AGRI-TOPICS Series USDA National Agricultural Library Public Services Division Beltsville, Maryland 20705 GREAT AMERICAN GARDENING BOOKS Selections for a list of "great American gardening books" are hard to make from the vast array of choices available in libraries and bookstores. Everyone will have different candidates for a list of "great" ones. Some of those listed below have been respected favorites of many people, especially reference librarians, for a long time. Others are personal choices. All have something to offer anyone who is devoted to the art of gardening. This list was developed for a program which announced the publication of the NATIONAL ARBORETUM BOOK OF OUTSTANDING GARDEN PLANTS, Jacqueline Heriteau with Dr. H. Marc Cathey and staff and consultants of the U.S. National Arboretum, New York, Simmon and Schuster, 1990. It is a beautifully illustrated encyclopedia-style work, which has the added bonus of containing the new USDA PLANT HARDINESS ZONE MAP. There are two basic kinds of gardening books: the first, those you consult for information, and the second, the ones you read for pleasure. There are even a few that combine both qualities. HORTICULTURAL REFERENCE: AMERICA'S GARDEN BOOK, J. and L.C. Bush-Brown, Scribner, rev. ed., 1980. Reliable and practical. NAL SB453.B8 1980 THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF NATURAL INSECT & DISEASE CONTROL, Roger B. Yepson, Emmaus, PA, Rodale, 1984. Concentrates on non-chemical means of pest control. NAL SB974.O73 1984 A GARDENER'S BOOK OF PLANT NAMES, A.W. Smith, New York, Harper, 1964. NAL QK11.S56. THE GARDENER'S INDEX OF PLANTS & FLOWERS, John Brookes, Kenneth A. Backett & Thomas H. Everett, New York, Collier- Macmillan, 1987. Concise quick reference guide. NAL SB407.B68. GARDENING BY MAIL 2: A SOURCE BOOK, Barbara Barton, ed., Sebastopol, CA, Tusker Press, 1987. $16.00. This excellent directory lists horticultural societies and libraries, magazines, books, and seed and supplies sources. An update is pending. NAL SB450.943.U6B37 1987 HORTUS THIRD: A CONCISE DICTIONARY OF PLANTS CULTIVATED IN THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA, Staff of the Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium, New York, Macmillan, 1976. Name any American plant, and you'll find an authoritative concise write-up here. SB45.B32 1976 THE NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN ILLUSTRATED ENCYCLOPEDIA OF HORTICULTURE, Thomas H. Everett, ed., New York, Garland, 1982. 10 volumes packed with easy to read and well illustrated articles giving general cultural information for each plant. SB317.58.E8 THE ORTHO PROBLEM SOLVER, Michael Smith, ed., 2nd ed., San Francisco, Ortho Information Services, 1982. Chemical solutions to plant pest and disease problems plus helpful cultural recommendations. A voluminous reference book. SB950.2.A1O7 THE SEED STARTER'S HANDBOOK, Nancy Bubel. Emmaus, PA, Rodale Press, 1978. NAL SB321.B9. THE STANDARD CYCLOPEDIA OF HORTICULTURE, L. H. Bailey, ed., Macmillan, Ed. 2, 1947. Old but hard to beat. NAL SB45.B3 WILDFLOWERS OF THE UNITED STATES, Harold William Rickett, New York, The New York Botanical Garden and McGraw-Hill, 1966. Fifteen volumes, divided by regions, beautiful color photographs. WYMAN'S GARDENING ENCYCLOPEDIA, Donald Wyman, ed., rev., New York, Macmillan, 1977. Probably the most useful one-volume collection of plant information. TWO GOOD PLANT SOURCE PUBLICATIONS: ANDERSEN HORTICULTURAL LIBRARY'S SOURCE LIST OF PLANTS AND SEEDS, Richard T. Isaacson, Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, Box 39, Chanhassen, MN 55317, 1987. Where to buy any of 20,000 plants, given in a coded computerized listing. NAL SB115.I80 1987. THE GARDEN SEED INVENTORY, Kent Whealy, ed. Decorah, Ia, Seed Saver Publications, 1985. "An Inventory of Seed Catalogs-- Listing all Non-Hybrid Vegetable and Garden Seeds Still Available in the United States and Canada". A valuable source listing, with a warning about the diminishing pool of plant varieties. NAL SB115.W4 HISTORIC WORKS: THE AMERICAN GARDENER'S CALENDAR, Bernard M'Mahon, Philadelphia, B.Graves, first published in 1806 and was continued through its 11th edition in 1857. This was the first truly American book of gardening advice; it also contained a list of all the important garden plants of the period. NAL SB93.M55 R FIELD AND GARDEN VEGETABLES OF AMERICA, Fearing Burr, Jr., Boston, J.E. Tilton & Co., 1865; reprinted, Chillicothe, IL, The American Botanist, 1988. 