The Epicurean Gardener

Epicurean gardening, writes the author of Guerilla Gardening, means ""pursuing the principles of pleasure, but enjoying pleasure in moderation.'' If this seems a bit obtuse, he later explains in chattier language: ``you want to fuss around. . . as little as possible, and want the best possible stuff for your efforts.'' Adams fancies himself a gardener/raconteur, but the book falls short in both areas. His low-maintenance gardening advice for growing vegetables and herbs isn't much more detailed than the copy on a seed packet, and his anecdotes tend to lag. Furthermore, his disdain for other gardening books is whiny (he claims that they make the subject sound ``difficult, laborious and costly''), and he violates his own caveat when he ``earnestly'' recommends gourmet vegetables like arugula. There is an appendix of nurseries. Illustrations not seen by PW. (February 1)