Garden Titles (III) for Christmas

New Books on Plants - Older Books for Xmas

It's always hard to find exactly what you want in plant identification books. Not enough detailed photos, no mention of common problems, not enough emphasis on the best cultivars or plant sizes.  The Homeowner's Complete Tree & Shrub Handbook: The Essential Guide to Choosing, Planting, and Maintaining Perfect Landscape Plants by Penelope O'Sullivan (Storey Publishing, 2007) solves a lot of those problems.  The introductory section discusses how to use plants in the landscape, then moves on to choosing the right plant for the right place, with excellent lists of trees and shrubs for sun & shade, wet & dry soils, etc.  In addition, the author has lists you seldom see elsewhere: top choices for standout barks, colorful evergreens, unusual textures, striking silhoutettes.

Another section on plant care covers major diseases, pollution-tolerant plants and also planting, pruning, and rejuvenating shrubs. Each entry in the A to Z list of trees and shrubs has a general plant description, an excellent section on landscape use, followed by "Designer's Choice" -- a listing of the best cultivars on the market. Photographs by Karen Bussolini would be quite helpful in identification.

This book would make a wonderful Christmas present for almost any gardener you know.

 

For Viburnum Lovers

If you don't yet have a viburnum in your garden, you're missing out on one of the greatest versatile shrubs in the plant kingdom.  As is his custom, horticulturist Michael Dirr has strong opinions about plants, and in this volume, Viburnums: Flowering Shrubs for Every Season (Timber Press, 2007) they are most welcome.  He lets you know which viburnums are the best in terms of flowers, berries, fall color, form, and size.  There are extensive lists of cultivars for each entry, and Dirr also lets you know how to use each plant.  Accompanied by gorgeous photos, this book will make gardeners all over the country make room somewhere for several of these spectacular plants.

A Must-Have for Hostas

I can't say enough good things about this series of plant guides, and the latest, the Timber Press Pocket Guide to Hostas (Timber Press Pocket Guides) by Diana Grenfell is no exception.  This handbook, small enough to fit in a medium-sized handbag, is indispensable when you're shopping for hostas. It lists plant size and leaf shape, color and texture for almost 300 of the best hostas on the market, both old cultivars and new ones. Excellent photos help you identify which ones you really want.

(click on image or text link to purchase book)

And ...
My list of favorite titles from earlier this year with links back to original review.

A Natural History of North American Trees by Donald Culross Peattie (Houghton Mifflin)

Professional Planting Design by Scott Scarfone (John Wiley & Sons, Inc)

Pots in the Garden by Ray Rogers (Timber Press)

And finally,

I didn't review this book, which came out awhile ago, but I've seen and studied it, and it won the top award this year from the Garden Writer's Association of America.  It doesn't matter if you live in the west or not -- it's an invaluable resource for designers just because of the pictures, etc.  GREAT ideas.

(click on image to purchase).