The homeowner's ultimate landscape care and maintenance manual from the authors of several Storey books on gardening. This complete guide allows the reader to diagnose and cure lawn and garden problems, rejuvenate neglected landscaping, and maintain beautiful and healthy grounds throughout the year. Advice on hedges, shade trees, lawns, ground covers, perennial beds, vines, and more.

Full of useful information on refreshing tired-out lawns and gardens, The Lawn and Garden Owner's Manual is a terrific, comprehensive guide to ongoing care and maintenance of those long-suffering lawns, fruit trees, and ornamental trimmings. Emphasizing care of plants that are already installed and in need of some tender loving care, there are lots of helpful charts and calendars to help you time your tasks properly. Troubleshooting areas are especially helpful for the lawn--you'll learn just how to fix those spots of patchy growth or yellow grass. Plant choices are aimed at providing attractive, low-maintenance options for all types of growing conditions. From grasses to vines, you'll find lots to update your existing lawn.

There's both organic and chemical solutions to pest and disease control. The authors caution you never to expect an instant fix for long-term problems--rather than being discouraging, this tactic will be reassuring to novices. There's lots of insight provided into why all these types of upkeep are necessary, and questions like "is pruning really worth it?" are answered in a straightforward manner. Whenever possible, replacements are offered for high-maintenance areas such as enormous lawns or disease-prone roses, and these replacements are often more attractive than the originals. Plenty of eye-pleasing color photos round out this handy, colorful addition to the gardening shelf. --Jill Lightner