The Virgin Gardener opens with two pages of definitions for a rather arbitrary and off-putting list of garden-related terms. Then it's on to two pages for "Designing Your Garden," two more for "Growing Your Own Food," followed by spreads on "Where and How to Buy Plants," "Choosing Healthy Pants," and "Essential Tools and Equipment." WHEW!! With 20+ photos and assorted lists, there's not much room for the text, which is indeed elementary, but also uninformative. It relies almost totally on generalites and received wisdom that communicate little of real value.

Sticking fanatically to the two-pages-per-topic structure, this book, like many for beginners, tries too hard to be comprehensive and ends up sacrificing clarity and accuracy. ...

The interest was cultivated slowly. I had cared for indoor bonsai for a few years, then recently decided to try forcing some bulbs indoors in winter, having so much fun with that I thought I'd jump into the world of container gardening outside on my patio. Where to start? A trip to the local bookstore yielded up this book in the bargain section. Nicely presented and glossy, the scope of this work is rather wide, as the author attempted to touch on numerous entry points to the world of gardening. He introduces the new arrival to the jargon of the plant world, so you can know your perennial from your hardy evergreen. This was quite helpful to provide the vocabulary for me to express my plant wants on trips to the local nursery. The various growing zones for the US are described, and case studies are provided for each category and chapter: ground cover, potted plants, climbers, shrubs, and flowers. Sections on what to do for various times of the year, and planting suggestions were welcome additions. From this book I found more specialized works dealing exclusively with container / patio gardening. Overall, an enjoyable, interesting read, not only for a container garden beginner, but also those who come to gardening through inheritance of unruly plots, or those with a desire to build water gardens, bogs, and more freeform designs.

This "beginners'" gardening book contains a wealth of good information and good color illustrations in a well-organized format.

Edwards assumes - without condescension - that his reader is just starting out. His tone is calmly instructive. Most of the gardens shown are relatively small (and manageable!) He explains and defines the basics of gardening: a terms glossary, tools, design basics and possibilities, properties of plants, renovating old gardens, growing vegetables, troubleshooting, the how-to's of cuttings, and many more topics. Edwards is a British gardening writer, and his gardening slant is British, too, although the book has been carefully edited for US hardiness zones and climates. (Most of the gardens shown require some shade.) He discusses various methods of weed and insect suppression, both toxic and nontoxic to the environment.

This is not "low-maintenance" gardening, although the deliberate wildness of some of the gardens might suggest that - to the "virgin" eye. Not so.

One of the handiest sections is "Keeping it Looking Good," which takes one purposefully through spring, early summer, late summer, fall, and winter, with relevant tasks for the maintenance of containers, lawns, beds and borders, and pools (water gardens). This is especially useful because so many gardening books are big on the selecting and planting phases, but fall short on the all-important maintenance piece of the gardening picture, resulting in all too many newly-installed plants looking great this year, and not so great, next year.

In addition, there is a humility to the gardens in the photographs that is not only appealing, but downright inspirational. Sculpture, water, and assorted design elements are shown. A novice gardener could easily replicate some of the peaceful and beautiful environments in this book.

I've gardened haphazardly for years and, if not a "virgin," am still a novice gardener - and I found this book to be useful, totally approachable, and beautiful to look at. The gardens vary and could be relatively inexpensively accomplished. There's a good index, too. A very nice book.

Not a bad expose' on the occultic and un-biblical inner workings of freemasonry. Not the most exciting writer on earth, but Mr. Harris does a good job of exposing and documenting the actual FACTS undergirding the deception of freemasonry. Any Christian would do well to get the actual documentation rather than the heresay ... Harris provides lots of it here.

I am a former Prince Hall Mason so I know that all this is true. And most most of you whom are involved in Freemasonry that have gone higher than the Blue (3rd degree) Lodge know aslo. God will not be mocked. However, if you chose to continue to deceive yourselves...

Ezekiel 8
13 He said also unto me, Turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations that they do.
14 Then he brought me to the door of the gate of the LORD's house which was toward the north; and, behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz.
15 Then said he unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations than these.
16 And he brought me into the inner court of the LORD's house, and, behold, at the door of the temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of the LORD, and their faces toward the east; and they worshipped the sun toward the east.
17 Then he said unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? Is it a light thing to the house of Judah that they commit the abominations which they commit here? for they have filled the land with violence, and have returned to provoke me to anger: and, lo, they put the branch to their nose.
18 Therefore will I also deal in fury: mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: and though they cry in mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them.

John 8
32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
33 They answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?
34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.
35 And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever.