American Horticultural Society A to Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants (The American Horticultural Society)

This book is designed with sophistication. Its layout is fun to the eye and is easy-to-read due to its simple and consistent organization and clear uses of typography. Its photography is first-rate, descriptive and true-to-life with none of the false saturated colors of some plant catalogues.

"A-Z" is that-comprehensive. The plant listings are preceded by brief but helpful sections, totaling 45 pages, on botany, cultivation [under glass or in the garden with useful information on pruning, plant hardiness, propagation, etc] and ornamental plant groups [cacti, ferns, aquatic and rock plants, etc.] This book is truly encyclopedic and as thorough as it can be in 1095 pages- there are 26 pages and 310 photos of roses alone-with no hype or unusable information.

This book is convenient, despite its weight. After purchasing this and its companion volume, the "AHS Encyclopedia of Gardening," I gave away about four linear feet of other gardening and horticultural books. This volume, though, is the one that stays by the door to the garden all summer and by my bed all winter.

"A-Z"'s high standards authenticate the authority of the American Horticultural Society, reflect its editors' concern for quality and gives voice to its contributors' erudition and expertise. You can virtually garden with this book without leaving your armchair.


A must have book for all gardeners!   March 27, 1999
Theresa C. Schrum (Bozeman, MT USA)
31 out of 31 found this review helpful

Of all the gardening books on the market, this is THE one to have. It lists all (I can't find any that were not listed) plants available to American Gardeners. It even has plants that are not available from nurseries (such as native or endangered plants). Plants are listed alphabetically by genus but there is a common name cross-index in the back.

This book contains none of the hype found in catalogs or information from nurseries. Details about hardiness zones (USDA and heat), growth habits, origin, planting and propogating instructions, care, pests and diseases are all listed. Wonderful color pictures for most plants.

Well worth the price!


My favorite garden plant book.   January 26, 1999
Tom Krischan (Big Bend, WI USA)
36 out of 39 found this review helpful

I own nearly 100 garden plant books, if my home caught fire and I could only save one book - this would be it. I buy nursery plants through mail order and I look for new and unusual plants to add to my garden. Everytime I look up a plant in this encyclopedia I find it, along with growing details, comments about species or varieties, and a color photograph. Very comprehensive, very complete, and great information.

The only downside is that this 1100 page book is so heavy it takes two hands to lift it out from the bookshelf (I guess that's a small price to pay for completeness). If you can measure information by weight, than this book is a bargin!

Every serious gardener must have this book. The next time you come across a plant name that you don't know, you will be very pleased that you own this encyclopedia.