Kiss My Aster: A Graphic Guide to Creating a Fantastic Yard Totally Tailored to You

If Dorothy Parker had written a beginners' guide to gardening, this would be it. Ms. Thomsen has a wry, sly wit. She also knows lots about gardening -- not just the flowers end, but the big stuff end as well.This is an ideal book for the beginning gardener who does not want to read a boring gardening book. I am an advanced gardener, having owned a variety of homes over 30 years. And having made tons of basic mistakes over 30 years. This book aims to prevent those mistakes, such as planting trees too close to houses, not going with an overall plan, etc. (I bought the book because I follow Ms. Thomsen's humorous "Kiss My Aster" page on Facebook.) Even though I know lots about gardening, I still learned things from the book. She also got me to think more about the purpose of gardening. It's important to ask what you want to accomplish with a given space before you start (something I've always been bad at doing.) Besides looking nice, do you want to impress? Or is this mainly for privacy? I figure if I had had this book 30 years ago I would have saved a few thousand dollars and many hours of digging up mistakes.The book is laid out in steps, so you can skip ahead if you know the basic basics. However, I didn't want to skip ahead at all because there is always some humor lurking somewhere on a page. And that is the key to this book, because you will read it end to end. The alternative is to buy a boring encyclopedia of gardening with lots of glossy pictures that you will never read, or will consult after it's too late. "Hey, honey, I think I know why our row of boxwoods died, and it's spelled d-o-g-p-e-e." Fitting with the overall theme, instead of glossy pictures, the book has cartoon-like drawings.If I were pairing this book with another, it would be S.J. Perelman's Acres and Pains, which takes one through the hell of owning a country house.

I bought this book for my girlfriend and sh loves it!

Unique style for a "garden" book, informative and fun to read.

A handy guide with amusing helpful diagrams to help you develop a landscape plan.

Great garden book for beginners as well as seasoned gardeners. It's worth the read just for the humor and graphics as well as information!

Love this! It is hugely entertaining as well as informative. I buy it as a gift every time a friend who likes to play in the yard has a birthday! They ALL love it. I am a professional gardener so a lot of the info isn't new to me but I still pull it off the shelf when I need a good laugh. Highly recommended.

Seriously; as a global e-learning trainer this book combines the best of real-life tips, advice and recommendations, with printed media, that you could hope for. If you, or anyone in whose yard you wander want some advice, this is the best bet around. Not only does this book remind me of *The Basics* that are good for everyone (measure before planning AND planting, etc.), the author gives me a well-timed dose of humor along with very good tips and options for creating the garden that I really want.Reigniting my love for my yard, I look forward to digging around in the garden this year while keeping in mind the well-placed advice from a true garden lover.

There's a reason why Gen X and Y are not that interested in gardening. It's because most gardening books, shows and radio are for the over fifty crowd. Now, don't get excited, I am fast approaching fifty, and there's nothing wrong with liking more traditional content.BUT, younger folks find it stuffy, boring and definitely not funny.Amanda Thomsen and her publisher decided to step outside the box and write an innovative, fun to read design book that is helpful for newbie gardeners...and for old hands who want a fresh perspective.To say that I love this book would be an understatement. Do yourself a favor and read it. It's like Highlights for adults!