American Horticultural Society Encyclopedia of Garden Plants [Hardcover]

Christopher Brickell (Editor), John Elsley (Consultant Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 16, 1989

The most comprehensive, up-to-date, and lavish guide to garden plants available today, this extensive encyclopedia includes over 8,000 plants, 4,000 of which are featured in exquisite full-color photographs. Written by a team of plant experts, this superb book is designed to be the gardener's bible, a standard work of reference for every gardening bookshelf. It is oganized into the following sections:

Creating a Garden This is a simple guide to garden planning by John Brooks, the world-renowned landscape designer. Choice of plants in relation to garden style, scale, and proportion, and use of color and texture are all explained and illustrated with a host of gardens. Extensive lists suggest plants for particular sites.

The Plant Catalog Organized in a unique, easy-to-use format, this section is arranged by plant type, size, season of interest, and color of flower or foliage. Over 4,000 plants are individually described, each with its own full-color photograph, symbols indicating cultivation requirements, hardiness zone numbers, and, for trees and shrubs, a scale drawing of mature size and shape.

The Plant Dictionary a complete A-Z guide to more than 8,000 plants, this section also functions as an index to the encyclopedia. It describes every genus in the book and provides information about thousands of other recommended plants.

Plus a complete index of over 2,500 common names for easy cross-reference and a glossary of straightforward definitions of the technical terms used in this book.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

If they can afford it, libraries should have both editions of this invaluable one-volume reference. For gardeners seeking the right plant for the right place but with no knowledge of the specific name, the 1989 title arranges its catalog of 8000 plants not alphabetically by name but by season and color. It starts with color photos and descriptions of large trees, separating them by seasonal interest and by color within each season. It does the same for smaller trees, then for shrubs, climbers, perennials, annuals, rock plants, bulbs, and succulents. Expanding its coverage to over 15,000 plants, the 1997 encyclopedia is organized alphabetically, making it an ideal reference for patrons who want to know what a particular plant looks like, how it grows, and its hardiness zones. Its descriptions of popular plant species, like Narcissus, Primula, and Rhododendron, are a real strength.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 608 pages
• Publisher: Wiley (November 16, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0025579207
• ISBN-13: 978-0025579200
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 9.4 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #395,342 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #46 in Books > Education & Reference > Encyclopedias > Cooking
  • #62 in Books > Education & Reference > Encyclopedias > Gardening

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars fabulous research book, February 4, 2000

By 

cleo pirtle "cleo pirtle, organic grower" (Bellingham,Wa. USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: American Horticultural Society Encyclopedia of Garden Plants (Hardcover)

as a l;andscape designer, this book shows not only when plants flower, their silouhette and height, but the width, which no other resource book gives. I use it for all my design classes and my students love how clear and precise everything is. Wonderful garden book.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 8000 plant descriptions! 4000 photos! A bargain at $50., August 7, 1996

By A Customer

This review is from: American Horticultural Society Encyclopedia of Garden Plants (Hardcover)

In one volume, the AHS Encyclopedia manages to cover 8000 plant varieties, 4000 of them with color photos. This is by far the best way of getting a comprehensive directory of garden plants at a reasonable price. For each plant, it gives basic information such as size, color, season of bloom, cold tolerance, etc. and often considerably more information about cultural conditions, propagation, and the like.

It is not perfect. For instance, its information on shade, water, and pH requirements is sketchy and sometimes conflicts with other sources I've consulted. But it is very good.

In all, this is a far better deal than getting multiple volumes of the Taylor's Guides, although for those who want more information the RHS Dictionary ($800) is more complete and those who want more photos of each plant the Roger Phillips and Martyn Rix series (Random House) is richer.

Perhaps someday soon the RHS Dictionary and the AHS Encyclopedia (which is based on the RHS Encyclopedia) will be available in CD-ROM. Until then, this paper volume has far broader coverage than any CD-ROM collection I've seen so far.

5.0 out of 5 stars Later editions aren't the same, June 21, 2008

By 

Paul Kerr - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: American Horticultural Society Encyclopedia of Garden Plants (Hardcover)

What makes the first edition the best book of its kind is that it organizes plants by how they are used in landscaping (e.g., hedges and shrubs), then by color. So you determine what you want to do with the plants and how you want them to look, and it lists all of your choices with great color photos as well as height and width info.

You'll have to buy a used copy to get the original organization model. Later editions list plants alphabetically, which is pretty much useless.