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If you consider gardening a hobby, then, you certainly have at least one gardening book in your home. Books are a great source of inspiration, while they also work well for reference, regardless of whether you just want to improve knowledge or you seek for specific content. And the choice of one gardening book or another says it all about what raises your interest in such an activity.

A rather complete gardening book is the American Hort. Society’s A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants. The downside of such a publication results from the very scientific organization of the content, since most readers will prefer something accessible to the average user rather than complex and difficult to understand. Hence make sure to check some reviews, leaf through content and see what impression it makes.

Get a very easy gardening book if you are just learning the secrets of this occupation, at such a stage it is pointless to go into deep information about soil varieties, plant species and fertilizing. Many amateur gardeners start with a bed or two and do their apprenticeship at a reduced scale. Only skills and experience can support a large garden. Then, you will know when to read a more advanced gardening book to move to the next level.

A good gardening book must include good pictures with close details of leaves, flowers, seeds and roots. This is why we need to insist on the importance of previewing a book before purchasing it. Online orders may be tricky from this point of view, as you check little from one or two reviews. Instead of a very serious book you may just want to get a handbook that can help you put together garden containers.

The gardening sections of bookstores are normally organized on more detailed sections. And the same system is valid for online retailers. There are some in the basic categories and then, others in specialized classes: garden design, cultivation of perennials and annuals, soil preparation, hydroponics, aeroponics, greenhouse gardening and much more. You can get an idea about a certain gardening book by leafing through it before the actual purchase. Some materials are more extensive than others covering from 100 plants to 1,500+ species.

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Hollies will grow in full sun or partial shade, but will become spindly in dense shade. In windswept areas hollies should be planted in sheltered locations. Consider location carefully also from the standpoint of space. They grow slowly, and although they are small at first, they eventually become broad specimens. Since they will remain in the same location for many years they will benefit by thorough soil preparation. Heavy clay soil can be improved by the addition of sand and two to three bushels of leaf mold or peat moss, for plants three to four feet tall. Small hollies will not need that much humus immediately; more can be worked into the soil as the plants grow.

Potted or canned hollies may be planted at any time during the growing season. Balled and b u rl a pp ed plants transplant best in March and April, just before the new growth commences, and again in late summer and fall. Careful handling in the planting operation is imperative. A broken root ball may ruin the plant. At the time of planting, a depression should be left around each plant. This should be filled with water after planting, and repeated whenever the soil becomes dry during the first year.

Mulch each plant with oak leaves, peat moss mixed with old manure, wood chips or sawdust – to conserve moisture and protect the roots against rapid changes of temperature. A commercial fertilizer high in nitrogen should be spread around the hollies before wood chips or sawdust are applied. This counteracts the depletion of nitrogen from the soil in the initial breakdown of the chips and sawdust. Hollies will benefit from a feeding each February or March, if commercial fertilizers are used – or later when growth is active, if the liquid plant foods are used. A gardener is fortunate if he can apply an annual dressing of old manure which may be supplemented with cotton seed meal.

Hollies need to be shaped in their early years. Long, awkward shoots should be pruned; this work is best done in March before growth commences. Nipping back the tips of many of the branches will induce them to send out side branches to fill in the main body of the plant. If a plant is thin near the top and an ungainly leader has forged ahead, the appearance of the plant can be helped by tying one or two side branches in an upright position to fill in around the leader. And to clean the ground, it is helpful to use gas powered leaf blowers to lessen the work on cleaning the leaves.

When hollies grow older they usually begin suckering at the base. If some of these suckers are left to grow, a bushier plant will result.

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Perennials – Perennials should be cut back after blooming and reset this month (October). Perennials set now will be established and ready to grow in the spring. Some of the biennials tend to become perennials in our gardens, and occasionally a half-hardy annual lives on and on.

If you have not yet cleaned up all litter or garden trash, be sure it is done this fall. Do not provide a winter home for insect pests.

Chrysanthemums – October is the month of heaviest bloom for this queen of fall flowers. The most important thing to remember is to provide plenty of water for them. They are heavy feeders (which should have been taken care of in September) and heavy drinkers. Visit the fall shows and gardens of chrysanthemums and write down names of varieties you like and try them another year. The fall shows are wonderful places to see the best in the seasonal flowers. Keep a close check on the weather, and before killing frost lift clumps of chrysanthemums and put in the garage or basement for continued bloom. A few may even be potted and kept in the house. An additional month of flowers may be had in this way.

Soil Preparation – In open spaces in the garden, dig the soil deep, adding a little complete fertilizer. Or plant some type of cover crop and turn it under for a green manure. Soil preparation can go on all year in a garden. Just turning the soil will keep it in good tilth.

Miscellaneous – Take cuttings of herbaceous plants like the donkey ears plant and root them for next year’s garden. Many gardeners carry over plants of all kinds like the donkey ears plant simply as rooted cuttings taken during October. The cutting wood should be firm and seasoned, and not soft and succulent, for best results. Plant pansy seeds for transplanting next month. Pansies are the chief source of bloom in many winter gardens. Continue planting the garden lilies started last month.

Visit the countryside and gather seed pods, weeds and flowers for drying. Many interesting materials are available for winter bouquets, and October is the month for collecting and drying them. Divide and replant peonies, or plant new ones, this month.

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