Practical Science for Gardeners.PRACTICAL SCIENCE FOR GARDENERS MARY M PRATT PRATT Point Refuted A Thousand Times (online debates) The author proposes that a better understanding of the science of plants will make people better gardeners, and she has structured her book accordingly. She starts by explaining how plants get nutrients from the soil. She covers the names of the parts of a plant and how they work together, explaining how treating various parts in various ways can make plants grow robustly. The book explains what makes good soil, how to improve the soil in any garden, and how to keep pests away while attracting beneficial wildlife, such as butterflies but·ter·fly n. 1. Any of various insects of the order Lepidoptera, characteristically having slender bodies, knobbed antennae, and four broad, usually colorful wings. 2. , birds, and bees. Later sections get even more scientific by covering plant nomenclature nomenclature /no·men·cla·ture/ (no´men-kla?cher) a classified system of names, as of anatomical structures, organisms, etc. binomial nomenclature , biodiversity biodiversity: see biological diversity. biodiversity Quantity of plant and animal species found in a given environment. Sometimes habitat diversity (the variety of places where organisms live) and genetic diversity (the variety of traits expressed , genetics genetics, scientific study of the mechanism of heredity. While Gregor Mendel first presented his findings on the statistical laws governing the transmission of certain traits from generation to generation in 1856, it was not until the discovery and detailed study of , and the implications of genetic modification for gardening. The author manages to cover these topics while keeping the book understandable for readers with nontechnical backgrounds. Anyone seeking principles for improving a garden will find this book immensely useful. Timber Press, 2005, 176 p., b&w illus., hardcover, $24.95. |
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