Gardeners can learn almost anything from the Internet, but they like a good reference book, too.
Gardening is a huge hobby covering many topics, and it’s hard to know everything you need to know to grow all the plants. Sometimes you need to look it up.
We have great educational resources available, from the local county agents and the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture’s Cooperative Extension Service website (uaex. edu) to the many other helpful websites that are just a click away.
But often we want a reference tool we can keep on hand forever and consult even when the power goes out and the Wi-Fi goes down.
There are hundreds of thousands of gardening books on the market. How do you find exactly the right one for you?
First, consider what your subject is. Then start looking into your options.
Books can be expensive, so before you jump in and start buying, visit your local library and see what it has to offer.
LOCATION, LOCATION
Whether you want to know about one plant or a broad range of them, before you settle on which book to acquire, find out where it was written.
Gardening books written from a Northern perspective or for California or Florida will let you down. They’ll promise glorious cherries from trees that won’t do well here, or they’ll advise you to expect decades of beauty from frilly tulips that in Arkansas wouldn’t bloom twice.
Finding Southern gardening books is important, because you will be growing these plants outdoors in the South.
ASK AROUND
Talk to longtime gardeners and find out what their go-to books are. It’s just like in cooking -there are millions of cookbooks, but many cooks swear by one tried-and-true reference, such as The Joy of Cooking.
Stop in at your local county extension office. If the county has a Master Gardeners group, usually it will have a reference section that the gardeners consult when they’re answering questions from the public. Ask to see those titles.
KNOW THY SHELF
There are books for serious gardeners who want to be plant collectors, and then those that are more for the hobbyist.
For those who are seriously into shrubs and trees, one of the best reference tools is Michael Dirr’s Manual of Woody Landscape Plants (Stipes Publishing, 2009). It has more than 1,000 pages but no colorful photos. It does have good line drawings of the leaves and a great description for each plant plus care instructions and a variety of suggestions. It also includes the author’s personal opinion of the plant and how well he has seen it growing and where.
It is my go-to book. But Dirr also has several titles aimed at the home gardener such as Dirr’s Encyclopedia of Trees and Shrubs (Timber Press, 2011) or Dirr’s Trees and Shrubs for Warm Climates: An Illustrated Encyclopedia (Timber Press, 2002). Both are great choices and are loaded with photos of the plants.
Or if you want more specific information, he has several that are for one family of plants. Hydrangeas for American Gardens (Timber Press, 2004) and Viburnums, Flowering Shrubs for Every Season (Timber Press, 2007) are both good references.
Dirr is a professor of horticulture at the University of Georgia and has been a prolific author, and he also knows the South.
NAME THAT PLANT
If you want help identifying Arkansas native plants, look for the late Carl Hunter’s Wildflowers of Arkansas(Ozark Society Foundation, 1995) and Trees, Shrubs and Vines of Arkansas (Ozark Society Foundation, 1989). Both books have vivid color photos and descriptions of where the plants are found in the wild.
Their one downside is neither has a true key to help you flip quickly to the page of plants like the one you are looking at - you have to search through the book. Otherwise, Hunter’s books are a great reference tool.
Another popular reference is The Southern Gardener’s Book of Lists by Lois Trigg Chaplin (Taylor Trade Publishing, 1994). The title says it all: This book contains lists. If you are looking for flowers for shade, or small shade trees for wet spots, it gives you a roster of plant names to start investigating.
There is no other cultural information, but it does help with plant choices by giving you a place to start.
SAVE THAT PLANT
For answers to what is happening to your ailing plants,the Southern Living series divides the South into regions: upper, mid, lower and coastal. Its Garden Problem Solver (Oxmoor House, 1999) and the Southern Living Garden Guide books are quite helpful.
Another helpful book is larger and aimed at the whole nation, The Ortho Problem Solver by Michael D. Smith (Meredith Books, 2003).
CUT OR DON’T CUT?
Extension agents are often asked about pruning. We would be delighted if every Arkansan knew about the several good pruning books on the market.
Two good ones are Pruning Made Easy: A Gardener’s Visual Guide to When and How to Prune Everything, From Flowers to Trees by Lewis Hill (Storey Publishing, 1998) and The American Horticultural Society Pruningand Training by Christopher Brickell and David Joyce (DK Books, 2011).
INDIVIDUAL ORNAMENTALS
Sometimes a gardener becomes so enchanted by one ornamental (or type of gardening) that he wants to know everything there is to know about that plant and also how to collect and grow every variety of it he can.
Here are a few favorites:
The Southern Heirloom Garden by William Welch and Greg Grant (Taylor Publishing, 1995) explains long-popular varieties.
Common Poisonous Plants and Mushrooms of North America by Nancy J. Turner and Adam F. Szczawinski (Timber Press, 1995) tells you what parts of which plants are poisonous.
Moss Gardening by George Schenk (Timber Press, 1997)provides a lot of information on mosses, lichens, liverworts and other miniatures.
The Hosta Book by Paul Aden (Timber Press, 1992) is a good example of the many books of use to hosta lovers.
And there are books that zero in on other specific plants out there - irises, daffodils, hens and chicks - but again, always make sure the author knows something about the South.
PLANTING FOOD
There are plenty of books on edibles - topics from fruits and vegetables to herbs and food preservation.
One inexpensive reference book for vegetables is a UA Extension publication, Vegetable Gardening for Arkansas, written by Craig Andersen. Available online, it gives basic information for growing specific vegetables in Arkansas, and it includes a planting calendar.
Arkansas herbalists recommend The Herb Society of America New Encyclopedia of Herbs and Their Uses by Deni Brown (DK Books, 2001).
CATALOGS
And don’t overlook catalogs. They can be a wonderful reference tool, with vivid pictures and the newest and most up-to-date varieties. They usually are free or inexpensive.
Some of my favorites include:
Plant’s Delight for perennials;
Brent and Becky’s Bulbs;
Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds for vegetables.
Proven Winners, Burpee and White Flower Farm are all good, too.
LOCAL AUTHORS
My book, In the Garden (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 2010), is a month-by-month guide on plant care with common questions and answers.
P. Allen Smith has six books, beginning with P. Allen Smith’s Garden Home (Clarkson Potter, 2003), and he publishes other educational tools.
Chris Olsen’s book, Five Seasons (Leisure Arts, 2011), offers unique ideas for your home and garden.
Whether you are starting a gardening library or adding to one, books can become an obsession, almost as much as plants. Just as we stress choosing the right plant for the right spot, the same can be said of the right book for Arkansas gardening. Happy reading!
Janet Carson is a horticulture specialist for the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service. Write to her at 2301 S. University Ave., Little Rock, Ark. 72204 or email her at [email protected]
HomeStyle, Pages 33 on 01/25/2014