Gardening has never been my strong point. That doesn't mean, though, that I don't look at gardens and feel a little envious of what others have done. I've just never figured out how to do it on my own before. So when I found Gardening Express I decided that maybe it could help me with my problem.

The book has an extremely comforting atmosphere which made me feel like I could do what it said. That no matter how nervous I felt, I could do this. I think that is important in self-help books to make the reader feel encouraged. More than likely a person is picking up the book because they don't think they can do something.

One of the useful tips was that you need to plan things out ahead of time. Even giving tips on how to do so including applications (apps) to use. One of the things to help plan was telling the reader what types of gardens did what.

So when planning you could go over things like how much space it would take up. I don't have a large yard and I know a lot of people don't either. So planning for space is really important. I didn't really consider having an inside garden before reading the book.

When mentions of herb gardens came around I noticed something missing. It wasn't enough to make a future gardener not able to garden, but it was more along my system of beliefs. Yes I do believe in a world not just in the physical and so when certain uses for herbs wasn't mentioned, I just filled in the blanks myself.

This book is for gardening, not for making any kind of statement on religion. Though some people do seem to take gardening to spiritual levels it seems.

At the end of the book there was a little 'personality quiz' to make sure you will be able to remember the book's instructions once you put it down. No matter what choices you pick, the answers state the benefits of doing whatever you want.

I found this extremely useful as it helped me sort of quiz myself.

After reading the book, I am a little excited to try my hands at gardening. I have never been good, but with a good basis of what to do I think I can make a decent attempt. If you're afraid that you won't be able to garden, I think this book will give you a boost of enthusiasm for the task.

The dream of having a beautiful garden can start now. Overall it is a general overview of the type of gardening that you can do as a beginner or as someone who wants to try something different but doesn't know how. It is not a book with rigid directions or a specific plan, but it gives you the freedom to start something wonderful in your living space. The first half of the book is about making sure you have the right garden for your needs, so it focuses on the steps to planning and how to incorporate those plans into your day. This book breaks it down, but it takes a solid first step to help with the planning stage. With ideas and benefits as well and direction toward apps that can help make it happen, it is current and appropriate for today's gardener. It also breaks down the purpose of your garden. If you need insight or motivation, this book will get you on your way. My lifestyle works best with flowers and herbs, but when there is a change in my life, I may be more inclined to try veggies. As mentioned in the book, some gardens require more attention than others, and these tips help.