I had occasion the other day to “Wander Indiana” and was delighted to see the recent addition of a Borders Books outlet store at the expansive Edinburgh Outlet Mall, just off I-65 south of Indy. Of course, any trip to a bookstore must include browsing through the gardening section. There, I found this little gem.

For a reduced price of $3.99, I picked up The Perfect Indiana Lawn: Attaining and Maintaining the Lawn You Want by Melinda Myers. The tagline “Foreword by Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp” rang a bell because I own a copy of her book, the Indiana Gardener’s Guide (suggested by another MG), and I know she works with Master Gardener programming—always a good sign.

The full-color volume is slim and filled with both background information and geographical data pertinent to Hoosiers across the state. The state temperature and precipitation maps have outlines of all the counties, so you know right where Madison County falls.

Although this volume is especially helpful for non-Master Gardeners, MGs will be pleased to find the “soil triangle” and other familiar tools in a colorful, carry-around “booklet” size. Along with information on soils and soil testing, fertilizers (composition, timing, and calibrating your spreader), watering, and other topics, Myers describes several appropriate turf varieties with large soil-level photographs and tips or caveats for each variety. Furthermore, the book’s plant and animal pest sections are a helpful reference with full color photographs or drawings. And, a “Pest Problem Questionnaire” helps readers identify the problem source.

Although I first thought the two authors, Melinda and Joe Ellen, might be related, I later noticed the different spellings of their respective last names. According to her Web site bio, Melinda Myers hosts the program, "Great Lakes Gardener," on PBS Midwest stations, has authored several gardening books, and started the Master Gardener Program in Milwaukee.

I picked up this book for my husband because we have a deal: He does the lawn and I do the landscaping. However, I’m sure I’ll refer to this handy volume time and again when encountering lawn and garden pests. It may just get “lost” in my porch garden box!

If you have opinions or experience (differing or similar) about this book or any other gardening resource, I welcome your comments and suggestions.

Notes and Web sites:

• Ms. Myers’ provides a professional-level site with tips that may be useful to Hoosiers as well as her primary audience of the Great Lakes states: http://www.melindamyers.com/.
• Book prices vary: $12.99 new at Amazon, (but you can buy used there for $1-2); Other booksellers, such as Half.com (by eBay) offer the book from $2.99 and up. (Links good at time of writing.)
• If you know someone in another state, check to see if Myers has a similar volume for them. This is apparently a series published for several individual states

More Lawn and Turfgrass Info:

• Two helpful sites from Purdue: The Turfgrass Identification Tool and Purdue Turfgrass Extension Publications (a list of files to download or print)
• Turfgrasses for the Midwest: a site by the “NCR-192 group,” which is a group of educators and researchers sponsored by the US Department of Agriculture and includes Purdue University and other major universities in the region.
• The Midwest Sod Council: If you plan to buy sod for ground space, the Homeowner’s section provides information on measuring, buying and installing sod yourself.
• Master Gardener Course Hot Links from the University of Illinois with links on several topics, including turfgrass; nearly all links are from educational institutions.

All links in URL form:

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