American Horticultural Society Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers

Book excerpt: Since its first publication in 1987, the AHS Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers has sold nearly 3 million copies and become the must-have reference for all gardeners around the world. This is the ideal book for selecting plants, planning a border, a greenhouse, or a whole garden, and for identifying plants, and it contains a wealth of information on their appearance and cultivation. The 8,000 plants described cover suitability for every climate, including house and conservatory plants. The book begins with a general introduction and explanation of plant names, followed by a revised and enlarged plant selector, highlighting plants suitable for particular sites, soils, conditions, and purposes. The 5,000-entry illustrated plant catalog follows, divided into eight main sections: trees, shrubs, roses, climbers, perennials, annuals and biennials, rock plants, bulbs, water plants, and cacti and other succulents. In this new edition, the sections have been re-ordered to help plants be chosen more intuitively: by color, then season, then size. Feature spreads throughout the color section illustrate a range of cultivars within the most popular genera, such as pelargoniums and clematis. Each plant variety is illustrated by a colorful photograph, and accompanied by a detailed description with cultivation requirements. The single-color, text-only plant dictionary at the back contains entries for every genus in the book, plus more than 3,000 plants in addition to those in the illustrated catalog. It also functions as an index to the plant catalog, with extensive cross-referencing. All the information needed to grow each plant is included here. Following the introduction and plant selector, the book is divided into two main sections: a 440-page, full-colour illustrated plant catalogue, and a plant dictionary featuring 8,000 plants listed alphabetically by botanical name. There is also an index of common names and glossary of terms. Contents PRELIMS PLANT NAMES AND ORIGINS PLANT SELECTOR Lists useful plants for common situations, such as sunless walls, windbreaks, drought, sandy soil, and moist shade. PLANT CATALOG (440PP) Divided into eight main plant groups, as listed below, organized by color, season, size. TREES Including conifers. Features include: Magnolias Hollies Dwarf conifers SHRUBS Features include: Camellias Rhododendrons Hydrangeas Fuchsias Heathers ROSES Includes shrub and old garden roses, modern, miniature, and climbing roses. CLIMBERS Features include: Clematis Ivies PERENNIALS Includes grasses, bamboos, rushes, sedges, and ferns. Features include: Delphiniums Irises Peonies Phlox Pelargoniums Penstemons Aquilegias Daylilies Chrysanthemums Michaelmas daisies Bromeliads Primulas Carnations and pinks Hostas Begonias Orchids African violets ANNUALS AND BIENNIALS ROCK PLANTS BULBS Including corms and tubers. Features include: Gladioli Lilies Dahlias Tulips Daffodils Crocuses Hyacinths WATER PLANTS Features include: Water lilies CACTI AND OTHER SUCCULENTS PLANT DICTIONARY (240PP) Listed alphabetically by botanical name. INDEX OF COMMON NAMES GLOSSARY OF TERMS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS