FOR three decades, Jane Edmanson has been one of Australia's gardening doyennes.
She's been a presenter on ABC's Gardening Australia, a broadcaster on 3AW's Big Backyard and a successful gardening author.
- From The Ground Up: A Complete Garden Guide for Victorian Gardeners, by Jane Edmanson. Neutrog, rrp $64.95
She has even been awarded the Order of Australia for services to horticulture and education.
Better still, she's a Victorian native, born and bred in Mildura.
Now all that accumulated knowledge comes together in From The Ground Up, an essential reference guide for all Victorian gardeners.
The hardback book has more than 20 chapters, starting at climate, through to others on soil, watering, mulching and pruning and working through to natives, exotics, plants for the sun and shade, roses, pests, weeds, lawns and more.
The detailed pages include stunning photographs and there are boxes with practical tips.
For instance, a stress checklist in the pests and diseases section asks whether you have chosen the right plant appropriate to your area, whether the soil is adequate and whether the plant is nourished.
Problems with growing shade-loving plants include root competition - one way to avoid this is to create a barrier to root growth by deeper and less frequent watering.
A curious element to the book is the publisher - fertiliser company Neutrog.
Edmanson explains that while it is unusual for such a company to publish a book, no major publisher would release a large, detailed tome like this on one state alone.
From The Ground Up follows other state publications by the same company, including South Australia.
