Lawns and Landscaping--: 1,001 Gardening Questions Answered

The mention of lawns may make some people yawn; the thought of landscaping may make them quake. This book will put such folk to sleep before fear strikes. The editors' first mistake was to open the book with discussions of how to plant a new lawn, revitalize an old one and care for each. Does someone new to gardening, the target audience here, really want to be greeted with overwhelming work before considering the potentially valuable role of ornamental flower gardens, shade trees and shrub borders in the overall design? Mistake number two was the use of a question-and-answer format; the device fails to organize the material. To weed through the book most effectively, readers should start at the back and work forward, from ``special gardens'' (kitchen, herb, rock) to chapters on paths, trees and shrubs (very helpful) and patios. Even so, they're not going to learn much that's new; many of the design ideas offered are ordinary (the solution posed to landscaping a 30- by 60-foot yard: run a strip of lawn through the center and plant flower and shrub borders on each side). Photos not seen by PW. Literary Guild s election. (Feb.)