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American
Horticultural Society
The American Gardener
January/ February 2008
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 January/February 2008 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.
BOOK REVIEWS
Recommendations for Your Gardening Library
GARDENER’S BOOKS
A Salute to Succulents
BOOK REVIEWS
Recommendations for Your Gardening Library
 Covering Ground
Barbara W. Ellis. Storey Publishing, North Adams, Massachusetts,
2007. 224 pages. Publisher’s price, hardcover: $29.95.
Buy This Book
The offering of new garden books that come into the market yearly is,
quite simply, an embarrassment of riches. Luring us with the promise of
making us better gardeners, they stack up on coffee tables, cause
bookshelves to bow, and overflow from night stands. In an effort to tame
this abundance, about two years ago I went through my collection,
saving, of course, Hortus III, the Graham Stuart Thomas tomes, and the
ones inscribed to me by garden writers I know. The others went to a used
bookstore and I swore off buying any new garden books.
So, I’m not going to buy a copy of Covering Ground, I’m
buying two: one for my library and one for the Elisabeth C. Miller
Library at the University of Washington Botanic Gardens. Why? This book
meets all my requirements for a must-have book. It is well written and
richly illustrated with high quality photographs that show me things
I’ve never seen or thought of before. Most importantly, it is
informative and insightful.
Ellis looks at groundcovers with a fresh and
knowledgeable eye. For example, I’ve grown and loved Hydrangea anomala
ssp. petiolaris for 35 years crawling up and sprawling across an east
facing garden wall. I never envisioned it scrambling over a rough, rocky
site, but now I do. Ellis encourages the reader to consider sweeps of
Sedum ternatum for the dry shade. She endorses carpeting the ground
under the soaring white trunks of Himalayan birch (Betula utilis var.
jacquemontii) with the white blossoms and dark lime foliage of Galium
odoratum. And with an egalitarian spirit too seldom seen in garden
books, she celebrates the virtues of Vinca minor and Japanese
pachysandra.
Having guided the reader through the process of choosing
and combining groundcovers for nearly every situation, Ellis goes on to
cover topics such as site preparation, organic methods of weed
eradication, planting slopes, and propagation techniques.
Next time I’m faced with a problem spot or long to
rejuvenate a weary patch, I’ll reach for this book, as it indeed leaves
no ground uncovered.
Steven R. Lorton
Recently retired after more than 30 years with Sunset
magazine, Steven R. Lorton is a writer and lecturer who gardens in
Seattle, Washington, and in the North Cascade Mountains.
 Bringing Nature Home
Douglas W. Tallamy. Timber Press, Portland, Oregon, 2007. 288 pages.
Publisher’s price, hardcover: $27.95.
Buy This Book
As urban expansion destroys wildlife habitats, there’s little room left
for wildlife except in our landscapes and gardens. Home gardeners
further reduce wildlife through poor plant selection, argues Douglas
Tallamy, a professor of ecology at the University of Delaware. He
advocates reversing this trend by restoring native plants - which he
broadly defines as “any plant that historically grew in North America” -
to our landscapes.
Tallamy builds his case with research-based facts
enhanced with engaging personal stories. He begins by pointing out that
the typical suburban landscape comprises an expansive lawn along with a
few trees and shrubs originating from other countries. These “alien”
plants, such as Norway maple and Japanese honeysuckle, not only
outcompete and replace native plants, but also may unleash destructive
exotic pests.
Examining the evolutionary links between native plants
and native wildlife, Tallamy engagingly explains how native wildlife and
insects do not or cannot feed on alien plants. Consequently, both
wildlife and insect populations are smaller in areas where non-native
plants dominate, as numerous studies have shown.
The second half of the book describes how to reinstate
native plants into the landscape. Tallamy offers inspirational native
design ideas with a focus on creating balanced landscapes and increasing
insect diversity (e.g. avoid monocultures, plant densely, widen beds and
borders). To sustain the predator/parasitoid equilibrium, a baseline of
integrated pest management (IPM), Tallamy does counsel tolerance for
some pest damage.
The final chapters and appendices include descriptions of
specific native plants and the insects they support, supplemented by
outstanding photographs. Correspondingly, common insects are described
and shown in detail to help lay people identify them. Superb charts
cross-reference native trees, shrubs, perennials, grasses, ferns, and
groundcovers by region. A detailed butterfly/moth list catalogs their
host plants, along with a Q&A chapter and data supporting the book’s
premise.
Logical and convincing, this book is an essential guide
for anyone interested in increasing biodiversity in the garden.
Deborah Smith-Fiola
After 25 years as a university professor and Extension
agent, Deborah Smith-Fiola is now a landscape IPM consultant in
Maryland.
 The Herb Society of America’s
Essential Guide to Growing and Cooking with Herbs
Edited by Katherine K. Schlosser. Louisiana State University Press,
Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 2007. 376 pages. Publisher’s price, hardcover:
$29.95.
Buy This Book
Compiled by many members, both novices and professionals, of the Herb
Society of America (HSA) and edited by Katherine Schlosser, this book is
full of information on cultivating herbs, history and lore, recipes, and
more.
The book is divided into three sections, with the first
part containing profiles of 63 herbs cultivated in the National Herb
Garden’s Culinary Garden at the U.S. National Arboretum in Washington,
D.C. The descriptions of these Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) herbs
are well researched and cover the individual cultivation and culinary
characteristics of the herbs. There is also a separate section of herbs
that are not GRAS, where it is interesting to find plants - such as
anise hyssop (Agastache spp.), salad burnet (Sanguisorba spp.), and
beebalm (Monarda spp.), to name a few - that some of us have been
cooking with for years. There is also a list of herb trees in this
section. As for the artwork, there are attractive botanical sketches for
just about every other entry.
