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American
Horticultural Society
The American Gardener
September/October 2008
Recommended Garden Books
Because the AHS Horticultural Book
Service was discontinued as of June 30, 2000 no further phone or mail orders
are filled. However, AHS members are still be able to order books at a
discount by linking to Amazon.com through the Society's Web site. Through this
partnership with Amazon.com, AHS members can receive better discounts on most
titles, faster delivery, greater inventory, and improved access to
hard-to-find books. The books listed here have not been critically evaluated;
they have been chosen for description based on unusual subject matter or
substantive content.
The following books are our current
recommended garden books from the September/October 2008 issue of
The American Gardener. To read the review just click on the
book title. You can then order the book directly from Amazon.com by clicking
on "Buy this book!" that follows each review.
BOOK REVIEWS
Recommendations for Your Gardening Library
BOOK REVIEWS
Recommendations for Your Gardening Library
 Growing
Trees from Seed
Henry Kock, et al. Firefly Books, Richmond Hill, Ontario, 2008. 280
pages. Publisher’s price, hardcover: $45.
Buy This Book
I have been growing trees from seed since 1952, the year Canadian author
Henry Kock was born. I wish this book had been available to me when I
began, so that I could have avoided making all my own mistakes!
Growing Trees from Seed is organized into introductory
material about trees and their place in the forest, how to find and
collect their seeds, and how to germinate and grow them, followed by an
entire chapter devoted to the conservation of our natural world. The
body of the book profiles more than 200 species of trees and other woody
plants, giving ecological observations and details about seed collection
and propagation.
Throughout the book, Kock shows an acute awareness of the
virtues of native trees and an equally strong grasp of the potential
problems associated with some exotics. That said, he still describes how
to grow a variety of exotics, offering caveats where appropriate. He
manages to convey a sense of which ones should be passed over because
they have invasive tendencies and which ones should be attempted even if
their cultural requirements are challenging.
The pages’ wide margins are annotated, as an author might
do while organizing his thoughts, with sketches and notes pertaining to
the text. Some of this material is artistic, some is insightful, and a
few pieces are cautionary and interestingly contradictory. For example,
“The nine lives of a woody plant” is, in truth, a thought- provoking
list of nine ways humans inadvertently kill plants.
The front matter (preface, introduction, etc.) of a book
is often a window into the mind of its author. In this case, I came away
with the impression that Kock was a true naturalist. Growing Trees From
Seed is not merely a how-to reference; for that, see the substantial
appendices. It gives the reader a context, philosophy, and background
that I have not often seen elsewhere. Sadly, Kock died before completing
this manuscript. Fortunately for us, his friends, also knowledgeable and
passionate tree folks, took the initiative to finish his book so that we
can all benefit from his knowledge and insightful views about trees.
Guy Sternberg
Guy Sternberg is the founder of Starhill Forest Arboretum in
Petersburg, Illinois. He is also the award-winning author and
photographer of Native Trees for North American Landscapes and
Landscaping with Native Trees.
Herbaceous Perennial Plants
Allan M. Armitage. Stipes Publishing, Champaign, Illinois, 2008. 1224
pages. Publisher’s price, softcover: $68.80.
Buy This Book
Eleven years after the previous edition, the much anticipated third
edition of Allan Armitage’s guide to herbaceous perennials is here at
last. Updated and upsized, this new edition includes more than 1,000
pages of nomenclature, descriptions, culture, philosophy, opinions, new
plants, line drawings, and illuminating stories.
Despite its dry title and drier subtitle, “A Treatise on their
Identification, Culture and Garden Attributes,” this is no austere
textbook. It celebrates gardening’s gifts of “therapy, creativity, and
excitement.” If you’ve heard the author speak, you’ll recognize the
passion and wit that make him one of the most sought-after speakers on
the horticultural lecture circuit.
Armitage’s most inspirational message is “try it!”
Grudgingly calling U.S. Department of Agriculture hardiness zone ratings
“the best we have...to evaluate limits,” he gleefully notes, “plants
don’t read,” so gardeners should try plants that shouldn’t work.
A native Canadian transplanted to Georgia, where he is a
horticulture professor, Armitage grasps the obvious differences and
surprising similarities among various climate zones. The Athens Select
plant evaluation program that he oversees at the University of Georgia
gives him perspective on the horticulture industry’s mercenary
realities. Straddling disparate worlds, he is well placed to offer
refreshing insights about the connections between academia, the nursery
industry, and gardeners.
