|
Winners
Five gardening books published in 2004 have been awarded the
American Horticultural Society’s 2005 Book Award.
The
winning books, listed below, were selected by the AHS Book
Award Committee, chaired by Dick Dunmire of Los Altos,
California, a former editor of the Sunset Western Garden
Book. Other committee members were Linda Askey of
Birmingham, Alabama, formerly senior writer for Southern
Living magazine; Keith Crotz, owner of the American Botanist
Booksellers in Chillicothe, Illinois; Laurie Hannah, a
horticultural librarian at Santa Barbara Botanic Garden;
Rommy Lopat of Richmond, Illinois, editor of weedpatch. com;
Lucinda Mays of Chadron, Nebraska, a former editor of PBS’s
The Victory Garden; and Ray Rogers, a garden writer and
editor from North Brunswick, New Jersey.
To view a complete list of books
that have won the AHS Book Award since the program was initiated in
1997, click here.
 American Household
Botany: A History of Useful Plants 1620–1900
by Judith Sumner. Timber Press, Portland, Oregon. Price, hardcover:
$27.95.
"THIS
WAS NOT only a great reference, but extremely readable,”
said Rommy Lopat. “Sumner is an accomplished storyteller who
weaves together fascinating information about plants and
people,” observed Linda Askey. “What distinguishes this book
is that it covers both culture and horticulture.” Laurie
Hannah added, “I don’t know of many garden books that take a
historical topic and expand upon it in such an interesting
way.”
 The Compleat Squash:
A Passionate Grower’s Guide to Pumpkins, Squashes, and Gourds
by Amy Goldman; photographs by Victor Schrager. Artisan, New York, New
York. Price, hardcover: $40.
This
inspiring combination of Goldman’s prose and Schrager’s
photography earned the duo a second AHS Book Award (their
collaboration on Melons for the Passionate Grower won in
2003). “It is a delicious book, and it has motivated me to
action,” said Linda Askey. “It’s a wonderful celebration of
the diversity in the squash family,” said Ray Rogers, “and
on top of that, all the horticultural information is
completely sound.” Laurie Hannah said, “I love the
photography—it brought out the incredible character of the
fruit.”
 Encyclopedia of Water
Garden Plants
by Greg Speichert and Sue Speichert. Timber Press, Portland, Oregon.
Price, hardcover: $49.95.
Committee members praised this book for its
comprehensiveness, readability, and focus on plants and
conditions relevant to American gardeners. “This is as
thorough-going a book on water gardening as you could hope
for,” said Dick Dunmire. “This is a very useful reference
for anyone thinking about creating a water garden,” said
Rommy Lopat. “It’s very accessible,” said Laurie Hannah,
“and after reading it thoroughly I felt that I had learned
an awful lot.”
 Plants and Landscapes
for Summer Dry Climates of the San Francisco Bay Region
edited by Nora Harlow. East Bay Municipal Utility District (EMBUD),
Oakland, California. Price, hardcover: $49.95.
Although the title of this book—which was compiled under the
direction of editor Nora Harlow and incorporates photography
by Saxon Holt—gives the impression it is regionally narrow
in scope, the committee felt its content and presentation
made it relevant to a much broader audience. “As an overall
production, this book is spectacular,” said Ray Rogers.
Lucinda Mays said the book “is a wonderful example of how we
can use what we know about gardening to protect and improve
our environment. It’s an excellent model for other regional
publications.”
 Understanding
Orchids: An Uncomplicated Guide to Growing the World’s Most Exotic
Plants
by William Cullina. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, Massachusetts.
Price, hardcover: $40.
This
is the second AHS Book Award for Cullina, whose Growing and
Propagating Wildflowers of the United States and Canada
earned an award in 2000. “This is my top choice of all the
books we reviewed this year,” said Ray Rogers. “It is
astoundingly well written and leaves most other orchid books
in the dust.” Linda Askey said the book “was very readable
while also including detailed information on a complex
topic—a difficult combination to achieve.”
7931 East
Boulevard Drive - Alexandria VA 22308
(V) 703.768.5700 - Toll Free: 1.800.777.7931
(F) 703.768.8700 - Publications Fax: 703.768.7533
Copyright © 1998-2008 American
Horticultural Society. All rights reserved.
Requests for permission may be submitted to
webmaster@ahs.org.
|