600 pages of descriptions of herbs and vegetables, many varieties of which have long since disappeared. This compendium is a welcome reprint. NAL (original) 91 B94F 1865. A HISTORY OF HORTICULTURE IN AMERICA TO 1860, U.P. Hedrick, [reprinted] With an Addendum of Books Published from 1861-1920, by Elisabeth Woodburn, Portland, OR, Timber Press, 1988. A classic, in print again and improved by a literature review added by the knowledgable Ms. Woodburn, leading bookseller of horticultural books in the U.S.. NAL SB319.H32 1988 THE GARDEN AND FARM BOOKS OF THOMAS JEFFERSON, edited by Robert C. Baron, Golden, CO, Fulcrum, 1987. NAL SB435.52.W18C48 1987. Two by Andrew J. Downing, a seedsman and writer of towering influence in the latter 19th century: THE FRUITS AND FRUIT TREES OF NORTH AMERICA, New York, Wiley, multiple editions from 1845 to 1900. NAL 93.21 D75F. A TREATISE ON THE THEORY AND PRACTICE OF LANDSCAPE GARDENING, multiple editions from 1841 to 1885. A fascimile edition of the 6th was published in 1967, New York, Funk & Wagnalls. This was the first U.S. book devoted solely to landscape gardening. NAL SB471.D6. SPECIAL TOPICS: Indoor Gardening: TROPICA: COLOR CYCLOPEDIA OF EXOTIC PLANTS AND TREES, 2nd ed., Alfred Byrd Graf, East Rutherford, NJ, Roehrs, 1981. 1136 pages devoted to tropical or indoor plants, color photographs and brief descriptions. NAL SB407.G72. EXOTICA is its companion volume - same format, same publisher. NAL SB407.G7 INTERIOR LANDSCAPING, Tok Furuta, Reston, VA, Reston Pub. Co., 1983. Gives clear instructions about soil and light requirements, along with discussions of aesthetic arrangements. NAL SB419.F98. Garden Flowers: THE ANNUAL GARDEN: FLOWERS, FOLIAGE, FRUITS, AND GRASSES FOR ONE SUMMER SEASON, Peter Loewer, Emmaus, PA, Rodale Press, 1988. Practical growing information plus descriptions of annuals from Abelmoschus to Zinnia. NAL SB404.9.L64. LANDSCAPING WITH PERENNIALS, Emily Brown, Portland, OR, Timber, 1986. NAL SB434.B76. HORT-A-SORT: LANDSCAPE PLANT SELECTOR AND FILE ORGANIZER, Birdbrain Software, P.O. Box 148, Big Bend, WI 53103. Software for the personal computer that allows one to select from over 2000 plants, by appearance, cultural requirements and other useful information. PERENNIALS FOR AMERICAN GARDENS, Ruth Rogers Clausen and Nicolas H. Ekstrom, New York, NY, Random House, 1988. New and beautiful, concise but comprehensive. NAL SB434.C5 TAYLOR'S GUIDE TO ANNUALS, edited by Gordon P. DeWolf, Jr. et al, Boston, MA, Houghton Mifflin, 1986. NAL SB422.T3 1986. One of the volumes of the revision of TAYLOR'S ENCYCLOPEDIA OF GARDENING, issued separately. Others include the volume BULBS NAL SB425.T3 1986, and ROSES NAL SB411.T38 1986. All illustrated with colored photographs; concise cultural information. Ornamental Trees and Shrubs: AZALEAS, Fred Galle. Beaverton, OR, Timber Press, 1985. Considered to be the "bible" on these shrubs. NAL SB413.A9G34. BONSAI: THE ART AND TECHNIQUE, Dorothy S. Young. Prentice- Hall, 1985. On an Oriental art by an American authority. NAL SB433.5.Y67. CITY OF TREES: THE COMPLETE BOTANICAL AND HISTORICAL GUIDE TO THE TREES OF WASHINGTON, D.C. Melanie Choukas-Bradley and Polly Alexander, Washington, D.C., Acropolis Books, 1987. NAL SB435.52.W18C48 1987 INSECTS THAT FEED ON TREES AND SHRUBS, Warren T. Johnson and Howard H. Lyon, Ithaca, NY, Cornell Univ. Press, Comstock Pub. Associates, 1988. Excellent illustrations to aid in identification. NAL SB601.J6 1988 SEEDS OF WOODY PLANTS IN THE UNITED STATES, C.S. Schopmeyer, Technical Coordinator, Agriculture Handbook No. 450, Washington, D.C., Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. Technically exhaustive for general seed production and propagation of individual species of trees. 