BOOK REVIEWS

Handy Gardener
The complete pocket-sized garden manual

Published by Harper Collins
$NZ24.99

A pocketbook like this has much to commend it especially when it's able to justify its "all you need to know" approach with a packed content at a reasonable price.

Here, then, is an A-Z of more than 350 plants in a port­able form. There's also a quick reference guide on plant care, suggestions for planting combinations, and a step-by-step guide to gardening techniques.

The pages are colour-coded, making it easy to find what you're looking for, and each entry in the A-Z has a page reference leading you to companion plants. The only drawback may be the type - a little small for older eyes.

Reproduced with permission from the former Weekend Gardener magazine. The views expressed here are not necessarily those of the RNZIH