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American
Horticultural Society
The American Gardener
May/June 2002 Recommended
Garden Books
Because the AHS Horticultural Book
Service was discontinued as of June 30, 2000 no further phone or mail orders
are filled. However, AHS members are still be able to order books at a
discount by linking to Amazon.com through the Society's Web site. Through this
partnership with Amazon.com, AHS members can receive better discounts on most
titles, faster delivery, greater inventory, and improved access to
hard-to-find books. The books listed here have not been critically evaluated;
they have been chosen for description based on unusual subject matter or
substantive content.
The following
books are our current recommended garden books from the May/June 2002 issue
of The American Gardener. To
read the review just click on the book title. You can then order the book
directly from Amazon.com by clicking on "Buy this book!" that
follows each review.
BOOKS IN THE
SPOTLIGHT
GARDENER'S BOOKS
BOOKS IN THE
SPOTLIGHT
 Bold Visions For The Garden.
Richard Hartlage. Fulcrum Publishing, Golden, Colorado, 2001. 160 pages. Publisher’s price,
softcover:
$20.97
Buy
this book
Move over Gertrude Jekyll! Richard Hartlage has arrived to throw some wild American colors—and even wilder American shapes—into your peaceful pastels and gentle British combinations. Not to get jingoistic here, but this seems a very American vision. No, the author doesn’t make that claim; I’m making it for him. He does make a clear statement in favor of strong—make that occasionally outlandish—shapes, colors, and architectural elements. His style is emphasized in this lively-looking book by the paper itself, which occasionally provides a bold background of chartreuse, orange, blue, and black rather than a more traditional white.
A descendant of several generations of Kentucky soil-tillers, Hartlage is currently curator and director of the Elizabeth C. Miller Botanical Garden in Seattle, Washington. It is through his unerring artist’s eye and photographic lens that we discover a range of vibrant—occasionally disquieting—but highly original landscapes from coast to coast, created not only by himself, but by a few of his favorite designers.
And what compelling landscapes these are: a wildly Medusalike aloe accenting a curved orange masonry wall; a shiny stainless steel fountain guarded by symmetrical lollipops of topiary myrtle; white birches vying for space among pale green ferns and crimson-black glass rods by artist Dale Chihuly; and a variegated yellow acorus setting off the bright blue of a painted wooden fence.
Hartlage’s favorite landscapes are littered with the likes of such intriguing non-plant forms as giant Australian clam shells, a serpentine wall covered in green glass tiles, and a mazelike sequence of purple, pink, and blue “rooms.” But equal time is given to such horticultural eye catchers as giant reed grass, elephant ears, Acanthus montanus ‘Frieling’s Sensation’, Molinia caerulea
subsp. arundinacea ‘Skyracer’, and undulating hedges of dark green yew.
No matter what your personal gardening style, you are sure to be wooed by Hartlage’s view of what “works” in the garden in terms of color, scale, light, sequences, boundaries, paths, textures, and forms. His is a powerful case indeed for the “marrying” as he calls it, of the too often warring disciplines: landscape architecture and horticulture. It is a marriage that “most inspires me,” says
Hartlage, “when thoughtful garden architecture and deft horticulture converge to create a unique place.”
Seen through his eyes, this is surely one marriage that has been made in heaven.
—Linda Yang
Former garden columnist for The New York Times, Linda Yang is author of four books, including The City Gardener’s Handbook, recently republished by Storey Books.
 Insects and Gardens: In Pursuit of a Garden Ecology.
Eric Grissell. Carll Goodpasture, photographer. Timber Press, Portland, Oregon, 2001. 345 pages. Publisher’s price, hardcover:
$20.97.
Buy this book
Here’s a statement to grab your attention: A garden is a “nonfunctional
ecosystem.” Or how about this? A “natural garden” is (gasp!) an oxymoron. I came across these outrageous statements in the first three pages of Eric Grissell’s highly entertaining and enlightening book, Insects and Gardens.
Grissell, a research
entomologist for the USDA in Washington, D.C., really knows how to rattle a cage!
Grissell encourages us—with both wit and cunning—to begin thinking of insects as “animals,” rather than creepy crawly things we’d rather stomp on or swat. He explains that thrips are the only insects that don’t have right mandibles and asserts that this tidbit is “a good thing to remember when the party gets a little dull.” Following the statement that female earwigs protect their eggs until they hatch, Grissell asks us, “Does that sound like an insect that should be condemned without some additional thought?”
