Many books claim to be a "definitive guide"; this is one title that happily lives up to those claims--and then some. Encyclopedia of Gardening will become your indispensable how-to manual for any plant-related topic. Indoors or out, you'll find information on choosing and maintaining healthy plants of all varieties, how to build structures from greenhouses to trellises, ways to identify pests and diseases, and methods of garden design that enable you to turn your lawn into a unique and personal work of art.

The text is straightforward and accompanied at all points by close-up photos of techniques, ideas, and specimens. The handy glossary is ready with definitions for everything from bulblet to vermiculite, and two pages of seasonal reminders are a great quick-reference cheat sheet. Thanks to clear category separations and the easy-to-read layout, the information is never overwhelming, just friendly and helpful--it's like having a master gardener living in your bookshelf! For the beginning-but-committed gardener, this encyclopedia is the perfect starting point. With every question answered thoroughly and accurately, you may find it's the only book you need for years to come. The fruit and vegetable sections are terrific, as are the areas on propagation and water gardening. For novice and expert alike, there's plenty to be learned from this information-packed volume. --Jill Lightner


From Library Journal
Illustrated with excellent photos, this encyclopedia covers everything horticultural from garden design to planting and maintenance, with chapters on the important plant groups, the lawn, and vegetable, fruit, indoor, and water gardens. Also included are easily understood sections on botany, propagation, plant disease, and equipment. Essential for all public and horticultural libraries. (LJ 11/15/93) Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.


People
The standard in the field is set by the American Horticultural Society's invaluable Encyclopedia of Gardening.


From Booklist
In 1993, when the first edition of The American Horticultural Society Encyclopedia of Gardening, the Americanized edition of The Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopedia of Gardening (1992), appeared, reviewers used the terms definitive and comprehensive when describing it. Very often, something of that caliber is difficult to improve. However, a decade later, the American Horticultural Society has done just that in its revised and expanded edition of the 1993 work. The book remains unchanged in size, appearance, and format. Even most of the photos and actual text are identical. Subtle revisions are scattered throughout the entire work, with the majority and most obvious appearing in the first half, "Creating the Garden." It is here that the latest botanic technology and principles are found. State-of-the-art planning and design concepts now incorporate our various living conditions into today's garden lifestyles. The beauty and elegance of yesteryear's formal estates and traditional gardens have been preserved and at the same time transformed into the more casual landscapes and container gardens. An entire chapter on container gardening has been added. Techniques are discussed and illustrated for achieving the graceful and utilitarian window box, deck, patio, and rooftop gardens so prevalent today. Planning diagrams now take into consideration container sizes, shapes, and styles as well as all types of flowers and plants. The American Horticultural Society plant codes (also new) guide the selection of the most appropriate plants for the gardening space. These are based on the 2002 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone and 1997 AHS Plant Heat Zone maps found on the end papers in the front and back of the book. A detailed "Hardiness and Heat Zone Index" lies at the end of the text, just ahead of the extensive regular index. As previously, the second half of the encyclopedia pertains to garden maintenance, including pruning, diseases, structures, and surfaces. This outstanding encyclopedia supersedes its first edition and brings gardening into the twenty-first century. Recommended for gardening collections. RBB
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


From Book News, Inc.
New to the second edition of this impressive encyclopedia are the use of American Horticultural Society plant codes as well as the 2003 USDA plant hardiness zone rating, a new section on container gardening, and revision of the substantial garden design chapter. Gardeners will be inspired by the many color photos that illustrate the volume and benefit from the wealth of practical guidance, which extends to building patios and terraces as well as gardening. In addition to information on design, cultivation, plant care, selecting plants, pruning, protecting plants from weather, and definitions of different plant varieties, detailed information is given for plant propagation. In addition to the coverage of roses, perennials, ornamental trees and shrubs, chapters are included on lawn, indoor gardening, growing fruit and vegetables, and basic botany, among other topics.Copyright © 2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR


Book Description
An essential volume packed with authoritative advice for all gardeners, the AHS Encyclopedia of Gardening guides readers expertly through the latest gardening techniques, details information on garden planning and design, covers useful tools and materials, and features an extensive glossary of plants, including trees, shrubs, and perennials. Written by experts and endorsed by the American Horticultural Society, this is truly the most comprehensive gardening reference available.


About the Author
The American Horticultural Society educates and inspires people of all ages to become successful and environmentally responsible gardeners by advancing the art and science of horticulture.

