cover image America's Garden Book

America's Garden Book

Louise Bush-Brown. John Wiley & Sons, $65 (1042pp) ISBN 978-0-02-860995-9

First published in 1939 by the director of the Pennsylvania School of Horticulture and her landscape architect husband, the latest complete revision of this massive reference draws on the expertise of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden's savvy staff. Written by American gardeners for American gardeners, the book addresses the specific needs of U.S. climate zones, giving it a distinct advantage over some of imported heavyweight rivals. The text itself is workmanlike, with the prose showing occasional signs of being developed by committee (an exception is the lively section on roses, written by BBG rosarian Stephen Scaniello). But what's missing in ""voice"" is more than made up for in sheer mass of horticultural wisdom. Crammed with photographs, charts, exhaustive plant lists and information on every conceivable topic of interest to gardeners, this is truly a comprehensive reference. Not a corner of the gardening kingdom is left unexamined: overall design; the nitty gritty of selecting tools; the ins and outs of composting and lawn care; such currently popular trends as water, wildlife and container gardening; the special requirements of city and seaside gardeners (among other specialty sites); ornamentals of every sort as well as vegetables, fruits and herbs; even greenhouse construction and maintenance. Those looking for a lively read may wish to look elsewhere. Readers looking for one-stop shopping in the gardening reference arena will have come to the right place here. (Dec.)