1 AG84Ah no.450. Edibles: THE BOOK OF EDIBLE NUTS, Frederic Rosengarten, Jr., New York, Walker and Co., 1984, $35.00. Not a how-to-grow book, but outstanding on history and uses of nuts, technically correct, and lavishly illustrated. NAL SB401.A4R67 THE COOK'S GARDEN: GROWING AND USING THE BEST-TASTING VEGETABLE VARIETIES, Shepherd and Ellen Ogden, Emmaus, PA, Rodale, 1989. The authors are small-scale professional growers, who generously share their variety choices and seed sources. NAL SB321.O35 FRUITS OF WARM CLIMATES, Julia F. Morton, published by Julia F. Morton, distributed by Creative Resource Systems, Winterville, NC 28590, 1987. Complete and authoritative coverage of fruits that are gaining in popularity. NAL SB359.M76 HOW TO GROW MORE VEGETABLES THAN YOU EVER THOUGHT POSSIBLE ON LESS LAND THAN YOU CAN IMAGINE, John Jeavons, Rev. ed. Berkeley, CA, Ten Speed Press, 1982. About French intensive method of organic growing. NAL SB320.6.J43 1982 Many choices are available in herb books. Here are two good ones: PARK'S SUCCESS WITH HERBS, Gertrude B. Foster and Rosemary F. Louden, Greenwood, SC, George W. Park Seed Co., Inc., 1980. Two experts give details on culture and uses. NAL SB351.H5F625. RODALE'S ILLUSTRATED ENCYCLOPEDIA OF HERBS, C. Kowalchik and W.H. Hylton, eds., Emmaus, PA, Rodale Press, 1987. "Everything you ever wanted to know..." NAL SB351.H5R58. REGIONAL REFERENCE WORKS: DIRECTORY OF REGIONAL GARDENING RESOURCES, New York, Garden Club of America, 1987. A bargain at $3.50. NAL HD9003.D66 FRED HEUTTE'S GARDENING IN THE TEMPERATE ZONE, Fred Heutte, Norfolk, VA, Donning, 1977. Covers the upper South. NAL SB453.2S66H48 SUCCESSFUL GARDENING IN THE GREATER WASHINGTON AREA, Men's Garden Club of Montgomery County, (P.O. Box 34863, Bethesda, MD 80817), c1989. $9.40. A reliable guide. NAL SB453.2.W35S83. SUNSET WESTERN GARDEN BOOK, Editors of Sunset Books and Sunset Magazine, Menlo Park, CA, Lane Pub. Co., 5th ed, 1988. Aimed at gardeners in western states, but useful for others as well. NAL SB453.2.W4S9 1988. THE WASHINGTON STAR GARDEN BOOK: THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF GARDENING FOR THE DISTRICT, MARYLAND AND VIRGINIA, Deborah R. Fialka, Arlington, VA, The Washington Book Trading Co. and Behnke Nurseries, 1988. (Continues the book compiled annually for 43 years by Wilbur Youngman). 252 p., $9.95. NAL SB455.Y6 GOOD READING OR PICTURE BOOKS: THE ESSENTIAL EARTHMAN: HENRY MITCHELL ON GARDENING, Henry Mitchell, Blooomington, Indiana University Press, 1981. Selected columns by a popular and knowledgable Washington, D.C. area garden writer. FLOWERS OF THE WORLD, Frances Perry, illustrated by Leslie Greenwood, Bonanza Books, 1981, rev. of 1972. Taxonomically accurate and gorgeously illustrated. NAL QK50.P47 ONWARD AND UPWARD IN THE GARDEN, Katharine S. White, edited and with an introduction by E.B. White, New York, Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 1979. Celebrates the history, lore and inspiration of nursery and seed catalogs. NAL SB453.W43. THREE ON PLANT EXPLORATION: FRANK N. MEYER: PLANT HUNTER IN ASIA, Isabel Shipley Cunningham, Ames, Ia, Iowa State Univ. Press, 1984. Thoroughly researched and interestingly written. Mrs. Cunningham made use of the resources at the National Arboretum and the National Agricultural Library in her research. NAL SB63.M55C86. IT STARTED IN EDEN: HOW THE PLANT HUNTERS AND THE PLANTS THEY FOUND CHANGED THE COURSE OF HISTORY, Bertha S. Dodge, McGraw-Hill, 1979. Captures the adventures and hardships of plant explorers in remote regions. NAL SB107.D62. THE WORLD WAS MY GARDEN: TRAVELS OF A PLANT EXPLORER, David Fairchild, assisted by Elizabeth D. and Alfred G. Kay, New York, Charles Scribner's, 1938, 1945. The premier USDA explorer tells his story of exploration, and encounters with the famous men of his day. NAL 452.9 F16W. Prepared by: Jayne T. MacLean, Coordinator Horticulture Information Center National Agricultural Library Beltsville, Maryland 20705 May 1990 2