The title "No-work" is a bit of an exaggeration, but veteran British gardener Flowerdew (Bob Flowerdew's Organic Bible
, etc.) gives excellent advice about keeping gardening busywork to a minimum. Profusely illustrated with attractive photographs and drawings, the book covers the gardening gamut: lawns, houseplants, flowers, vegetables and a particularly long and detailed section on fruits. Flowerdew gives commonsense advice: don't listen to rose experts obsessed with the giant flowers that win prizes when your own interest is to enjoy an abundance of blooms in your garden; if you prefer strawberries, why not grow them instead of the radishes you never eat? He also provides some quirky but handy tips such as the Romans' technique for killing pernicious weeds: drown them in a barrel of water, add a layer of vegetable oil to keep mosquitoes away and use the liquid for plant food. His dry British humor may be a bit difficult for the American reader to fathom, but most of his emphasis on following your pleasure in gardening choices will be especially welcome to new gardeners who worry about doing things right. (July)
