A few weeks ago, after reading Garden Refresh: How to Give Your Yard Big Impact on a Small Budget, I was inspired and told my husband  that we really needed to take down a large viburnum to provide sunlight. Having an obliging husband makes it easy to spend very little money to give more plants needed sunshine.  But this book provides many ways to help choose plants, and how to care for them.

There is more to choosing garden plants than making sure they have enough sun. Kier Holmes provides many lists that will help choose flowers, and welcome creatures like owls, birds, and other creatures like bats! There is also a chart of good plants for butterflies and and caterpillars.

The titles of the various chapters promise you information in addition to the flowers.  Chapter 9 is all about growing vegetables in your garden, planting seeds, and transplanting. There is also advice about dividing plants every three years.

No matter how  many kinds of flowers and vegetables you plant, learning about improving your soil is very important. Information is given about ground  covers, fungus, manure, biochar – and worshiping the worm. Then comes compost, how to compost, what to compost and what not to compost. Did you know coffee grounds are really good for the soil? You can also make  a compost tea, a liquid fertilizer that uses your compost and soaks it in a bag (or old pillowcase) and a bucket for a time to make tea!

Kier Holmes has given a full view of how to care for your yard and your garden. She provides information about a handsome hardscape, as well as a beautiful and healthy flowers, and a garden that is Earth friendly. She provides endless tips on design, plant selection, and maintenance. Kier Holmes is a designer and writer.  She has written for Martha Stewart, Gardenista, Better Homes and Gardens and other magazines. She is also a children’s garden and science educator.