Press releases touting the expert advice of a new gardening guide arrive via e-mail and postal mail almost daily. They guarantee to grow anyone into a gardener with a giant green thumb. Fortunately, garden writers also receive review copies of new books. It takes me about as long as a quick summer rainshower to gauge my interest in a new title. Let me see the raindrops on the petal of a crisp white gardenia or a bee buzzing around bee balm.
Gardening is a visual as well as hands-on art.
Please read the contest rules . Then there are gardening books I can't live without. They explain why I should protect my earthworms from toxic chemicals and why I should properly prune my plants and feed the soil to keep my garden healthy. They cultivate my sense of caring, letting my instinct and common sense guide me in the right direction. It tells me the edible stems and leaves of purslane can be used to cook salad, soup, pork stew, tomato sauce and scrambled eggs.