ANNOTATION

This definitive encyclopedia offers 4,000 full-color photographs and 8,000 descriptions of plants.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

An essential volume packed with authoritative advice for all gardeners, the AHS Encyclopedia of Gardening guides readers expertly through the latest gardening techniques, details information on garden planning and design, covers useful tools and materials, and features an extensive glossary of plants, including trees, shrubs, and perennials. Written by experts and endorsed by the American Horticultural Society, this is truly the most comprehensive gardening reference available.

Author Biography: The American Horticultural Society educates and inspires people of all ages to become successful and environmentally responsible gardeners by advancing the art and science of horticulture.

SYNOPSIS

New to the second edition of this impressive encyclopedia are the use of American Horticultural Society plant codes as well as the 2003 USDA plant hardiness zone rating, a new section on container gardening, and revision of the substantial garden design chapter. Gardeners will be inspired by the many color photos that illustrate the volume and benefit from the wealth of practical guidance, which extends to building patios and terraces as well as gardening. In addition to information on design, cultivation, plant care, selecting plants, pruning, protecting plants from weather, and definitions of different plant varieties, detailed information is given for plant propagation. In addition to the coverage of roses, perennials, ornamental trees and shrubs, chapters are included on lawn, indoor gardening, growing fruit and vegetables, and basic botany, among other topics. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

FROM THE CRITICS

Library Journal

Compiled by British editor in chief Brickell, the prestigious former director general of the Royal Horticultural Society, and Rogers, the U.S. consulting editor, this expanded revision of the 1993 original follows the same format as the first edition. "Part One: Creating the Garden" covers garden planning and design, major plant groups (ornamental trees and shrubs, climbing plants, roses, perennials, annuals and biennials, and bulbous plants), and types of gardens (rock, scree, and gravel gardens; water gardens; container gardens; cacti and other succulents; indoor gardens; herb, fruit, and vegetable gardens; and lawns). "Part Two: Maintaining the Garden" includes tools and equipment; greenhouses and frames; structures and surfaces; climate, soils and fertilizers; propagation; plant problems; and basic botany. However, there are substantial differences between the two editions. The 104 additional pages of the new edition include an "AHS Plant Heat Zone Map"; an updated "USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map"; a "Hardiness and Heat Zone Index," which gives the AHS codes for cold and heat tolerance for each plant; new techniques (shaping a topiary bird); more illustrated step-by-step sequences (planting bulbs in grass); more plant lists (trees that tolerate polluted air); new color photographs; and illustrations. The latest concepts in lifestyle garden design provide a new focus, with a new chapter on container gardening. Readers will not be distracted by the occasional Britishism, e.g., "Screens of living willow shield English villages from the sights and sounds of heavy traffic," as the principles involved can apply equally well to American sites. This beautiful, truly comprehensive, one-volume horticultural resource belongs in all gardening reference collections.-Nancy Myers, Univ. of South Dakota Lib., Vermillion Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

This Americanized edition of The Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopedia of Gar dening (Dorling Kindersley, 1992) is a one-volume reference work that aims to answer all the basic questions a gardener may have. It should not be confused with The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening ( LJ 6/1/92), a four-volume set that appears to be eclipsing Hortus Third (Macmillan, 1976) as the authority for scientific plant names and descriptions. The Encyclopedia 's first section provides information on garden design and plant selection and cultivation. Part 2 considers maintaining the garden--choosing tools and greenhouse equipment, managing soils, and dealing with weeds and other plant problems. The work is illustrated throughout with color photographs and drawings. Unlike some British books that may only change the title for the U.S. edition, this volume has been carefully updated for American gardeners. The only term that does not survive the trip across the Atlantic is not frost hardy. To an English gardener this may be sufficient information, but for many U.S. gardeners the lowest tolerable hardiness zone is a major factor in choosing a plant for the garden. Yet, with the exception of zone information for specific plants, this book should answer the majority of practical gardening questions. It will be valuable in most reference collections.-- Virginia A. Henrichs, Chicago Botanic Garden Lib., Glencoe, Ill.

BookList - George Cohen

This is a comprehensive garden book, with nearly 700 pages and more than 3,000 color photographs. (The index alone is 56 pages of small type, from "Aaron's beard" to "zygote.") The first section, on creating the garden, deals with garden planning and design and major plant groups: trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals and biennials, rock gardens, bulbous plants, succulents, herb gardens, fruit gardens, rose gardens, indoor gardens, and climbing plants. The second section, on maintaining the garden, covers tools and equipment, greenhouses and frames, structures and surfaces, climate, soils and fertilizers, plant problems, and propagation. The book was researched and written by 50 garden specialists and was four years in the making; it's the only reference book a gardener will ever need.

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