The New Western Garden Book: The Ultimate Gardening Guide (Sunset Western Garden Book) [Paperback]

Editors of Sunset Magazine (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 7, 2012 | ISBN-10: 0376039205 | ISBN-13: 978-0376039200 | Edition: 9

As surely as gardens change with the seasons, gardening is ever changing. New plants, techniques, materials, and lifestyles are constantly broadening the choices you have and reshaping the way you garden in the West. In response to this natural evolution, the editors of Sunset-the West's most trusted source of gardening information for more than 80 years-have completely redesigned and updated The Western Garden Book in this new 2012 Ninth Edition. Following the best-selling success of the previous editions of The Western Garden Book, this edition includes a fresh new look, thousands of color photographs, fresh illustrations, and an easy-to-follow format. Written by experts for gardeners in the West, this book is an indispensable reference for beginning and expert gardeners alike.

The New Western Garden Book features include:

• A photo gallery shows the West's most innovative gardens, from all-edibles front yards to stylish water-wise and fire-wise gardens to living walls and green roofs-all with ideas you can use.
• Climate Zone Maps and growing-season graphs for all regions of the West including Alaska and Hawaii.
• A new "Plant Finder" section helps you choose plants for their garden's problem areas or for special effects.
• "A to Z Plant Encyclopedia" lists some 8,000 plants that thrive in the West, including more than 500 new ones. Gorgeous color photographs illustrate all plant entries-for the first time ever in The Western Garden Book.
• "Gardening From Start to Finish" is a new visual guide that leads readers through all steps of making a garden, from soil prep through planting, growing and care, with special sections on natives, veggies, grasses and more.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Sunset magazine (www.sunset.com) is the premier guide to life in the West, covering the newest and best ideas in Western home design and landscaping, food and entertaining, and regional travel in 13 Western states. Sunset Magazine has a circulation of over 1.25 million and a readership of 4.864 million.

Product Details

• Paperback: 768 pages
• Publisher: Oxmoor House; 9 edition (February 7, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0376039205
• ISBN-13: 978-0376039200
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 1.2 x 11 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (81 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #628 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #1 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Gardening & Landscape Design > Reference
  • #1 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Gardening & Landscape Design > By Region > West

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

52 of 54 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars This new edition is SO worth it - beautiful photos, sustainable angles, and an emphasis on regional and contemporary design March 17, 2012

By Gen of North Coast Gardening TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

If you're a gardener on the West Coast, you already know this book is a must-have. The only real question is, will you upgrade to the new edition? You may be wondering how different it could be from the old version. Well, for one, it has photos in the encyclopedia. Yep, the charming but often-frustrating illustrations have been replaced with vivid, beautiful photographs. And thank god, they put back the plant index, which was missing in the last edition.

The Plant Finder lists in the front have been revamped, with the old sections on broad categories of plants such as "annuals, "vines" and "ferns" replaced with more useful sections on "ornamental edibles", "plants that attract beneficial insects", "sculptural plants", "plants for moon gardens" and more. Altogether a solid improvement, given the Plant Finder lists are already broken down by type of plant. Having "trees" listed separately was kind of overkill given that you'd be better served by going to the section that most matches your garden, such as "plants for shade", and looking for tree ideas there.

Even better is the thematic direction they're taking. There's a definitely move towards clever sustainability and a contemporary style. While I buy the book for the Plant Finder lists and encyclopedia, I confess that the new emphasis on gorgeous design had me sitting down to read more carefully. The sections in the back about different ways to use both small and large succulent plants had me jotting down ideas. I just wish the book had a "pin it" button so I could add the pics to my Pinterest boards!

My very favorite aspect of the new book is their serious discussion of regional design. A garden should have a sense of place and reflect the region it grows in. Not only does using native plants and materials in the landscape reduce cost, maintenance, and the carbon footprint of trucking foreign plants from three states away, but it just feels right. When your garden has a lovely view of the redwoods yet reflects none of the beauty of the forest, you're missing the chance to connect your own garden to something greater than yourself.

The fact that the new Sunset is discussing this and giving tools and tips for achieving a landscape that feels connected to your surroundings - well, it fills my soul. This is important stuff.

OK, I should probably stop raving on it now as you're either convinced you need one, or you're a lost cause. But I will say one last thing. The actual format of the book makes it a lot easier to read. The cover bends flat and the book sits open, so you can read while eating breakfast, which is a huge selling point for a large book like this.

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Happy I updated from the eighth edition February 22, 2012

By andy

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I was hesitant to purchase the new edition since my old one still has its binding on it. I am very happy I did. It says there are over 500 new plants. I really like the new section in the back of the book "Gardening, Start to Finish" it includes Plan, Dig, Plant, Containers, and a large section called Grow, it is broken down into sections like; trees, veggies, herbs, vines, natives, succulents, etc.

In the old edition, in the beginning there is a section called "A Guide to Plant Selection" (includes special effects, special situation, and basic landscaping) it is now called "Plant finder". The main difference is the new edition no longer has a symbol for the amount of water each plants uses, however, that information is still listed in the "encyclopedia" section.

Buy it, you will be happy you did, it is the best gardening book you can own!

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Really disappointing June 1, 2012

By Carole A Gittleman

Format:Paperback

I usually buy each new edition of this book when it comes out. But this edition really missed the boat. The value of the book was that if you buy a plant that is new to you, you could find it in the book because the plants are cross referenced by common names - they redirect one to the proper name. In the new book this is missing. There is no way to find a plant unless you know the proper name in advance. For a lot of the plants I buy, I don't know the proper name, and I've been gardening for more than 50 years.