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General Gardening and Landscaping

Sunset Western Garden Book 40th Anniversary Edition, Published 1995
Review: A must-have book if you live in the Western US. A good book even if you don't. This is the most recent edition and the first update in years. The gardening info sections are poorly organized in this edition but it's the plant encyclopedia you buy the book for. Unlike most gardening books, even ones written by authors in the Western US, the Sunset guide gives watering instructions that take into account our rainfall patterns (i.e., dry summers). Sunset has developed its own set of zones, in conjunction with the Univ of California, and they are far more useful than USDA climate zones. Each plant entry tells you the zones it will grow in, watering, soil, and other specifics. Even if you own more specialized plant books, buy this one to look up what the other books leave out.
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Related Sunset books: Sunset Western Garden Book on CD-ROM for Windows Users 1997 Sunset Western Garden Book on CD-ROM for Mac Users 1996; 1995 Version Sunset National Garden Book Paperback, 1997. The Western Garden Book expanded with new zones and plant listings to cover the entire US and Southern Canada. Some Easterners say the zones aren't always accurate, as USDA zones seem to work well (best) for the East. Sunset Western Landscaping Book, paperback, 1997. Companion to Sunset Western Garden Book. Highly recommened.

Edible Landscaping, Fruits and Vegetables

The Complete Book of Edible Landscaping
Rosalind Creasy. Paperback, Published 1982
Review: This book gives information that's nearly impossible to find elsewhere: how to use edible shrubs, trees, vines, and other plants as ornamentals without losing food production. The plant reference guide is the best part of the book and worth buying the book for alone. You just won't find the information in other books. The general gardening sections of the book are a bit pedantic and strident (she wrote the book long before the trends changed in favor of gardening with edibles). She also claims to prefer organic gardening but constantly suggests pesticides and other chemical methods.
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Other books by Rosalind Creasy: Blue Potatoes, Orange Tomatoes Organic Gardening for Children, paperback, 1997 The Gardener's Handbook of Edible Plants The plant reference guide section of the Edible Landscaping book, 1986 Organic Gardener's: Edible Plants (Organic Gardeners, No 5) 1993

California Vegetable Patch and Seed Source: The Organic Gardner's Complete Reference Almanac
Duane Newcomb and Karen Newcomb. Published 1995
Review: Written for Californians but applicable to many other areas as the authors come from cold-winter mountain regions. The first section is overly analytical with little practical information about general gardening. The value of this book is in its enormous annotated lists of vegetable varieties, more than just about any other book we've seen (and certainly the most varieties suitable for the West). Unfortunately, the authors do not say which varieties do best in which subclimate of the state; the few maps they provide are too small to read. If you like to experiement with different vegetable varieties, this book will be very useful to you.
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Other books by the Newcombs: The Postage Stamp Kitchen Garden Book, paperback, 1998 The Apartment Farmer: The Hassle-Free Way to Grow Vegetables Indoors, on Balconies, Patios, Roofs, and in Small Yards, 1976 The Backyard Vegetable Factory: Super Yields from Small Spaces, 1988 The Complete Vegetable Gardener's Sourcebook, 1989 Growing Vegetables the Big Yield-Small Space Way, 1981 The Postage Stamp Garden Book: How to Grow All the Food You Can Eat in Very Little Space, 1975 Rx for Your Vegetable Garden, 1982 Small Space, Big Harvest: Turn Your Small Garden into a Vegetable Garden - Naturally!, 1993

Vegetables (Random House Garden) Roger Phillips, Martyn Rix. Paperback, Published 1994
Review: Little to no cultivation information and what is there is geared to UK growing. The worth of this book is in its pages and pages of standard and unusual vegetable varieties with great pictures. Brief history of native and cultivated plants around the world.
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Other books by Roger Phillips and Martyn Rix: Indoor and Greenhouse Plants, Vol I, paperback, 1997. Volume II The Random House Book of Bulbs, paperback, 1989. Standard reference The Random House Book of Perennials: Early Perennials (Pan Garden Plants Series), Vol I, paperback, 1992 The Random House Book of Perennials: Late Perennials (Pan Garden Plants Series), Vol II, paperback, 1992 The Random House Book of Perfect Plants, paperback, 1997 The Random House Book of Roses, paperback, 1988 The Random House Book of Shrubs, paperback, 1989 The Best Scented Plants & How to Grow Them (The Pan Plant Chooser Series), paperback, 1998 Climbers for Walls & Arbors & How to Grow Them (The Pan Plant Chooser Series), paperback, 1998 Bulbs (The Pan Garden Plants Series), paperback, 1989 Early Perennials (The Garden Plant Series , Vol 1), paperback, 1994 Late Perennials (The Garden Plant Series , Vol 2), paperback, 1994 Herbs for Cooking & How to Grow Them (The Pan Plant Chooser Series), paperback, 1998 Plants for Pots & Potions & How to Grow Them (The Pan Plant Chooser Series), paperback, 1998 Plants for Shade & How to Grow Them (The Pan Plant Chooser Series), paperback, 1998 Roses (The Pan Garden Plants Series), paperback, 1988 Salad Plants for Your Garden & How to Grow Them (The Pan Plant Chooser Series), paperback, 1998 Shrubs (The Garden Plant Series), paperback, 1989 Summer Annuals & How to Grow Them (The Pan Plant Chooser Series), paperback, 1998 Traditional Old Roses & How to Grow Them (The Pan Plant Chooser Series), paperback, 1998. Vegetables: Over 650 Vegetables in Superb Colour (The Pan Garden Plants Series), hardcover, 1993
Other books by Roger Phillips: The 3,000 Mile Garden: An Exchange of Letters on Gardening, Food, and the Good Life, hardback, 1996. Paperback version. Mushrooms of North America, paperback, 1991 Mushrooms: the Photographic Guide to Identify Common and Important Mushrooms, paperback, 1996 Mushrooms and Other Fungi of Great Britain and Europe, hardcover, 1989 Photographic Garden History, hardcover, 1996 A Photographic Garden History: A Personal Tour Around the Great Gardens of the World, hardcover, 1995 The Quest for the Rose; A Historical Guide to Roses, Us ed., hardcover, 1994 The Random House Book of Herbs, paperback, 1990. The Salad Garden, paperback, 1996 Trees of North America and Europe/a Photographic Guide to More Than 500 Trees, paperback, 1993 Trees in Britain, Europe and North America, paperback, 1978 Wild Food: A Unique Photographic Guide to Finding, Cooking and Eating Wild Plants, Mushrooms and Seaweed, 1983
Other books by Martyn Rix: Bulb Book: A Photographic Guide to over 800 Hardy Bulbs, hardcover, 1981 Growing Bulbs, 1983

