A good spring gardening reference guide
Toni | Chicago, Illinois United States | 03/22/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This is another one of the wonderful DVD's that Martha has been creating to help us take care of the home; except this time it's on the outside. She has obviously started with the first season of the year and as always, it's the one that gives us the greatest joy of all that is hopeful and ready to burst with anticipation of what is to come! Spring! Ah, my heart begins to beat again after that dormant winter!
Martha gives us a 2-disc set along with printable instructions for those who like having something in hand to guide us along as we wake up our gardens. The are as such:
Disc One
PLANTING: dividing hellebores/ early spring fertilizers/planting primroses, lilies, clematis, sweetpeas/ etc.
ANNUALS: self-sowing annuals/ early season weeding/ etc.
SEEDS: seed-starting tips/ seed test/ seed compost/ etc.
VEGETABLES: staking peas/ sowing leeks/ edible peas/ etc.
COOKING FROM THE GARDEN: Fontina and asparagus bruschetta/ spring garden cake/ rhubarb crisp/ etc.
TOOLS: pruning tools/ 5 essential garden tools/ lopper 101/ etc
GARDEN TOURS: Gerbera daisies/ Hellebores/ Brooklyn Botanic Garden/ Keukenhof bulb garden/ diversity of orchids/ Japanese stroll garden
Disc Two
POTTING: potting mix glossary/ potting dahlia's/ succulent pots/ repotting plants/ etc
INDOOR GARDENING: houseplant tune-up/ terrariums/ fragrant houseplants/ indoor parterre/ etc
GARDEN MAINTENANCE: spring garden clean-up/ lawn garden clean-up/ garden tool care/ etc
SPECIAL FEATURES: garden design 101/ Skylands tour/ 14 tips and techniques/ printable instructions/ etc
The segments are from her former TV show several years back to more recent years. As usual, the film transfer to DVD is superb and the colors are so vivid that you want to run right out and start working. In the segments for "Arranging", the opening for "seasonal alliums" is just exquisite with deep and lighter shades of purple so perfect, crisp, and clear, that it made me put this flower on my top ten list for this years planting. Some of the segments are rather short (as in the "early spring fertilizer") but others are wonderfully extended enough to teach you what you need to know.
In all fairness, I do have a criticism with the price, in that I feel that it is way over the amount that this DVD was worth, even with the Amazon discount. And since I am assuming that the remaining 3 seasons will be out eventually, it makes for a rather stiff price in the end.
But if you are a die-hard fan, then sit back with pen and pencil in hand, and prepare yourself to start planning your garden."
More then just a Gardening DVD
Silvia Erlichman | 11/21/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I was happy to know this DVD was not just about trimming branches and planting flowers. It is a very deep dive into the many different types of gardening, starting in how to pick out and plant seeds, lawn care, flowers, soils up to many other bold and simple projects. Easy to follow and understand, it is a fine DVD to have and cherish."