The American Horticultural Society Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers (American Horticultural Society Practical Guides) [Hardcover]

Christopher Brickell (Author), Trevor Cole (Editor), H. Marc Cathey (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2002

Combining the authority of the AHS with the visual expertise of DK, this full-color gardening reference is the definitive guide for gardeners. Simply the definitive full-color reference to the horticulture of North America, AHS Encyclopedia of Plants & Flowers contains more than 8,000 plant profiles, over 4,250 photographs, and practical advice on everything from cultivation, pests, and diseases, to plant selection and identification

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This lushly illustrated and exhaustive gardening reference, an update to the 1989 original, is sure to gratify greenthumbs all around the U.S.: comprising three main sections (the plant selector, the plant catalogue and the plant dictionary), it's an excellent resource for anyone looking to fashion a beautiful and environmentally sustainable garden. The plant selector points gardeners toward flora appropriate to their environmental or aesthetic needs (e.g., plants that do well in sandy or alkaline soil, make good windbreaks or have aromatic leaves), while the plant catalogue, organized into sections by type (perennials, shrubs, bulbs, water plants) and boasting thousands of photographs, delves into greater detail about the characteristics of individual species. Each section is helpfully organized by seasons of "interest" and plant size or color: the yellow asphodel is a medium yellow perennial that looks its best in spring, for instance, while Gentiana septemfida is a large blue rock plant whose best months are autumnal. The dictionary lists more than 8,000 plants, from abelia to creeping zinnia. For the garden enthusiast, this volume will likely prove as indispensable as a good trowel.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

If only one gardening resource is purchased this year, let it be this book, a revision of The American Horticultural Society Encyclopedia of Garden Plants (1989). Tightly packed into a single volume is nearly everything that amateur landscapers and gardeners need to consider for outlining, designing, and planting their outdoor growing areas.

Two indispensable tools, the 2002 USDA plant hardiness zone map, upgraded to 15 zones, and the 1997 American Horticultural Society plant heat zone map, appear on the front and back endpapers. Of utmost importance is the "How to Use This Book" section, which explains how best to navigate through the charts, symbols, color codes, abbreviations, and special features of the text. Following this, the arrangement of information resembles the organized subconscious thought process associated with the planning and preplanting seasons. "Creating a Garden" takes the reader step-by-step through the entire process of creating an appropriate landscape and garden design. Everything is to be considered--plot size, style, structure, proportion, texture, colors, plant selection, and the year-round maintenance, appearance, and growth factor. Basically, this is how the professionals do it. "The Plant Selector" offers advice and recommendations for particular sites or uses. The main portion of the encyclopedia, "The Plant Catalog," is divided into 10 sections (for trees, shrubs, roses, perennials, rock plants, cacti, and more). Within each section, plants are arranged by size, season of interest, and color. Each description includes botanical and common names, portrait, plant size (height and spread), shape, cultivation and hardiness zones, color range, and toxicity.

Whether one is planning a full-scale garden, a postage-stamp garden, or simply a container garden, the plant catalog has the appropriate selection. The book's final section, "The Plant Dictionary," compiles more than 8,000 readily obtainable plants for temperate zones, with full descriptions for 4,000 of these not already covered in the catalog. A glossary completes the text. Authoritative, beautifully designed, and lavishly illustrated (but not to the point of overshadowing the text), this hefty practical gardening encyclopedia deserves far more than a mere glance. RBB
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 720 pages
• Publisher: DK ADULT; Rev Upd edition (November 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789489937
• ISBN-13: 978-0789489937
• Product Dimensions: 11.5 x 9.3 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #144,264 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #20 in Books > Education & Reference > Encyclopedias > Gardening

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An outstanding plant reference, September 23, 2005

By 

W. Oliver (Alabama) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The American Horticultural Society Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers (American Horticultural Society Practical Guides) (Hardcover)

This 720 page reference is well worth the money and is an indispensable tool for plant identification or plant selection. A short article on plant names and origins is followed by a beautiful section on "Creating a Garden" which covers style, structure, planning, seasons, using color and providing texture. The color photographs that accompany the article are outstanding!

"The Plant Selector" provides lists of plants that cover seemingly any situation you can think of. Examples - plants for specific soils, deer-resistant plants, hedge and windbreak plants, groundcovers for both sun and shade, dry shade, moist shade, and the list goes on.

The bulk of the book focuses on individual plants (Trees, Shrubs, Roses, Perennials, Annuals, Climbers, Bulbs, Rock Plants, Water Plants). Each section of plants is categorized by size (Large, medium and small) and then by color of the bloom. A color photo of each plant is provided as well as a brief description, size, exposure needs, zone, etc. A page number reference refers to a more in depth description of the plant in the back of the book.

Beautiful and plentiful photos, thick glossy pages and a wealth of information make this a reference that you can browse for hours. Happy reading!

76 of 83 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A gardener's dream reference, March 6, 2003

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Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The American Horticultural Society Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers (American Horticultural Society Practical Guides) (Hardcover)

This weighty, full-color reference to North American plants and flowers has been revised and completely revamped for this edition, profiling over 8,000 plants and holding over four thousand photos. The American Horticultural Society Encyclopedia Of Plants And Flowers is a gardener's dream reference, and deserves a place not only in the home reference library of the avid gardener, but in any suitable public or school library with strong collections in gardening and plants.

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible reference, May 22, 2006

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Carex Elata (Springfield, Mo.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The American Horticultural Society Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers (American Horticultural Society Practical Guides) (Hardcover)

Some other reviewers that own this book are right when giving this book high marks. I am a landscape contractor and can attest to the rich information and pictures inside. Although, I wouldn't recomend this bk for the beginning gardener. It has a 'common names' index by which to cross ref backwards with but, if common names are all you are familiar with, this bk may be a bit much to find what you want. However, this bk will tell you if thie plant is evergreen,semievergreen, deciduous, its habit, bloom time, hardiness zones,Hight & Spread, Light & some moisture requirements, etc. The bk is alphabetized with the genus/ Latin names for a reason. These Latin names are how all plants are traced from their origin and habit, regardless of hybridizing or crossing. A Plant may have several common names regionally or for marketing purposes, but will always have the Latin name to trace its' origin. This is why you will see alot of bks with Latin names intead of common names. This bk is a must for landscapers and horticulturists. This is one of the best reference sources I've seen.