Title – Complete Idiot’s Guide to Rock and Water Gardening
Author - Carlo A. Balistrieri
ISBN – 159257159X
Format - Paperback: 272 pages
Publisher - Alpha (April 6, 2004)

This particular book on rock and water gardening is an enthusiastic book. While there is absolutely enough information about both water gardening and rock gardening, to write two separate and complete books, this book manages to combine both topics into one complete book, without losing anything important. It also makes a poignant point: both rock and water gardening can complement each other quite handsomely. This point is even detailed in multiple chapters.

Pros

• This book gives consideration to those DIYers that are working on a tight budget.
• This book is simple to read and gives great summaries at the end of each chapter.
• This is an inexpensive book when you are just getting started.

Cons

• Most of the photos of this book are not in color.

Summary

• There are photos as well as illustrations in this book, but they are not typically in color which is a trade off when you consider the inexpensive cost.
• There are summaries at the end of every chapter, providing you with immediate reinforcement of the concepts in the text.
• There is a glossary included in the book.
• The advice in this book does not overlook the people who are working on a tight budget as many cheap alternatives are explained in depth.
• Both rock gardening and water gardening are covered in this book.
• Specific projects and required tools are both touched on in this book.
• This book is easy to read, making it a suitable book for reading, browsing and for reference purposes as well.

This book stays true to the general format of the vast majority of the Idiot’s Guide books, breaking each page up into easily digested pieces. A simple intro is trailed by a discussion of the history of both water and rock gardening. The third chapter talks about the ways in which water and rock gardening can complement each other. The fourth chapter gives to a subtle push towards picking your own unique style with bits of advice, like “pick a motif that matches your lifestyle in general, and stay with it”.

This book really gets to the nitty-gritty when it comes to rock gardening, especially in chapter 5. In chapter 6, you will find a lot of additional information including choosing rocks, finding rocks and using rocks. Nothing is overlooked here. Using plants in the rock gardening process is covered in chapter 7 and chapter 8. In chapter 9 however, the topic is switched to water gardening. You will learn about streams, fountains and waterfalls in this chapter, including how to incorporate fish and plants as well. This is a nicely well rounded book with plenty of information.

Buy: The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Rock and Water Gardening Illustrated

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