If you’re new to gardening and landscaping, but are eager to learn, Reader’s Digest has published a very helpful title called “Beginner’s Guide to Gardening-Create a Beautiful Yard from the Ground Up.”

Lushly illustrated with color drawings and full color photos, this jargon-free title will help you succeed. It walks you through the gardening year, explaining what to do when, and just as importantly why.

In an easy to follow style, this title tells how to care for your garden plants to keep them healthy, and how to know what growing conditions they need.

One chapter is devoted to soil since this is the basis for gardens. This explains how to know what kind of soil you have and how it can be enriched with compost. There is a no-nonsense chapter on the most common methods of plant propagation from seeds and cuttings to division of existing plants.

One entire chapter is devoted to the garden plants with a section for each particular type, such as plants for water gardens and hedges. Roses have their own section as does veggies, fruits, and herbs. This tells how to select the most appropriate plants, how to grow them, and care for them.

One of the most helpful chapters is on plants for special situations. This has list after list of species for every imaginable purpose and situation. Among these are plants for different exposures, and various growing conditions, including clay soil.

Separate chapters cover lawns and container gardens with fully color-illustrated instructions for different garden projects.

The chapter on plant problems explains how novice gardeners can cope with insects and diseases using safer, natural methods, such as biological control and integrated pest management. This title also explains how to extend the gardening season by using cold frames, garden cloches, and plastic tunnels to protect plants. If you’ve ever dreamed of having a greenhouse, this has all the basics you should keep in mind.

There is a helpful glossary and full-color hardiness zone map with details on how to choose hardy plants for your area.