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July/August 1999 Recommended Garden Books
To better serve our members,
AHS has teamed up with Amazon.com. We can now offer better discounts
on most titles, faster deliveries, more inventory, and improved
access to hard-to-find titles. The books listed here are based on
perceived reader interest, unusual subject matter, or substantive
content. To order, or for information about other gardening books,
please call Trish Gibson at (800) 777-7931 ext. 136.
The following books are
our current recommended garden books from the July/August 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.
 My
Favorite Plant: Writers and Gardeners on the Plants they Love
Jamaica Kincaid, editor. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York,
1998. 330 pages.
Recommended, but review unavailable on-line (see, current issue of
The American Gardener).
Buy this book!
 The
Writer in the Garden
Jane Garmey, editor. Algonquin Books, Chapel Hill, North
Carolina, 1999. 272 pages. 51/4" 5 81/4". Publisher’s price,
hardcover: $18.95.
Recommended, but review unavailable on-line (see, current issue of
The American Gardener).
Buy this book!
 The
Essential Earthman. One Man's Garden.
Henry Mitchell. Mariner Books, Boston, 1999.
Recommended, but review unavailable on-line (see, current issue of
The American Gardener).
Buy this book!
 Henry
Mitchell on Gardening Henry Mitchell. Mariner
Books, Boston, 1999.
There’s no doubt about it, gardeners just love to share stories
about plants. These five books focus on both gardening writers and
writing gardeners—each relating in his or her own words a story
about favorite plants, memories, or lessons learned in the garden.
Take one of these with you to the beach this summer, or read it in
your hammock during a well-deserved break from weeding.
In My Favorite Plant, writer Kincaid has 35
prominent gardeners and writers—including Heronswood Nursery owner
Dan Hinkley, garden writer Ken Druse, Plant Delights Nursery owner
Tony Avent, and Montrose garden’s Nancy Goodwin—answer the question
we are always asking of each other: “What’s your favorite plant?”
The essayists recount their fondest memories of their favorite
plants with such zeal that the reader is sure to look anew at each
and every plant mentioned.
The sheer pleasure that gardening can bring
comes through in the witty writing styles of the essayists.
Christopher Lloyd writes of the thrill of seeing wild poppies on
neglected roadsides—and the unfortunate results when excited plant
lovers slam on the brakes for a better view: “Gardeners and
naturalists must be the most dangerous class of drivers,” he writes,
“something the insurers have yet to notice.” If you are passionate
about plants, My Favorite Plant is sure to inspire you to become
even more vocal about your own favorites.
In the same vein, The Writer in the Garden is
a wonderful anthology of more than 50 essays and poems by writers
who span the globe and the centuries. Included are such luminaries
as Gertrude Jekyll, Christopher Lloyd, Sara Stein, Henry David
Thoreau, and Charles Kuralt. Through their essays, the writers share
their likes or, in Allen Lacy’s case, their dislikes: “Let me dwell
for a moment on one plant I especially detest—the hydrangea.”
Garmey also includes selections from classic
writers and poets, including 17th-century English lyric poet Andrew
Marvell, 19th-century author and poet Katherine Mansfield, and even
excerpts from Homer’s Odyssey. This wide range of authors makes
clear that the spirit of gardening is universal and has remained
constant through the ages.
If you don’t want to take time away from the
garden to read, try the audiotape verson of The Writer in the
Garden. The tape contains 44 of the essays in the book and allows
you to enjoy them while working, driving, or, of course, gardening.
Finally, Mariner Books has just released three
Henry Mitchell titles in paperback. These volumes, compiled from
Mitchell’s “Earthman” columns in The Washington Post, present the
very best of this charismatic curmudgeon’s garden musings.
—Christina M. Scott Assistant Editor of
The American Gardener.
Buy this book!
 AHS
Great Plant Guide
DK Publishing, Inc., New York, 1999. 574 pages.
More than 2,000 plants are featured in this new pocket-sized guide
that recommends trees, shrubs, climbers, herbaceous perennials,
annuals, and biennials for every garden situation. More than 1,000
color photographs accompany detailed plant descriptions that include
information on each plant’s cultural requirements as well as its
appropriate USDA Hardiness zone and AHS Heat Zone rating. The book
also recommends “shopping lists” of plants for special
situations—whether you need plants for your coastal garden, or just
want summer-blooming container plants. This small format book is the
perfect reference to take along to your favorite nursery.
Buy this book!
 Plant
Propagation
Alan Toogood. DK Publishing, Inc., New York, 1999. 320 pages.
This practical guide to plant propagation covers everything from
sowing seeds and taking cuttings to division, grafting, and budding.
