America's Garden Book: The Only Book You'll Ever Need to Plan, Design, and Grow Your Garden, Revised Edition [Hardcover]

Louise And James Bush-Brown (Author), Howard S. Irwin (Editor), Brooklyn Botanic Garden (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 1996

America's Garden Book There are very few garden books that have lasted like America's Garden Book—and with good reason. Since its first edition in 1939, the book has been specifically geared to North American backyard, do-it-yourself gardeners and their particular needs. The Plants More than 3,000 plant recommendations are listed throughout the book. Chapters devoted to specific types of plants go one step further, offering multiple listings based on the particular merit and special growing habits of certain plants. Appropriate plants for every garden situation are offered from disease-resistant climbing roses, water lilies for pond gardens, or rock garden plants. The Techniques There are instructions for constructing various paths, walls, steps, and grading structures. Detailed plans are included for naturalizing a prairie, constructing compost bins, and arranging indoor lighting systems. The Photography More than 1,000 photographs illustrate everything from more than 60 roses to the step-by-step of dividing a lily root clump. Each chapter contains scores of identification photographs to help the home gardener choose the ideal plants for the garden.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

First published in 1939 by the director of the Pennsylvania School of Horticulture and her landscape architect husband, the latest complete revision of this massive reference draws on the expertise of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden's savvy staff. Written by American gardeners for American gardeners, the book addresses the specific needs of U.S. climate zones, giving it a distinct advantage over some of imported heavyweight rivals. The text itself is workmanlike, with the prose showing occasional signs of being developed by committee (an exception is the lively section on roses, written by BBG rosarian Stephen Scaniello). But what's missing in "voice" is more than made up for in sheer mass of horticultural wisdom. Crammed with photographs, charts, exhaustive plant lists and information on every conceivable topic of interest to gardeners, this is truly a comprehensive reference. Not a corner of the gardening kingdom is left unexamined: overall design; the nitty gritty of selecting tools; the ins and outs of composting and lawn care; such currently popular trends as water, wildlife and container gardening; the special requirements of city and seaside gardeners (among other specialty sites); ornamentals of every sort as well as vegetables, fruits and herbs; even greenhouse construction and maintenance. Those looking for a lively read may wish to look elsewhere. Readers looking for one-stop shopping in the gardening reference arena will have come to the right place here.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

A gardening standard since 1939, this superior text presents both the "how-to" of garden design and production as well as very good sections on the best garden plants for American gardens. The section on special habitats is particularly helpful. [Please note that Macmillan sold this title to IDG Books; it can be ordered from IDG at 800-434-3422.--Ed.] (LJ 1/97.
- (LJ 1/97)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 1042 pages
• Publisher: Macmillan; Revised edition (November 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0028609956
• ISBN-13: 978-0028609959
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.6 x 2.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,213,654 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Everything about gardening in a single volume, December 29, 1999

By 

George Weigel "garden writer" (Mechanicsburg, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: America's Garden Book: The Only Book You'll Ever Need to Plan, Design, and Grow Your Garden, Revised Edition (Hardcover)

If I were stranded in a strange garden and could pick only one gardening book to take along, this would be the one. It's loaded with detailed information on all aspects of gardening, including photos and suggestions of exactly which species and varieties will work best in which situations. This is such a comprehensive effort that it's now possible to whittle your gardening library down to one volume and still be able to look up an answer to whatever question's bugging you.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Timeless Garden Classic..., May 9, 2000

By 

Dianne Foster "Di" (USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: America's Garden Book: The Only Book You'll Ever Need to Plan, Design, and Grow Your Garden, Revised Edition (Hardcover)

I have used this book for years as my gardening bible. I have an edition with a foreward signed by James Bush-Brown and Louise Bush-Brown in Ambler Pennsylvania, September 1957. I'm glad to see the book has been updated, but what amazes me is that the older version is still so useful. Just this morning I looked up 'Hyssop' because I planted one in the back of my herb bed. The entry read, "P; 18-24" Seed: medicine, perfume, food -- Sunny; ordinary garden soil, not too rich. Prefers lime." This entry (in Chapter IX, The Herb Garden) told me the plant was a pernnial, would not overshadow my other plants, and would grow well in my herb garden which is laced with lime.

This book is succinct, useful, and too heavy to carry to bed for nighttime reading.