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Recommended Gardening
Books - List 1
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| The
Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation
: From Seed to Tissue Culture : A Practical
Working Guide to the Propagation of
over 1100 Species, Va by by Michael
A. Dirr, Charles W., Jr. Heuser |
| Paperback
(June 1987) |
| This book is considered an industry
standard by most. Nothing else published
contains as much information about woody
plant propagation. A must buy reference
for any plant propagator. |
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| Manual
of Woody Landscape Plants : Their Identification,
Ornamental Characteristics, Culture,
Propagation and Uses by Michael A. Dirr |
| Hardcover
5th edition (August 1998) |
| This
is the book most nurseries have on hand,
but apparently don't bother to read.
It is an essential book for anyone who
plants trees and shrubs. Full, objective
information from a professional is provided
for most North American trees and shrubs.
This is a thick, softcover edition on
inexpensive paper - not particularily
attractive, but reasonably priced. No
photos. Drawings of leaves are provided
but I find that of little use - Dirr's
new illustrated encyclopedia may provide
more interesting and enjoyable photos
- for more money. Info on cultivation
is provided but of little use to typical
gardeners but certainly of value to
those intent on propagating their own
plants, and for nurserymen. This book,
along with an encyclopedia such as Wyman's
should be all that most gardeners need
for reference - and to know what to
purchase for their garden. Relying on
local nurseries is not a good idea as
they tend to sell for profit, and to
sell particularily hardy, albeit often
less interesting, plants. Dirr will
make you an expert fast. |
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| American
Horticultural Society Encyclopedia of
Garden Plants by Christopher Brickell
(Editor), American Horticultural Society,
Elvin McDonald (Editor), Trevor Cole
(Editor) |
| Hardcover
- 608 pages (October 1989) |
| This
is a comprehensive garden book, with
nearly 700 pages and more than 3,000
color photographs. (The index alone
is 56 pages of small type, from "Aaron's
beard" to "zygote.") The first section,
on creating the garden, deals with garden
planning and design and major plant
groups: trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals
and biennials, rock gardens, bulbous
plants, succulents, herb gardens, fruit
gardens, rose gardens, indoor gardens,
and climbing plants. The second section,
on maintaining the garden, covers tools
and equipment, greenhouses and frames,
structures and surfaces, climate, soils
and fertilizers, plant problems, and
propagation. The book was researched
and written by 50 garden specialists
and was four years in the making; it's
the only reference book a gardener will
ever need. |
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Horticulture Gardener's Desk Reference
by Anne Moyer Halpin |
| Hardcover
(April 1996) |
| This
virtual library of practical and unusual
gardening information provides resources
for plant societies, botanic gardens,
and arboreta, weather prediction tables,
even calendars based on ancient Celtic
and Chinese growing seasons. More than
merely a compendium of the unusual,
the book contains up-to-date sections
on garden design, planting and propagation,
watering, fertilization, and more. 50
line drawings. |
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| The
Grafter's Handbook by R. J. Garner |
| Paperback
5th edition (March 1993) |
| Just
what a beginner would need to start
in the esoteric field of grafting. Short
on specific advice for types of trees,
which would take a much longer work. |
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| The Ortho Home Gardener's Problem
Solver by Cheryl Smith (Editor), L. Patricia
Kite |
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| Even
beautiful gardens have a few problems. With
descriptions of problem-solving techniques,
as well as solutions for hundreds of specific
problems, this book helps home gardeners identify
and solve problems both indoors and outdoors.
A wide range of possible solutions is represented.
You choose the method that suits you best --
from hand picking to spraying. Hundreds of full-color
illustrations. |
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| Greenhouses
by Ortho Books Staff, Susan Lang (Editor), Larry
Hodgson |
| Paperback
- 112 pages (May 1991) |
| A
home greenhouse is an enchanted place where
you can shut the door on a winter storm and
quietly putter amid lush greenery, earthy aromas,
and a peaceful hush. This book will teach you
how to select a site, choose a style, and identify
glazing materials suitable for your climate
and growing conditions. Included are detailed
plans and construction guidelines for five basic
greenhouse designs. Or design your own, following
the book's step-by-step instructions. |
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| Ortho's
All About Sprinklers and Drip Systems by Ortho
Books |
| Paperback
1 Ed edition (March 1998) |
| For
busy gardeners, the prospect of continually
dragging out hoses to water the garden can be
a real disincentive to gardening. Often, the
installation of an irrigation system appropriate
to the needs of the garden can be a huge time
and energy saver, and provide the appropriate
and timely water that all plants need in differing
amounts at different times. Starting with "The
Basics of Home Irrigation," readers will learn
if an irrigation system is appropriate for their
needs and which one (or combination of systems)
works best. Next, "Getting Started" discusses
which kinds of systems can be installed and
how they work. The final section of the book
is "Using and Repairing an Irrigation System."
Just about everything one needs to know is included
here: troubleshooting and problem solving, customizing
designs for an irrigation system, buying guides
to components, and thorough, well-diagrammed
how-to instructions made clear by helpful color
photographs and detailed diagrams. |
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| Insects
That Feed on Trees and Shrubs by Warren T. Johnson,
Howard H. Lyon (Photographer) |
| Hardcover
2Nd/Rev edition (April 1991) |
| When
trying to identify a particular problem with
growing trees or shrubs knowing what kinds of
insects are possible culprits is a major step.
This book gives us, in color photos and descriptions,
most of the common larvae that can be found
feeding on the particular plants. Even Entomology
texts often refuse to deal with larvae of insects,
keeping only the adults in the keys and descriptions
(even though the adults are often not pests!).
This guide will be a welcome addition to any
plant clinic, grower, or Entomology professor
or student's bookshelf. |
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| Diseases
of Trees and Shrubs by Wayne A. Sinclair, Howard
H. Lyon (Photographer), Warren T. Johnson (Photographer)
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| Hardcover
- 574 pages (July 1987) |
| This
book compiles a GREAT deal of useful information
about plant pathology. It covers, as any good
work about plant disease should, fertilization,
nutritional deficiencies, and environmental
factors such as drought, freezing, lightning,
air pollution, water contamination etc. before
attempting to fix the problem, the work stresses
the causal effects and ,similarly, the visual
pitfalls that may provide evidence of an unseen
insect symptom (galling, nematodes, etc.) The
work was written mainly for the temperate zone,
but using it in my home sub-tropics was an eye-opener!
Reccomended reading for Horticulturalists in
the upper echelon, or for Pathologists as a
reference, and a reminder to look to the outlying
areas for an answer, It's always there! |
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