The First-Time Gardener: Growing Plants and Flowers

First, oddly enough I'd like to thank NetGalley and the publishers for their patience with my galley reviews; while we've all had a rough (2020), there were additional issues that have held me from reading (gasp -yeah, so sad but true). However, I was super excited to see my galleys and read The First-Time Gardener since I've been increasing my indoor plant collection and learning by trial and error. I've read other gardening books and this one was full of information for the first time gardener (which I admit to being, no matter then years I've been growing indoors). The authors did a wonderful job in holding my hand while I learned about the anatomy of a plant, types of naturally sourced mulches and their benefits, pest control, pruning, etc. It's still a bit too much information for me to process, but I'll know I have to revisit this great resource. Some of it I can't put into practice just because of being a city-dweller, but I think this book encompasses all that's needed to have a beautifully growing garden. #TheFirstTimeGardenerGrowingPlantsandFlowers #NetGalley

The First-Time Gardener: Growing Plants and Flower by Sean McManus and Allison McManus is the gardening book that you need! It's like an encyclopedia of answers and tips for getting started and keeping going with your plants and flowers. Great step-by-step directions and beautiful full color photos throughout.

I really wanted to like this book. As a retired horticulture professor, I always searched for a suitable book to use in my beginning gardening courses. This book has some great features that would make it an excellent guide for new gardeners. The authors claim to use "only eco-friendly methods," and for the most part, that appears to be true. There are places where a bit more could be done, such as elaborating on integrated pest control and including instructions for checking moisture in soil in the watering section. There is also going to be a bonus online companion guide, most of which is not yet live at time of review. The one section that was live had a very helpful instructional video for determining soil texture. It looks like a lot more timely topics are planned.

The book is well organized with short paragraphs, simple language, and lots of appropriate illustrations. I particularly liked the key takeaway points at the end of each chapter. I do wish, however, that there would be a chapter on soil, rather than just tidbits scattered through various chapters. I understand the reasoning behind action-oriented chapter headings, but soil is just too important as a starting point.

I did find a few negatives. There are a few glaring inaccuracies (I will share them specifically in notes to publisher) and there are places where I felt the information presented could have been better organized. If these things were corrected, I'd seriously consider giving this book a 5 star rating. But, as a subject matter expert, I feel that these should have been caught prior to publication by subject matter reviewers, so I am somewhat disappointed that this might be published as is. But, overall, this book has great potential to become a classic, especially with the online guide as an accompaniment.

The First-Time Gardener: Growing Plants and Flowers: All the know-how you need to plant and tend outdoor areas using eco-friendly methods by Sean McManus & Allison McManus
Publisher: Quarto Publishing Group – Cool Springs Press
Genre: Home & Garden
Release Date: March 9, 2021

The First-Time Gardener: Growing Plants and Flowers: All the know-how you need to plant and tend outdoor areas using eco-friendly methods by Sean McManus & Allison McManus is a great guide for beginner gardeners!

This easy to read guide is filled with so much information and beautiful pictures. I look forward to using some of these tips on my new garden!

I'm so grateful to Sean McManus & Allison McManus, Quarto Publishing Group – Cool Springs Press, and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this ARC ebook in exchange for my honest review.

Beginner based book on growing plants and flowers, I found it especially helpful since it gives your vocabulary a bit of a nudge. Great pictures, details, and ideas! Four stars!

I found this book to be so helpful! Homesteading and becoming more self sustaining is a big interest of mine so I'll take what I learned from this book and it'll go a long way!