The second and largest section of the book offers more
than 200 herbal recipes - ranging from appetizers to desserts -
submitted by HSA members. All of the selected recipes were tested before
publication. In the interest of full disclosure, I must acknowledge here
that I am a member of the HSA as well as a recipe contributor. However,
I am a cookbook author and editor as well, so I have a very critical
eye. The recipes are both traditional and innovative - not to mention
creative and delicious.
The last section of the book, which could be a small book
unto itself, is a personal tour of the National Herb Garden with
detailed descriptions and plant lists of each of the 13 herbal-themed
gardens at the National Arboretum. While herbalists and gardeners will
find this section useful and interesting, it may not appeal to those who
are just looking for basic information on growing and cooking with
herbs.
Having written garden-to-kitchen cookbooks that cover two aspects of
herbs in one book, the only problem that I foresee here is where you
might find this book in the bookstore - since it could be placed in
either the gardening or cooking sections. This book should be in the
collection of any herbal enthusiast, be they a beginner or an
experienced gardener and/or cook. m
Susan Belsinger
A contributing editor for The Herb Companion, Susan
Belsinger has written and co-authored 17 books. Her most recent
publication, The Creative Herbal Home, is co-authored with Tina Marie
Wilcox.
GARDENER'S BOOKS
A Salute to Succulents
by Viveka Neveln
Succulents encompass some of the weirdest, wildest, and most dramatic
plants on earth so it’s no wonder they have whole organizations devoted
to them. While a good many of them are spiky and spiny (think cacti),
what sets these plants apart is the ability to store water in order to
survive prolonged dry spells. However, that’s not to say they are only
denizens of the desert - succulents have also adapted to life in
habitats ranging from forests to high-altitude plains, not to mention
gardens. And as houseplants, many succulents don’t mind a bit if you
tend to be a little on the neglectful side in that department as long as
they have a well-lighted spot.
Here are a few recently published books that explore the incredibly
diverse world of succulents.
 “Few other plants offer as many
opportunities for creating solid, bold shapes and contrasting textures
as cacti and succulents,” writes Gideon F. Smith in Cacti and
Succulents (Ball Publishing, 2006, $29.95).
Buy This Book
To prove his point, Smith uses the
bulk of the book to profile a “selection of striking species included in
some of the more popular cacti and succulent plant families,” each one
accompanied by a color photograph. The hardiness range for each listed
plant is also given - generally somewhere between USDA Zones 5 and 11.
In addition, Smith devotes a few pages to discussing the botanical
characteristics of succulents and cacti, covering some basics about
cultivation, and describing six public gardens around the world with
impressive collections of these plants.
 Cacti and Succulents by Graham
Charles (The Crowood Press, 2007, $35)
Buy This Book
is another option for getting a broad overview of
this group of plants. After a brief look at the features that set
succulents apart from other plants, their natural habitats, and
cultivation requirements, the book lists more than 250 species and
genera “chosen either because they are the most attractive of their kind
and are currently popular with growers, or they are reasonably easy to
obtain either as seed or young plants.” The book is aimed more at
collectors growing succulents under glass so it does not give hardiness
information, but it still offers a fascinating sampling of this plant
group’s tremendous diversity. More than 400 color photographs illustrate
the pages, and I particularly appreciated that many of the images show a
close up view of dazzling cacti and succulent flowers.
 For those more interested in integrating
succulents into the outdoor garden, Hardy Succulents by
Colorado-based Gwen Moore Kelaidis (Storey Publishing, 2008, $19.95)
Buy This Book
focuses on species that can
“withstand short (or long) periods of –20 degrees Fahrenheit,” including
many that can survive as far north as Canada. However, Kelaidis does
caution that several other factors, including humidity and waterlogged
soil, also play an important role. Chapters organize succulents into
their potential garden uses, for example in containers or perennial
borders and as groundcovers or specimen plants. Chock full of inspiring
color photographs and insightful sidebars, this book is a practical
guide to incorporating succulents into your garden, no matter which
region you call home.
 Crazy About Cacti and Succulents
published by the Brooklyn Botanic Garden (2006, $9.95)
Buy This Book
also offers guidance on selecting
hardy species. Organized as a collection of essays written by various
experts and edited by garden writer Ray Rogers, this slim volume offers
two chapters on hardy cacti and succulents, many of which can tolerate
temperatures down to –20 degrees F. Other topics in the book include
conservation tips to protect the 2,000 species facing extinction in the
wild, medicinal succulents, propagation techniques, indoor cultivation,
and succulent bonsai, with color photographs on nearly every page.
 If cacti in particular hold your
fascination, 500 Cacti by Ken Preston-Mafham (Firefly, 2007,
$29.95)
Buy This Book
provides an encyclopedic look at
this family of succulents that comprises approximately 1,800 species.
Though cactus nomenclature has experienced some upheaval recently, the
author chose to use names that are “most likely to be found in lists of
cactus plants or seeds for sale, or on the label on a pot” to avoid
confusion when trying to acquire these plants. Each entry includes a
brief description and color photograph, along with a sidebar containing
information about the plant’s form, flowers, spines, and provenance.
Viveka Neveln, Assistant Editor
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