gardening with Clematis: Design and Cultivation
- Graphic Design Solutions, Third Edition
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