Gardening in the Lower Midwest: A Practical Guide for the New Zones 5 and 6

By Diane Heilenman

"... a common-sense handbook for gardeners... It will help slacken the stress level that gardening was never meant to bring." —HortScience

"[Diane Heilenman] gets to the heart, the soul and the humor shared by all in the gardening world... both a practical reference and an inspiration... " —The Herald-Times (Bloomington, IN)

Diane Heilenman tells novice and experienced gardeners how to cope in this difficult and trying climate, create gardens appropriate for the region, and select flowers, plants, trees, and shrubs that will be happy—and in turn make us happy. The gardening columnist for the Louisville Courier-Journal, Heilenman is also a gifted thinker who grapples with what it means to garden in our time.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Indiana University Press
• Release date: Sep 22, 1994
• ISBN: 9780253026620

Reviews for Gardening in the Lower Midwest

[arethusarose · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a very fine book for anyone who wants to do some serious gardening in the midwest. The author is experienced, and opinionated about what will grow well in our zones 5 and 6. There is useful advice about reliable plants, garden design, plant sources, basic equipment - all helpful to the novice gardener with serious intentions. This is not the book for someone who wants standrard suburban landscaping or who hopes for a pretty yard with as little work as possible. If you long for borders that have something to offer in all seasons, or you want to plant a few trees and shrubs that will do well and still not be just like your neighbors, this is the book for you. I don't recall every seeing a gardening book that was as clearly writtien for the conditions and possiblities of my location; so many garden writers seem to live in the East, or the Northwest, where Zone 5 means something a little different than it does in Illinois. There are no garden plans, no mixed border lists, no specific instructions. There is plenty of advice from an experienced gardener that can be applied to small or large gardens. Much of this advice may will make your choices more likely to be successful, and your gardening experiments more interesting.