Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #160994 in Books
• Published on: 2003-06-03
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 744 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
This essential work of reference has been given an update for the millennium making it an authoritative encyclopedia that no keen gardener should be without. So if your original copy is falling to pieces from constant use or you haven't yet got a copy, now would be the time to acquire one.

The value of this encyclopedia for the ordinary gardener is in the lay-out, which divides plants into categories by type (e.g. shrub, perennial, bulb), size, colour and season. This means that you can identify a plant by a series of quick steps and home-in on what you are looking for without needing any expert knowledge. Similarly if you are trying to select a plant for a particular situation you can make your own choice from the Plant Catalogue or use the newly-expanded Plant Selector section which lists recommended plants for specific purposes and even has a list of rabbit resistant plants!

The Plant Dictionary at the back of the book is alphabetically ordered by botanical name and gives descriptions, common names and information on cultivation and propagation for over 8,000 plants suitable for temperate gardens worldwide.

If you could only own one classic gardening book, the Royal Horticultural Society's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers should really be it.--Stephanie Donaldson

Synopsis
Comprehensively written and researched by leading plant experts, this authoritative reference book includes many features that make plant selection and identification easy.The Plant Catalogue enables you to find the type of plant you are looking for quickly and easily. No previous knowledge of plants or botanical names is necessary: simply turn to the desired category, such as trees, shrubs or perennials, where you will find plants organized by size, season of interest and colour. Popular flowering plants, including azaleas, irises and orchids are featured in special sections.Whether you are looking for a shrub to grow in a container or a climber that will flourish in acid soil, the Plant Selector has the answer. Giving guidance on finding the ideal plant for a particular purpose or location, the Plant Selector will help you track down everything from fast-growing climbers and aromatic annuals to wind-resistant trees and shrubs for shady corners. To select highly recommended plants, simply browse through the Award of Garden Merit list.The Plant Dictionary is a comprehensive collection of over 8000 readily obtainable garden plants. It acts as an index to the Plant Catalogue, desc

Customer Reviews

Photos are excellent.
This book is great if you are looking for a 'picture' of a particular shrub, flower or tree. But in terms of actually giving planting advice, its not a book to invest in. I was under the impression that this book would at least show, for example , the bulbs of Dahlias and how they should be progratrated, the correct usage of fertilizers for certain plants, when to prune trees, plants..etc.

Start your own breeze-block collection
This massive tome runs the risk of overwhelming even the most gardening-friendly reader because it's just so bleeping BIG. There is no chance whatsoever of anyone wandering the countryside carrying this in their knapsack unless they are on some kind of SAS training regimen. On the other hand, it does what it does brilliantly. My rather more green-fingered partner and I spent a happy few hours trying to come up with a plant-related query which it couldn't answer - and failed. The content is stunning enough but the indexing is superb; you can find your way to what you want surprisingly easily. It's difficult to see how this book could have been improved upon; until we finally reach the days of hand-held, fully integrated, works-anywhere computer technology it is equally unlikely to be superseded.

Excellent reference book
Loads of coloured pictures and a "must have" for anyone consdiering planting schemes - I find this book extremely helpful, not to mention inspirational