The 20-Minute Gardener – Book Review

The 20-Minute Gardener on Amazon

A couple weeks ago I was sent a review copy of the 20-Minute Gardener from Sunset Books.  The idea behind the book is very intriguing: 20 minutes of gardening each day for a great garden.  You may have heard this concept before.  The idea is simple.  If you do a little bit in your garden each day you save yourself a lot of work over the season.  The 20-Minute Gardener puts together ideas, concepts, techniques, and designs that will help you maximize your gardening.

My First Impression
When I first looked at the 20-Minute Gardener I was expecting something a little more along the lines of an edible garden resource.   (Sunset actually has a different book for that.)  the 20-Minute Gardener is more about designing for aesthetics with ornamental plantings and has just a small amount of edible gardening inside.  There are 3-4 designs that do discuss edibles to some extent including a keyhole garden a little about raised beds and some herbs but it is mostly about design.  That’s good for many gardeners who prefer to garden with ornamental plantings and landscaping rather than edibles.

The 20-Minute Gardener is geared for those who live in the western regions of the United States.  That’s not to say that there isn’t some crossover.  In the suggested plants area many of the plants do great here in the east too.  Gaillardia and salvia are two of my favorites and both are listed as easy to grow plants with little maintenance.  I can vouch for that! They have sections that include grasses, ferns, annuals, perennials, and shrubs that are good low-maintenance plants for gardens.

What Else is in the 20-Minute Gardener?
There are some creative project ideas included like a dry stream bed, a succulent hanging frame, and various pathway planting ideas.  There’s even a tabletop garden.  The photographs are beautiful, plentiful, and provide a quite a few garden design ideas.