Clever and thrifty advice

Garden books illustrated with drawings instead of photos tend to be a perennial letdown. Sharon Lovejoy’s latest, however, is an exception, not because the watercolors are especially memorable but because the advice is so unforgettable.

Lovejoy has compiled a compact compendium of resourceful and cheerfully delivered garden tips, none of which require a trip to Smith & Hawken. Instead she makes ponds out of upside-down trash can lids, turns grapefruit knives into weeding tools and wraps pantyhose on almost-ripe fruit to keep critters at bay.

The book is chock-full of good things for the eco gardener who’d rather make a lethal “maggot martini” (molasses, yeast, water) than drown pests in chemicals. Even that, ahem, enema bag turns out to be the ticket for watering hard-to-reach hanging baskets. Who knew?