Propagation methods for more than 1,500 plants—including trees,
shrubs, climbers, herbaceous perennials, annuals, succulents,
bulbous plants, and vegetables—are clearly explained and illustrated
with more than 1,800 photographs and drawings. Also included is
information on when to propagate each plant and what degree of skill
each method requires..
Buy this book!
 Plant
Life in the World's Mediterranean Climates
Peter R. Dallman. University of California Press, Berkeley,
California, 1998. 210 pages.
A global traveler and Mediterranean-plant enthusiast, Dallman
provides an overview of the landscapes, vegetation types, and
specific plants found in the world’s Mediterranean climates. This
climate of mild, rainy winters and dry, warm summers is found only
in California, central Chile, the Cape region of South Africa,
southwestern Australia, and the Mediterranean basin. With its
detailed descriptions, photographs, and illustrations, this book is
an excellent reference for anyone interested in growing
drought-resistant plants or learning more about the unusual
Mediterranean bioregions..
Buy this book!
 The
Garden Plants of China
Peter Valder. Timber Press, Portland, Oregon, 1999. 368 pages.
More than 400 color photographs and illustrations are included in
this guide to garden plants that originated in China. The author
describes how plants such as peonies, camellias, gardenias, azaleas,
forsythia, and wisteria are deeply rooted in Chinese history and
culture. These plants and many others that have greatly influenced
Western gardening are the products of 2,000 years of Chinese
horticultural efforts. An essential reference for anyone interested
in the plants of China or the history of garden plants.
Buy this book!
 Wild
Orchids Across North America
Philip E. Keenan. Timber Press, Portland, Oregon, 1998. 370
pages.
This botanical travelogue documents the author’s journey in search
of wild orchids in their native habitats. A botanist with nearly 50
years of field experience, Keenan provides detailed descriptions of
the 145 North American orchid species he has seen in the United
States and Canada as well as information about surrounding plants,
birds, wildlife and geographical features. The book includes
beautiful color photographs of nearly all of the orchid species
discussed.
Buy this book!
 The
Gardener's Guide to Growing Salvias
John Sutton. Timber Press, Portland, Oregon, 1999. 160 pages.
Cultivated since at least the 4th century b.c., salvias have long
been popular for their herbal, culinary, and ornamental attributes.
In this new book, Sutton provides detailed descriptions of more than
90 species. In addition, the author summarizes the history of these
popular plants and describes how to grow and propagate them.
Appendices list plant and seed sources, public salvia collections,
resources for further information, and a special list of salvias for
rock gardens. Contains 70 color photographs.
Buy this book!
 Perennial
Combinations
C. Colston Burrell. Rodale Press, Inc., Emmaus, Pennsylvania,
1999. 352 pages.
A detailed guide for both novice and experienced gardeners, this
book is packed with no-nonsense advice and tips on how to make
gardens that are beautiful from early spring to late fall. Garden
designer, photographer, writer, and lecturer Burrell draws on his
personal gardening experience in describing 120 of the best
perennial combinations for homeowners. Includes hundreds of
photographs along with plot plans and simple garden designs.
Buy this book!
 Roots,
Shoots, Buckets & Boots
Sharon Lovejoy. Workman Publishing, New York, 1999. 176 pages.
Lovejoy’s latest book, illustrated with watercolors by the author,
shows how to create 12 fun and fanciful theme gardens for kids. Each
project includes a plan and detailed growing instructions. Learn how
to plant a pizza garden that will provide all the ingredients—except
dough—for a pizza, or how to create a flowery maze big enough to get
lost in.
Buy this book!
 Discovering
Annuals: Colorful Planting for Easy Maintenance
Graham Rice. Timber Press, Portland, Oregon, 1999. 192 pages.
Award-winning British garden writer Graham Rice brings these
much-maligned plants back into fashion by revealing them as the key
to creative gardens. With the help of more than 200 color
photographs, Rice demonstrates that thoughtful planting combinations
and color schemes bring new life to these familiar plants. This
Timber Press edition, adapted for American readers by garden writer
Judy White, features varieties, techniques, and planting ideas
specially tailored to American gardens.
Buy this book!
 Sunlight
on the Lawn
Beverley Nichols. Timber Press, Portland, Oregon, 1999. 264
pages.
This is the final book in the Merry Hall trilogy, the hilarious
account of the author’s misadventures in the restoration of his
rambling old country house, Merry Hall. This last installment
describes the final stages when the house is finished, the garden is
designed, and the trees are growing apace. The cast of eccentric
characters in the earlier books make their usual appearance
throughout this volume. A foreword by Nichols’s biographer, Bryan
Connon, reveals the identities of many of the friends and neighbors
on whom these fictional characters are based.
Buy this book!
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