California Master Gardener Handbook, 2nd

If you are confused by the many conflicting instructions on how to care for your garden, this is the go to book. There are a lot of intriguing and compelling suggestions in the world of gardening, but Master Gardeners base their guidance on what is provable. It discusses horticulture, fertilizers, water management, plant propagation, insects, weeds, safe and sustainable pest management, weeds, houseplants, lawns, woody landscape plants, vegetable gardening, grapes, berries, temperate tree and nut crops, citrus, avocados, landscape design, poisonous plants, and diagnosis of plant problems. It is wonderful!

If you can remember the old telephone books we used to get, then you understand the above reference. I purchased this used and it came in absolutely pristine condition. Very helpful and informative reference book. Surprisingly easy to understand the very scientific explanations. So I think it’s been very well edited. Recommend for home gardener and experienced pro as well. UC did a good community service here by gathering all this info in one place and making it easy to understand.

A must get for any serious gardener!

Bought this for an avid gardening family member as a gift. It is bursting with information and was a great price!

Amazing book ..great info.. a must have for growers.

The California Master Gardner Handbook is worth every cent. It is chock full of information that goes well beyond the typical "garden book" by Sunset and others. The chief complaint I have is that the smaller color photos — in this case, photos depicting the types of weeds I am trying to deal with in my yard — are a bit muddy and difficult to make out. (This could be resolved by printing the photos on glossy pages or by replacing the whole-plant photo with a macro close-up for better identification.) In summary, my gripes have to do with the materials, which are better suited for trade paperback size publication than a hefty reference book. (As an example, the cover on this book would be very easy to bend or otherwise damage.) That said, it's what's between the covers that counts most — and on that front, this book is pure gold to any California gardener of any skill level.

Just getting into gardening, newly retired, so I wanted some reference materials because things go bad and plants get eaten by "no-see-ems" and sometimes I make bad choices. This book is the required manual for the Master Gardener program at nearby UC Davis. It has tons of information as you would expect and is surprisingly easy to understand.

Excellent update to an already excellent book. If you are a gardener in California, this book is an essential for your bookshelf. Covers a wide array of topics - many of which are California specific.