But Grissell’s underlying theme is a serious one: We gardeners (and he’s one, too) must work within the laws of nature if we expect to develop gardens that function as balanced, naturalistic systems. In 1993, he says, 1.1 billion pounds of pesticides were used in the United States. As a result, we are killing the “good guys” along with the “bad,” reducing food sources of desirable inhabitants, encouraging insects to build greater resistance to the chemicals we’re using, and contaminating our environment.
“But my prize roses are being destroyed by aphids!” you cry. Here’s where the interwoven issues of balance and diversity enter. We learn from the author that outbreaks of insects we label “pests” are the result of a disruption in the balance of the garden. To assume stability, we need to encourage a variety of plant and animal species to take up residence.
Grissell describes a “three-tiered system,” with biological diversity increasing biological complexity, which in turn increases biological stability. He explains just how to create and increase this diversity in your garden. So, back to your roses. With a diverse array of plants, you’ll invite parasitic wasps into your garden. They lay their eggs in aphids and…zap! death by natural causes.
I highly recommend Insects and Gardens, which is a recipient of the American Horticultural Society’s Book Award for 2002 (see page 10 for details about the award). Grissell’s lifelong fascination with the insect world is contagious and the magnificent photographs by Carll Goodpasture perfectly illustrate the author’s concepts, from the graphic “bug-eats-bug” photos to the intimate views of the nectar feeders.
I give this book two antennae up!
—Kathryn Lund Johnson
Freelance writer and photographer Kathryn Lund Johnson of Middleville, Michigan, wrote about “Compost Critters” in our July/August 2000 issue.
 An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Clematis. Mary Toomey and Everett Leeds. Published in association with the British Clematis Society, Timber Press, Portland, Oregon, 2001. 426 pages, Publisher’s price, hardcover:
$41.97.
Buy this book
My husband and I have been collecting clematis for 20 years and I own many books about the genus. As someone who writes and talks a lot about clematis, I frequently need to look something up about a particular species or
cultivar. This usually requires searching through many different books until I find what I am looking for. Toomey and Leeds’ extensive encyclopedia, which includes 650 color photographs (one for nearly all of the selections discussed in the book), should largely put an end to the multi-volume search. It is that comprehensive.
The first eight chapters deal with history and botany, cultivation and care, pruning, propagation and hybridization, use in the garden landscape, problems, and clematis in North America. The North American chapter was written by Maurice Horn and Linda
Beutler, and I would have liked more on this subject, but it is, after all, a British book.
Most of the book—295 of the 426 pages—consists of an extensive alphabetical listing of the clematis. In the montana group, for instance, 32 plants are listed with pictures of all but one. No other clematis book to date even comes close.
The organization of the encyclopedia section, however, is somewhat confusing from my perspective. Cultivars are listed alphabetically rather than in association with the species or group with which they are most closely linked—texensis,
montana, alpina, macropetala, viticella, etc. I’m sure there is a nomenclatural justification for this, but truth is not always clarity. To my way of thinking, a listing by groups would help organize the plants, providing clues to culture and appearance, based on similarities within the group. To be fair, all the plants in each of the groups are listed in Appendix 1, and each individual listing indicates which group the cultivar is affiliated with. But to compare the details of a selection in a particular group, I had to look up each one separately, mark each of the pages, and thumb back and forth.
For those seeking sources, an extensive list of nurseries is included in Appendix 5. Of course, not all of the clematis mentioned in this book can be found at these nurseries—it is, after all, an encyclopedia. And many of the selections are not currently available in this country, although every year more reach our markets, increasing the number of fascinating selections from which gardeners can choose.
This very complete book provides details on those selections that will be new to gardeners in this country as well as those that have been around a while. Whether you are trying to select a new clematis suited to your gardening conditions or looking for cultural details about one you are already growing, you will probably find the information you need in this book. I am delighted such a comprehensive resource is finally available.
—Dorothy Rodal
Dorothy Rodal lives in Portland, Oregon, where, until recently, she owned and operated a small clematis nursery with her husband.
 Legends in the Garden: Who in the World is Nellie Stevens?
Linda L. Copeland and Allan M. Armitage. Green Leaves Press, Atlanta, Georgia, 2001. 194 pages. Publisher’s price, hardcover: $24.95.
Buy this book
Our memories of friends and fellow gardeners are often entwined with plants they gave us. In Legends in the Garden, the authors have introduced us to 46 new people and places associated with plants that have been part of many of our gardens and lives for years.
These tales are at least as much about people and places as plants. Linda Copeland and Allan Armitage have communicated with the people who were there when Calycanthus floridus ‘Athens’ and ‘Michael Lindsay’ were named. They know the ‘David’ behind the incredibly mildew-resistant white phlox and the Kim of ‘Kim’s Knee High’ and ‘Kim’s Mop Head,’ two wonderfully dependable coneflowers.
