The Informed Gardener

Winner of the Best Book Award in the 2009 Garden Writers Association Media Awards

Named an "Outstanding Title" in University Press Books for Public and Secondary School Libraries, 2009

In this introduction to sustainable landscaping practices, Linda Chalker-Scott addresses the most common myths and misconceptions that plague home gardeners and horticultural professionals. Chalker-Scott offers invaluable advice to gardeners gardeners who have wondered:

Are native plants the best choice for sustainable landscaping?

Should you avoid disturbing the root ball when planting?

Are organic products better or safer than synthetic ones?

What is the best way to control weeds-fabric or mulch?

Does giving vitamins to plants stimulate growth?

Are compost teas effective in controlling diseases?

When is the best time to water in hot weather?

If you pay more, do you get a higher-quality plant?

How can you differentiate good advice from bad advice?

The answers may surprise you. In her more than twenty years as a university researcher and educator in the field of plant physiology, Linda Chalker-Scott has discovered a number of so-called truths that originated in traditional agriculture and that have been applied to urban horticulture, in many cases damaging both plant and environmental health. The Informed Gardener is based on basic and applied research from university faculty and landscape professionals, originally published in peer-reviewed journals.

After reading this book, you will:

Understand your landscape or garden plants as components of a living system

Save time (by not overdoing soil preparation, weeding, pruning, staking, or replacing plants that have died before their time)

Save money (by avoiding worthless or harmful garden products, and producing healthier, longer-lived plants)

Reduce use of fertilizers and pesticides

Assess marketing claims objectively

This book will be of interest to landscape architects, nursery and landscape professionals, urban foresters, arborists, certified professional horticulturists, and home gardeners.

For more information go to: http://www.theinformedgardener.com

Linda Chalker-Scott is an extension urban horticulturist and associate professor at Puyallup Research and Extension Center, Washington State University. She is the Washington State editor of MasterGardener magazine and for six years she authored an online column,

Preface

CRITICAL THINKING

The Myth of Absolute Science

The Myth of Indisputable Information

The Myth of Organic Superiority, Part I

The Myth of Organic Superiority, Part 2

UNDERSTANDING HOW PLANTS WORK

The Myth of Fragile Roots

--Pruning Flawed Woody Roots Before Transplanting

The Myth of Mighty Roots

The Myth of Top-Pruning Transplanted Material

The Myth of Tree Topping

How Big is Big?

The Myth of Hot-Weather Watering

HOW / WHAT / WHEN / WHERE TO PLANT

The Myth of Instant Landscaping

The Myth of Native Plant Superiority

--Going Native? Or Not?

The Myth of Well-behaved Ornamentals

The Myth of Plant Quality

--Choosing the Best Plants at the Nursery

The Myth of Drainage Materials in Containers

The Myth of Collapsing Root Balls

The Myth of Tree Staking

SOIL ADDITIVES

The Myth of Soil Amendments, Part 1

The Myth of Soil Amendments, Part 2

The Myth of Soil Amendments, Part 3

The Myth of Phosphate Fertilizer, Part 1

The Myth of Phosphate Fertilizer, Part 2

The Myth of Beneficial Bonemeal

The Myth of Polyacrylamide Hydrogels

The Myth of Wandering Weedkiller

MULCHES

The Myth of Landscape Fabric

--Using Arborist Wood Chips for Weed Control

The Myth of Clean Compost

--How Does Mulching Reduce Pesticide and Fertilizer Use?

The Myth of Paper-Based Sheet Mulch

The Myth of Pretty Mulch

--Characteristics of an Ideal Landscape Mulch

MIRACLES IN A BAG / BOTTLE / BOX

The Myth of Compost Tea

The Myth of Compost Tea Revisited

The Myth of Mineral Magic

The Myth of Vitamin Shots

The Myth of Vitamin Stimulants

The Myth of Wound Dressings

Essential Garden Tools and Products

Index