About the only things I could fault are the line drawings
in the book. With nothing distracting the eye, good botanical art should
communicate plant characteristics better than photographs. In my
opinion, these don’t. Also, quality seems hit and miss. For example,
Heuchera and Paeonia are splendidly rendered while others, such as
Lysimachia, are blotchy.
As compensation, the photographs, clustered in a discrete
section, are excellent. They’d be even better larger, but then this
reference might become dangerously close to coffee-table size. That
wouldn’t work for this book, which is designed to be used regularly—in
classrooms, potting sheds, and Master Gardener offices throughout
America—until it is dog-eared and tattered.
John Friel
John Friel is technical marketing manager for Yoder
Perennials in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and a board member of the
Perennial Plant Association, based in Columbus, Ohio.
GARDENER’S BOOKS
Gardening for the Greater Good
The current movement toward more ecologically sound
practices has created greater awareness about the effect our everyday
actions have on the environment. Arguments over what it means to be
sustainable, organic, and natural aside, gardeners have been applying
practices meant to “green” their worlds for centuries. In my own quest
to tend a healthier, more productive garden, I am always seeking out
publications describing how to protect habitats, soil, and water
resources. This handful of recently published books offers plenty of
advice and inspiration for anyone who believes in gardening for the
greater - and greener - good.
 Often,
having a basic understanding of the science behind recommended practices
helps us make better gardening decisions. The Informed Gardener
(University of Washington Press, 2008, $18.95)
Buy This Book
by Linda Chalker-Scott explores the
myths and realities of these practices and identifies whether they are
scientifically tested and true. Based on a series of columns published
since 2000, this well-written book covers topics such as plant
physiology, soil amendments and additives, plant choices, and mulches,
to name a few. “This book will help you develop a sense of how garden
and landscape plants respond to their environments,” writes Chalker-Scott,
so that you can become “part of a sustainable, natural system rather
than its adversary.”
“As gardeners we have a tremendous
opportunity to affect and improve the health of our environment at home
and beyond,” writes Joe
 Lamp’l
in The Green Gardener’s Guide (Cool Springs Press, 2007, $16.95)
Buy This Book
. To those ends, this book provides helpful tips and the
most up-to-date, ecologically sound gardening techniques. Divided into
one- to two-page sections, the book succinctly describes
planet-preserving recommendations and activities, complete with numerous
sidebars containing statistics, definitions, and fascinating facts.
Chapters cover topics such as water conservation, reducing synthetic
chemical use, recycling or composting waste, using less energy, and
protecting the ecosystem. This accessible book includes plenty of
checkpoints for measuring the impact of various gardening activities “to
help you understand just what you can accomplish by taking a stand and
acting.”
 In
The Truth About Organic Gardening (Timber Press, 2008, $12.95)
Buy This Book
, Jeff Gillman asserts that “simply assuming that a
practice is good or bad because it is organic or non-organic is a
surefire way to get yourself into all kinds of trouble.” For example, he
points out that natural options for pest control, such as rotenone, can
sometimes be more toxic than synthetic ones. The book explores
strategies for dealing with various garden pests such as weeds, insects,
diseases, and wildlife, as well as soil enrichment and fertilization.
For each, Gillman explains the benefits and drawbacks of both organic
and synthetic options. At the end of each chapter he gives a summary of
important considerations to keep in mind in order to make the best
choices possible.
 Composting
is one activity that not only reduces landfill waste, but also helps to
build healthy soil, the foundation of successful gardening. The
Complete Compost Gardening Guide (Storey Publishing, 2008, $19.95)
Buy This Book
by Barbara Pleasant and Deborah L. Martin offers new
information for even the most experienced composter. Moving well beyond
the familiar piling of yard debris and kitchen scraps in a heap or bin,
the book also describes more unusual methods such as composting in
trenches or holes, vermicomposting, and brewing compost tea. Sidebars
with scientific tidbits, composting trivia, and neighborly advice from
the authors, along with clear color photographs, supplement the
easy-to-read, often entertaining text. A glossary and list of helpful
resources for further exploration complete the guide.
 “The
most basic gardening rule is to always take your gardening cues from the
natural world” is Marlene Condon’s advice in Nature-Friendly Garden:
Creating a Backyard Haven for Plants, Wildlife, and People (Stackpole
Books, 2006, $19.95)
Buy This Book
. That’s not to say one must turn the garden into an
unkempt wilderness in order to co-exist with and enjoy nature. Rather,
Condon explains techniques for achieving a balance that benefits both
gardeners and wildlife. The author’s color photographs of creatures
found in her garden enhance the text, which describes how to attract
wildlife such as mammals, birds, and butterflies with plants and other
garden elements.
Kirsten Winters, Editorial Intern
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