In cases where a plant’s namesake has died, the authors talked with the person’s descendants or colleagues, or searched old records to find their stories. This book will acquaint you with the boys who found ‘Corbett’ columbine, the plant explorer who brought us zoysia grass and ‘Meyer’ lemon, and, of course, teacher Nellie Stevens, whose namesake holly has been a garden favorite for nearly half a century.
Legends in the Garden is one of those rare gems that reflects good scholarship, good writing, and fills a void so obvious that you are left wondering why such a book had not been written before. I hope the authors decide to follow up with another volume or even a series. If they do, I am sure it will be filled with more welcome new friends and places.
—Richard E. Bir
Richard E. Bir is a horticultural extension specialist at North Carolina State University and author of Growing and Propagating Showy Native Woody Plants.
GARDENER'S BOOKS
There are many more new books on the market than we have time or space to review, but here are a few that recently caught our eye.
 Heirloom Flower Gardens: Rediscovering and Designing with Classic Ornamentals.
Jo Ann Gardner. Chelsea Green Publishing Co., White River Junction, Vermont, 2001. 312 pages. Publisher”s price,
softcover:
$17.47.
Buy this book
In this updated and revised edition of the 1992 original, Jo Ann Gardner presents a grand bouquet of heirloom flowers “beautiful and reliable, like old friends you look forward to seeing every season from year to year.” As with old friends, there are stories to tell. If you’ve ever wondered who Mrs. Moon was, or which lily Jefferson planted at Monticello, sit down with this book. Gardner’s easy style combines cultural information, history, and lore; it reads like a lively conversation with a garden-loving friend.
 How to Grow More Vegetables: (and fruits, nuts, berries, grains, and other crops) Than You Ever Thought Possible on Less Land
Than You Can Imagine.
John Jeavons. 10 Speed Press, Berkeley, California, 2002. 240 pages. Publisher’s price,
softcover:
$12.57.
Buy this book
This classic reference for bio-intensive gardening has been updated and expanded several times since its original publication in 1974. Though the lessons in sustainable food production, efficient use of resources, and improvement and preservation of soil fertility are much the same, this new edition includes updated gardening charts and new techniques developed for small-scale food production. For gardeners who aspire to produce their own food using sustainable gardening techniques, this reference is loaded with inspiration and ideas.
 Taylor’s Guide to Roses.
Nancy J. Ondra. Houghton Mifflin, Boston, Massachusetts, 2002. 474 pages. Publisher’s price,
softcover:
$16.10.
Buy
this book
No surprises here. This is good, solid, straightforward information on roses that is clearly and simply stated. The introduction graphically illustrates rose anatomy to end any confusion you may or may not have about roses’ “eyes,” “bud unions,” “petioles,” and “stipules.” The chapter “Rose Growing Basics” covers siting and culture. And the roses pictured in the “Gallery of Roses” are lovely to look at and divided by type—old garden roses, floribundas, hybrid teas, etc.
 An American Cutting Garden: A Primer for Growing Cut
Flowers Where Summers are Hot and
Winters are Cold.
Suzanne McIntire. University Press of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, 2002. 288 pages. Publisher’s price, hardcover:
$20.97.
Buy
this book
A useful addition to every flower arranger’s bookshelf, this is a book to have at hand when you place your seed/plant order. There are no illustrations, but plenty of advice in the chapter “Two Hundred Choice Plants for your Cutting Garden.” And you don’t have to be an experienced gardener with a sunny acre to grow many of these cut flowers. There are suggestions for beginner, small, and shady gardens, as well an especially useful appendix on “A Sequence of Bloom with the Dates of First Flowers.”
 Herbs: The Complete Gardener's Guide.
Patrick Lima. Photographs and illustrations by Turid Forsyth. Firefly Books, Buffalo, New York, 2001. 224 pages. Publisher’s price, hardcover: $35,
softcover: $24.50.
Buy
this book
This comprehensive guide approaches herbs from multiple perspectives: as culinary seasonings, as useful remedies, and as fragrant additions to garden and home. It is, however, the coverage of herbs as they can be used to enhance the landscape that is most appealing about this book. An entire chapter is devoted to “Garden Silverware: Plants with Gray Foliage” and another to “Shades of Green: Choice Selections for Dark Corners.” An abundance of intensely colored photographs and detailed watercolors bring these multi-faceted plants to life. Recipes using fresh herbs and recommendations for preserving them are included.
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