Oklahoma Gardener's Guide: Revised Edition

Rating:
Summary: Excellent reference for the novice
Review: I just moved into my first house with a yard and now have to figure out how to take care of it. This book was heavily recommended by the local nurseries, friends and the county extension office. I now know why. It has nice, although small, color pictures of all the plants the author highlights. I really appreciate the author's willingness to speak his mind about certain plants and techniques. It's also very good that the book is specific to Oklahoma since many books spend time on plants that just can not handle red clay, 110 degree summers, drought, 10 degree winters and steady 25 mph winds - and that's just the months of September and October!

The book is a great reference although I ended up reading it cover to cover. It's very easy even for me to understand. It has a fine index for finding things later. The only complaint, and it is minor, is the size of the photographs. They are only thumbnail sized and kind of tough to see. But, I have other books that give me good pictures for cross-reference.

This book together with Heat Zone Gardening are my main references.

Rating:
Summary: AKA: The Idiot's Guide To Oklahoma Gardening.
Review: If you live in or around the prairie areas of Oklahoma, you probably know about the diverse conditions we have and how difficult your gardening can be. Well, here's the answer. Given to me by my landscaping brother at Christmas, the Oklahoma Gardener's Guide : The What, Where, When, How & Why of Ornamental Gardening in Oklahoma has been very helpful to me, a novice gardener at best. Full of ideas about trees, shrubs, vines and flowers, it helped me decide what would work in my landscape. "A-Ha" was my expression as I quickly discovered why things I had tried in the past had failed. Easy to understand and accompanied by full-color thumbnail pictures, it gave me a blueprint to go by. I even carried my bookmarked copy to the nursery when I picked out new spring plants and trees. The bottom line... it works. Now I'm planting with success. This Oklahoma author has done his homework. You should benefit from it.