FIVE BOOKS EARN 2003 AHS AWARDS

Five gardening books published in 2002 received the American Horticultural Society’s Annual Book Award for 2003. The winning books, profiled below, are The American Woodland Garden by Rick Darke, An Encyclopedia of Shade Perennials by W. George Schmid, Grounds for Pleasure: Four Centuries of the American Garden, by Denise Otis, Melons for the Passionate Grower by Amy Goldman, and Native Trees, Shrubs, and Vines by William Cullina.

The award winners were selected by the AHS Book Award Committee. Marco Polo Stufano, former director of horticulture at Wave Hill in New York City, chaired this year’s committee, which included Linda Askey of Birmingham, Alabama, formerly senior writer for Southern Living magazine; Dick Dunmire of Los Altos, California, a former editor of the Sunset Western Garden Book; Laurie Hannah, a horticultural librarian at Santa Barbara Botanic Garden; Rommy Lopat of Richmond, Illinois, former editor of The Weedpatch Gazette ; Lucinda Mays of Chadron, Nebraska, a garden writer and former host of the Southern edition of PBS’s The Victory Garden; and Ray Rogers of North Brunswick, New Jersey, a freelance garden book editor.

Books that have received the AHS annual award can be distinguished by a gold seal embossed with the Society’s name. Look for these books in your local bookstore or order them through a link to Amazon.com posted on this Web site (the link to Amazon can be reached by clicking on the link to “Books” on the home page).

The American Woodland Garden: Capturing the Spirit of the Deciduous Forest by Rick Darke, Timber Press, Portland, Oregon. Price: Hardcover, $34.97.
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Darke’s articulate and personal chronicle of Eastern woodlands and the lessons in design and ecology we can learn from them struck a chord for committee members. “I live in California now, but I grew up in Pennsylvania,” said Dick Dunmire, “and this book nearly broke my heart—it’s so good it almost made me want to move back.”
“I think it’s one of the best gardening books to come along in the last 20 years,” said Ray Rogers. “The author’s passion for his subject comes through both in his writing and his photography.” Laurie Hannah said, “Even though its primary focus is on woodlands in the East and Midwest, anybody could apply the lessons and philosophy behind it.”

An Encyclopedia of Shade Perennials by W. George Schmid, Timber Press, Portland, Oregon. Price: hardcover, $34.97.
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Schmid’s opinionated writing style and authoritative advice won praise from the committee. “I used the book as a reference in some design work,” noted Lucinda Mays, “and in every case the information was sound and accurate—I give it very high marks.”
Dick Dunmire said, “He does a marvelous job of bringing you up to date with shade plants by covering a lot of the newer discoveries that have been made in Japan and China. The cultural information is very detailed.”

“I felt the book contained the most thoughtful guide to differentiating degrees of shade that I’ve ever seen,” commented Linda Askey.

Grounds for Pleasure: Four Centuries of the American Garden by Denise Otis, Harry N. Abrams, Inc., New York, New York. Price, hardcover: $52.50.
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Otis’s history of the evolution of the private American garden was praised for its audacious scope, readability, and photography. “I was amazed by the amount of research that went into it,” said Marco Polo Stufano. “It brings our history right up to present day. “ Lucinda Mays said, “The scope of the book is huge, but the thing that most impressed me about it is that her voice is consistent throughout. To cover that much ground and not lose her narrative train is very impressive.”

“The prose is so readable,” said Linda Askey. “I found it an intellectually tickling presentation of gardening history.”

Melons for the Passionate Grower by Amy Goldman, Artisan, New York, New York. Price, softcover, $17.50.
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Goldman’s book was praised for “mouthwatering” photography and for the author’s ability to make a little-known plant group inspirational. “Victor Schrager’s photography deserves kudos,” said Ray Rogers, “and the book covers everything you could possibly want to know about melons.”

Rommy Lopat said she initially dismissed the book, “but came back to it and ended up really liking it. The photography is amazing, it’s very entertaining, and the author did her homework and got around her subject matter.”

Lucinda Mays shared the book with some nongardening friends and said they got excited about trying to grow melons. “Any book that creates a call to action like that has made an impact,” she said.

Native Trees, Shrubs and Vines by William Cullina. Houghton Mifflin, Boston, Massachusetts. Price: hardcover, $28.00.
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Cullina’s guide to growing native woody plants earned high marks for its authoritativeness and no-nonsense writing style. “I was really happy when this book came out because there are relatively few good books on how to grow and propagate natives,” said Laurie Hannah. “I think it really fills a gap.”

“What I like about it is that it’s useful for exactly what its subtitle says, as a guide to using, growing, and propagating American woody native plants,” said Lucinda Mays. “The advice translates even here on the Great Plains, where we have high soil pH.”

“It’s written by someone who really has done all this stuff,” noted Marco Polo Stufano. “Cullina has been working with natives for years and it shows.”