New Releases by George Brookbank

George Brookbank has distilled nearly twenty years' experience—as an extension agent in urban horticulture with the University of Arizona—into a practical book that tells how to avoid problems with desert landscaping before they occur and how to correct those that do. In the first part, "How to Start and Maintain a Desert Landscape," he provides 28 easy-to-use chapters that address concerns ranging from how to start a wildflower garden to how to cope with Texas root rot. In Part Two, "A Month-By-Month Maintenance Guide," he offers a handy almanac that tells what to do and what to watch out for each month of the year, with cross-references to the chapters in Part One. Homeowners who maintain their own landscape will find in this book ways to make the work more satisfying and productive, while those who hire landscape contractors can make sure the work is done effectively and economically. "You'll find all kinds of books on desert landscape design and materials, irrigation system and design, and landscape installation," says Brookbank. "So far as I know, however, this is the only book that tells you what to do with what you've got and how to keep it growing." CONTENTS Part 1 - How to Start and Maintain a Desert Landscape 1. Desert Conditions: How They Are "Different" 2. Plants Are Like People: They're Not Alike 3. Use Arid-Land Plants to Save Water 4. How to Irrigate in the Desert 5. How to Design and Install a Drip Irrigation System 6. Soils and Their Improvement I: How to Plant in the Desert 7. Soils and Their Improvement II: How to Use Fertilizers 8. What to Do When Things Go Wrong: A Troubleshooter's Guide 9. How to Avoid—and Repair—Frost Damage 10. How to Control "Weeds" 11. Palo Verde Borer Beetle: What to Do 12. How to Avoid Texas Root Rot 13. When You Move Into an Empty House 14. What to Do About Roots in Drains 15. How to Dig Up Plants and Move Them 16. How to Have Flower Bed Color All Year 17. Landscape Gardening with Containers 18. Starting Wildflowers 19. Starting a Lawn 20. Making and Keeping a Good Hedge 21. Pruning Trees and Shrubs 22. Palm Tree Care 23. Caring for Saguaros, Ocotillos, Avages, and Prickly Pears 24. Roses in the Desert: Hard Work and Some Disappointments 25. Landscaping with Citrus 26. Swimming Pools: Plants, Play, and Water-Saving 27. Landscape Maintenance While You're Away 28. Condominiums: Common Grounds, Common Problems Part 2 - A Month-by-Month Maintenance Guide

What's the best time to plant or prune? When should you fertilize fruit trees? What's the earliest date to set out tomato plants? Gardeners in the desert Southwest can't rely on books that try to cover the whole country. Summer heat, less rain, and shorter, unreliable growing seasons are important factors in the desert. That's why The Desert Gardener's Calendar can be essential to gardening success. Whether you're raising vegetables, nursing citrus trees, or just trying to keep your front yard looking its best, you'll find that this handy book gives you a valuable month-by-month perspective on the year. It helps you to focus on necessary activities and reminds you of simple tasks you might overlook.It's especially valuable for people who've moved to the desert regions from other parts of the country and follow old gardening dates that seldom apply to their new home. The Desert Gardener's Calendar is a guide to the maintenance you need to do to keep your garden flourishing and your landscape attractive throughout the year. It combines the month-by-month gardening and landscaping activities from two separate books by George Brookbank—Desert Gardening, Fruits and Vegetables and Desert Landscaping—and was created in response to readers who have found the calendar sections of those books especially invaluable. And because not all deserts are the same, Brookbank is careful to point out differences in scheduling encountered by gardeners in low- and middle-elevation regions in California and the Southwest. "I believe," says the author, "that if you use this calendar and let your judgment become more accurate with experience, you'll soon be doing everything right." Although that might suggest a day when you don't need this book, chances are good that, if you're a desert gardener, right now you do.

An illustrated guide to growing plentiful fruits and vegetables in the driest of American climates Wherever you live in the desert--up to 3,500-feet elevation--this guide is for you. Enjoy plentiful fruits and vegetables from your desert garden. Desert gardening expert George Brookbank will help you with your desert garden. Two books in one . . . A tremendous reference tool you'll use all year 'round! 1. Complete how-to-do-it guide--Drip irrigation and watering --How to prepare desert soil --Which plant and tree varieties to choose --Citrus: Watering, pruning, fertilizing --New varieties for favorites: tomatoes, strawberries, grapes, melonsAnd the unusual . . . Low-chill applesOriental vegetablesYard-long beans--New chapters on hydroponics and alternatives to poisonous chemicals 2. Week-by-week desert calendar--Learn how to work with the desert's short seasons, hot weather, insects, and soils--When to plant--When to prune Over 650 photographs Great for Arizona, California, New Mexico, Nevada, and Texas!