A little plant science grows a long way

Plant Science for Gardeners empowers growers to analyze common problems, find solutions, and make better decisions in the garden for optimal plant health and productivity.

Most gardeners learn by accumulating rules – water once a week, never dry out snowdrop bulbs, prune lilacs after flowering, plant garlic in October—the list is endless.

Rules take years to learn and yet leave you floundering when the unexpected strikes and plants look unhealthy, produce poorly, or die.

There is a better way.

By understanding the basic biology of how plants grow, you can become a thinking gardener with the confidence to problem solve for optimized plant health and productivity. Learn the science and ditch the rules! Coverage includes:

• The biology of roots, stems, leaves, and flowers
• Understanding how plants function as whole organisms
• The role of nutrients and inputs
• Vegetables, flowers, grasses, and trees and shrubs
• Propagation and genetics
• Sidebars that explode common gardening myths
• Tips for evaluating plant problems and finding solutions.

Whether you're a home gardener, micro-farmer, market gardener, or homesteader, this entertaining and accessible guide shortens the learning curve and gives you the knowledge to succeed no matter where you live.

AWARDS

• SILVER (tie) | 2023 IPPY Awards: Science

Robert Pavlis, a Master Gardener with 40 years of gardening experience, is owner and developer of Aspen Grove Gardens, a six-acre botanical garden featuring over 2,500 varieties of plants. A popular and well-respected speaker and teacher, Robert has published articles in Mother Earth News, Ontario Gardening magazine, a monthly Plant of the Month column for the Ontario Rock Garden Society website, and local newspapers.

Robert Pavlis' profile page

• Runner-up, IPPY Awards

"Robert Pavlis hit the nail on the head: know the science and you can grow anything. Plant Science for Gardeners, Pavlis' latest, is a sure (and enjoyable) way to learn that science. Mind you, Pavlis is not just a gardener who knows his science, he is a great science writer who does a fabulous job of making science fun. I am quite sure you are one read away from being a much better gardener."
— Jeff Lowenfels, author, DIY Autoflowering Cannabis and Teaming with Microbes

"A work of genuine importance by an author for whom the phrase "received wisdom" is a contradiction in terms. You will never take horticultural lore at face value again."
— James Armitage, editor, The Plant Review, magazine of the Royal Horticultural Society

"Knowing just how plants work is an interesting and useful way to ratchet up your gardening game and Robert Pavlis has provided that story in his engaging new book Plant Science for Gardeners. Read it and your garden will blossom, literally and figuratively."
— Lee Reich, author, Growing Figs in Cold Climates and The Ever Curious Gardener

"Robert Pavlis has provided another detailed, yet accessible, addition to gardeners' home libraries. Be sure to give Plant Science for Gardeners an honored place on your bookshelves, next to Mr. Pavlis' groundbreaking Garden Myths series."
— Rebecca Martin, technical editor, Mother Earth News magazine

"Plant Science for Gardeners is at once easy to read and comprehensive in presentation. Robert Pavlis has updated and made accessible information that in the past I have gleaned here and there from old textbooks and the odd gardening book. It's a great reference and a fascinating read. This book will be the next gift I buy for my budding botanist granddaughter!"
— Darrell Frey, author, The Bioshelter Market Garden, co-author, The Food Forest Handbook

"Whether you grow plants for fun or for profit, Plant Science for Gardeners does a great job of explaining how plants work without overcomplicating it. This is an excellent book not only for the basics, but also to explain some of the lesser known aspects of plants. Whether you've taken plant biology and physiology or not, it is a good read for anyone who's interested in plants, and to keep on the shelf as a reference for when you forget the difference between a node and internode. Get this book to understand what to do to keep your plants healthy and why."
— Andrew Mefferd, editor and publisher, Growing for Market magazine, author, The Organic No-Till Farming Revolution