American Horticultural Society Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers by Christopher Brickell, Trevor Cole (Editor), H. Marc Cathey (Editor)

From the Publisher

Combining the authority of the AHS with the visual expertise of DK, this full-color gardening reference is the definitive guide for gardeners. Simply the definitive full-color reference to the horticulture of North America, AHS Encyclopedia of Plants & Flowers contains more than 8,000 plant profiles, over 4,250 photographs, and practical advice on everything from cultivation, pests, and diseases, to plant selection and identification

Publishers Weekly

This lushly illustrated and exhaustive gardening reference, an update to the 1989 original, is sure to gratify greenthumbs all around the U.S.: comprising three main sections (the plant selector, the plant catalogue and the plant dictionary), it's an excellent resource for anyone looking to fashion a beautiful and environmentally sustainable garden. The plant selector points gardeners toward flora appropriate to their environmental or aesthetic needs (e.g., plants that do well in sandy or alkaline soil, make good windbreaks or have aromatic leaves), while the plant catalogue, organized into sections by type (perennials, shrubs, bulbs, water plants) and boasting thousands of photographs, delves into greater detail about the characteristics of individual species. Each section is helpfully organized by seasons of "interest" and plant size or color: the yellow asphodel is a medium yellow perennial that looks its best in spring, for instance, while Gentiana septemfida is a large blue rock plant whose best months are autumnal. The dictionary lists more than 8,000 plants, from abelia to creeping zinnia. For the garden enthusiast, this volume will likely prove as indispensable as a good trowel. (Nov.) Copyright 2003 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

Although the editors are British and Canadian, respectively, this revised and expanded volume focuses on American plants rather than on the British plants featured in the 1989 version (The American Horticultural Society Encyclopedia of Garden Plants). Beginning with advice on creating a garden in harmony with nearby buildings and landscape, the book is chockfull of information to guide and to inspire all gardeners. The "Plant Selector" section lists plants appropriate for a wide variety of environments, from plants for clay soil to deer-resistant plants to plants for windbreaks. The "Plant Catalog" organizes 4000 plants by category (trees, shrubs, perennials, climbers, etc.), then by size, season of interest, and color. A "Plant Dictionary" lists more than 8000 plants with advice on their cultivation and propagation. Along with color photographs, which make identification easy and aid in the selection of plants for an environmentally sustainable garden, little diagrams show the height, spread, and shape of each adult plant. Warning symbols indicate toxic plants. Also included are an updated USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (with 15 zones) and the AHS Plant Heat Zone Map. An "Index of Common Names" and a glossary round out this comprehensive guide to plant selection and identification. Indispensable to both the professional horticulturist and the amateur gardener, this reference belongs in all libraries.-Nancy Myers, Univ. of South Dakota Lib., Vermillion Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

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