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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 25, 2008

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Leeann Lavin: 718-623-7289, leeannlavin@bbg.org
Kate Blumm: 718-623-7241, kateblumm@bbg.org

BBG Releases New All-Region Guide: Healthy Soils for Sustainable Gardens

<i>Healthy Soils</i> for Sustainable Gardens

A Must-Have for Any Gardener

Brooklyn, New York—February 25, 2009—Brooklyn Botanic Garden (BBG) announces the release of its newest All-Region Guide, Healthy Soils for Sustainable Gardens, the first book of its kind devoted to demystifying the complex yet critically important work of cultivating healthy soil—using entirely sustainable techniques.

While most soil science books are written for agricultural applications, Healthy Soils is a concise, clear, and user-friendly guide that can be used by everyone, from beginner gardeners to experienced professionals. This in-depth publication presents the best of the rigorous research done on soil over the past several decades and combines it with the practical, hands-on advice that BBG's All-Region Guides are known for.

Healthy Soils for Sustainable Gardens provides a complete answer to the question "How does soil work?" in the form of a quick, ready reference full of illustrations, pictures, tables, and photos that serves as a practical aid in the garden. The book emphasizes the importance of nurturing a diverse ecosystem of beneficial soil organisms, using recycled and renewable organic amendments and mulches, planting nutrient-enhancing cover crops and ornamentals, and matching plants to specific site conditions.

The first part of Healthy Soils deals with the physical, biological, and chemical properties of soil and how they interact to determine soil health and fertility. Following chapters discuss the use of organic conditioners, fertilizers, and mulches in building and maintaining long-term soil fertility.

The second part of the book, "Soil Care Strategies," is a user-friendly reference section that provides detailed recommendations for sustainable soil care in challenging conditions (including wet, shallow, compacted, and clayey soils) and for particular types of plants (including woody plants, roses, vegetables, and annuals). Among the contributing experts to this section are BBG's seasoned horticulture staff, who offer the benefits of their experience working in Brooklyn Botanic Garden's world-class specialty gardens.

Healthy Soils was edited by Niall Dunne, former editor of Plants & Gardens News at Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Known for putting rigorous science into clear, everyday language, Dunne enlisted a team of soil specialists including renowned biologists, botanists, ecologists, and conservationists to make this important body of knowledge accessible for home gardeners.

According to Dunne, "There has long been a need for a single text that blends the key elements of soil science with hands-on advice for practicing gardeners. Healthy Soils provides that comprehensive outlook through a lens of sustainability, showing that good soil care is a central component of the sustainable garden."

What's inside:

Dunne adds, "As more and more people realize that growing their food organically is a healthier and safer alternative for their families, an investment in good, healthy soil becomes more important than ever and can save money in the long term, too. The easy-to-use guide makes the process of maintaining that investment interesting and fun, so that cultivating a thriving, soil-healthy garden can be enjoyed to the fullest."

Compact, information-packed, and featuring superb color photos, Healthy Soils for Sustainable Gardens offers all the information readers need to cultivate and sustain the healthiest soil for their garden, which is sure to determine their plants' health—and, ultimately, the readers' own.

Niall Dunne is a former editor of Brooklyn Botanic Garden's Plants & Gardens News and Urban Habitats. He holds an MA in English from University College Dublin and an MS in ecology and evolution from Rutgers University. He currently lives in Seattle and manages publications for the Arboretum Foundation at Washington Park Arboretum.

The New York Times Book Review calls BBG's handbook series a "brilliant collection of little gardening handbooks.... Each one takes a small bite of subject matter and chews it thoroughly...the mix of common sense, practical advice and, on occasion, pointed debunking...makes these slender volumes do the work of books twice their size and three times their price. And what the handbooks...lack in acreage they make up for in authority."

Ordering Information

Healthy Soils for Sustainable Gardens (ISBN: 978-1-889538-46-4) is available at a discount directly from Brooklyn Botanic Garden's online store at shop.bbg.org, or by calling 718-623-7286. It is also available in bookstores and at garden centers for $9.95 in the U.S./$10.95 in Canada. To receive a free brochure of current and past handbook titles, call 718-623-7241.

Brooklyn Botanic Garden handbooks have been published continuously since 1945. They are the only series of popular gardening books published by a botanic garden in North America. Written by top gardening experts and packed with spectacular color photos, All-Region Guides offer 120 pages full of ideas on how to make your garden beautiful, bountiful, and ecologically sensible. All-Region Guides are printed with soy-based ink on 100% postconsumer recycled paper.