Landscaping

The concept of a five-year plan, as gardeners know, is an excellent one. Unfortunately, its presentation in this book, geared for the reader who is both a novice gardener and a new homeowner, leaves room for improvement. One problem is the Q & A format for the five chapters that cover each year in turn; some readers will find it distracting and repetitious. And, though James raises the complaint of noted English gardener Rosemary Verey (``Why can't Americans be more adventurous when it comes to gardening?''), many of his own answers to the challenge are hackneyed, from a rectangular, fenced-in, straight-row vegetable garden to old-fashioned foundation plantings. The book is meant for gardeners throughout the country, yet plants listed show a northeastern bias. Zones where the plants will grow do range, but some of the best landscaping material for the south and west is conspicuously absent. Photos not seen by PW. (Oct.)