Backyard Fruits and Berries: How to Grow Them Better Than Ever
Diane E. Bilderback, Dorothy Hinshaw Patent. Published 1984
Review: Limited to standard American fruits grown in cold winter areas. Extra info for Northern growers; lots of hardiness tips. Most of the information is found elsewhere but this is a good basic book.
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Other books by Bilderback and/or Patent: The Book of Garden Secrets, paperback, 1997. Updated version of Garden Secrets: A Guide to Understanding How Your Garden Grows and How You Can Help It Grow Even Better, 1982 Gardener's Home Companion/How to Raise and Propagate More Than 350 Flowers, Herbs, Vegetables, Berries, Shrubs, Vines, and Lawn and Ornamental Grasses, hardcover, 1991 The Harrowsmith Country Life Book of Garden Secrets: A Down-To-Earth Guide to the Art and Science of Growing Better Vegetables, 1991 The Vanishing Feast: How Dwindling Genetic Diversity Threatens the World's Food Supply (A Gulliver Green Book), hardcover, 1994. For young adult readers Where Food Comes from, 1991. For ages 9-12 The Challenge of Extinction (Environmental Issues Series), 1991. For child readers

Specialized Edible Plant Books

Specialized Ornamental and Misc Plant Books

Tropical Blossoms of the Pacific
Dorothy Hargreaves, Bob Hargreaves. Paperback, Published 1970
Review: A useful resource. Use this book to round out more general resources on tropical and semi-tropical plants. There are color pictures for each listing, common names in several languages, latin name, native range, and a brief paragraph of other information.
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Other books by the Hargreaves: Tropical Trees: Found in the Caribbean, South America, Mexico, paperback, 1965 Hawaii Blossoms Text and Color Photography, paperback, 1958. Tropical Trees of Hawaii, paperback, 1940 The Butterflies of Britain and Europe, 1983 Tropical Blossoms of the Caribbean, 1960 African Blossoms, paperback, 1972 African Trees, paperback, 1972 Tropical Trees of the Pacific, 1970

Manual of Orchids (New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary)
Joyce Stewart (Editor), Mark Griffiths (Editor). Hardcover, Published 1995
Review: Good, detailed information. Huge numbers of varieties of orchids that aren't in other books.
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Organic Gardening

Gardening Technique

Pruning & Training Christopher Brickell (Editor), David Joyce. Hardcover, Published 1996
Review: Excellent reference. Detailed illustrations and descriptions for a variety of plants. Basic intro to pruning plus some advanced technique.
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Other books by Christopher Brickell: The American Horticultural Society A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants, hardcover, 1997 American Horticultural Society Encyclopedia of Garden Plants, hardcover, 1989 The American Horticultural Society Encyclopedia of Gardening, hardcover, 1993 The Gardener's Companion, hardcover, 1995 Vanishing Garden: A Conservation Guide to Garden Plants, hardcover, 1987. 1989 Edition Encyclopedia of Gardening Techniques, 1986 Step by Step Gardening Techniques, 1989

Misc

Invasive Plants: Weeds of the Global Garden (21st Century Gardening Series, Handbook No. 149) John M. Randall (Editor), Janet Marinelli (Editor). Paperback, Published 1997 by the Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Review: The best definition of a weed I've ever seen is from this book. The authors eschew the traditional defination of a weed as a plant that is undesirable in the place where it grow in favor of one that looks at the plants effect on the environment. Weeds are non-native plants that are interfering with wildlife and native plant growth, mainly because of their invasiveness. The book lists 50 or so weeds, their impact, and how to remove them. Unfortunately, most of the authors are Round-Up happy. Most at least expouse IPM (Integrated Pest Management) methods though.
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Other books by Janet Marinelli: Annuals: A Gardener's Guide/Handbook #133, Vol. 48, No. 4, Winter 1992 (Plants & Gardens, Brooklyn Botanic Garden Record), 1993 Butterfly Gardens: Luring Nature's Loveliest Pollinators to Your Yard, 1995 The Environmental Gardener: 1992 (Plants & Gardens Brooklyn Botanic Garden Record, Vol. 48, No. 1 Spring, 1992), 1992 Going Native: Biodiversity in Our Own Backyards (Handbook, No 140), 1995 The Natural Lawn & Alternatives (Plants & Gardens), 1993 A New Look at Houseplants (Bbg Gardening Guides), 1995 Salad Gardens: Gourmet Greens and Beyond (Brooklyn Botanic Garden Publications), 1995 Stalking the Wild Amaranth: Gardening in the Age of Extinction, 1998 Trees: A Gardener's Guide/1992 (Plants & Gardens Brooklyn Botanic Garden Record, Vol. 48, No. 3, Autumn 1992, Handbook #132), 1992 Brooklyn Botanic Garden Gardener's Desk Reference, 1998