Gardening Reference Books — 6 Top Choices

The snow is already piled so high that shoveling feels like preparation for the Scottish Olympics — maybe the hammer throw (27 pounds at the end of a four foot handle) or, worse, tossing the caber (more or less hurling a tree trunk for distance).   More snow is coming tomorrow, however, and like all New Englanders I will find room to pile it somewhere.  And after the shoveling I’ll check again how the ice dams are doing …

To counteract my growing snow hostility during yet another winter, I turn to reading about gardening as a surrogate for outdoor work (other than the shoveling kind).  I have a pretty extensive collection of books, both the dry reference and the coffee-table-eye-candy ilk.  If I had to choose the six most useful I’ve ever come by?

• Wyman’s Gardening Encyclopedia by Donald Wyman (Macmillan Publishing Co., 1986).  This book is a classic, concise and comprehensive compilation of information from the experts.  Find the definition of diploid, how to grow kohlrabi, what to do with mulch, the bloom times of hundreds of plants, all sorts of information on gardening techniques and materials organized alphabetically.  Although you may have to try several entry words, there’s not much you can’t find in Wyman’s. The lists are particularly worthwhile: “Shade, Plants for” and “Seashore Garden” among the outstanding.  Wyman’s goal is to provide “a quick reference” for a “busy individual who has many other important interests”.  This book has a distinctly Massachusetts slant.

• A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants from the American Horticultural Society (DK Publishing, Inc., revised 2004).  I have the 1996 version and don’t feel it necessary to have the later edition, although it undoubtedly has information on more recent cultivars.  You can look up thousands of plants of all types and find the basic cultural information you need.  You’ll find excellent photos of many, many plants that are representative of their species and are often of the exact cultivar you’re researching.  I use this book most often to find a definitive answer for zone hardiness and when to prune as well as plain old spelling (which can make or break a successful Google search since “garbage in” will always be “garbage out”).

• Manual of Woody Landscape Plants by Michael Dirr (Stipes Publishing LLC, 6th edition 2009).  Dirr has created a comprehensive reference of all woody plants used in the planned American landscape.  Turn to this book for the final word on how best to grow a woody shrub, tree, vine, or groundcover and to learn the salient differences among thousands of cultivars.  This book could be painful reading except that Dirr often gives his personal opinions of particular plants that are always entertaining.  For example:  on Kolkwitzia amabilis he writes, “I have a difficult time acclimating myself to this shrub.  In flower it is singularly effective; however, the rest of the year it gives one a headache.”  Gotta love it.  Dirr (as it is briefly nicknamed) is a must for the plantsman and should be a building block of the amateur’s library as well.  Black and white line drawings of leaves and twigs are a great help for identifying mystery plants.

• Herbaceous Perennials by Allan M. Armitage (University of Gerorgia, 3rd edition, 2008).  In his descriptions of thousands of plants, Armitage provides especially useful background information on heritage that helps a gardener make sense of cultural preferences.  A good “final word” on nomenclature and hardiness, and an entertaining read especially about Armitage’s least favorite plants.  This book is the perennials equivalent of Dirr and a must have for the perennial gardener.  Photos and line drawings, although text is what you pay for.

• Manual of Herbaceous Ornamental Plants by Steven M. Still (Stipes Publishing Co., 4th edition, 1993).  This was one of the first books I purchased when I decided to give up the trial-and-error method of gardening.  Similar in format to Dirr, this book will give you the basic cultural information you need to become familiar with and grow all the basic herbaceous perennials.  Representative photos are less important than the excellent line drawings.  This book is not flashy.  Straightforward and simple, it teaches without overwhelming.

• Any one of the Taylor’s Guides from Houghton Mifflin Company.  Several are out of print, so look for used books as well as new; you can even download some from the web.  Taylor’s Guide to Gardening Techniques, out of print but findable, was one of my first reference book purchases and the one I found most useful when starting my first “real” garden.  Shade Gardening is one of the best, as well.  These are photo based books, terrific for getting a feel for color and shape.

These books are written for the American gardener.  The fabulous books from England and elsewhere should be treated like currency — remember that there is an exchange rate.   Be cautious about specific plant recommendations.

There are so many more books I could recommend!  For different types of gardens and different gestalts!  For armchair enthusiasts and the obsessed!  Although I know these “six” have been very, very good to me, at work I usually accompany a book recommendation with the suggestion to go  to a bookstore, buy coffee or something if you like, and sit down with a pile of books that please on first glance.  Winnow from those.  And don’t overlook the public library!  You can find not only the basic reference works but the eye-candy photo-filled books that suck you right into the pictures, perhaps too expensive to buy but well worth spending time among their pages.  I should also mention that we have a nice selection of books at our Garden Center.

If you have thoughts about this list of books or would like to make your own recommendations, please feel free to comment!