American Horticultural Society A-Z Encyclopedia Of Garden Plants

by Brickell, Christopher

• ISBN13: 9780756606169
• ISBN10: 0756606160
• Edition: Revised
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2004-10-18
• Publisher: DK Publishing, Inc.

Summary

Updated to encompass hundreds of new photographs and entries, a comprehensive reference for the American gardener includes detailed, cross-referenced descriptions of more than fifteen thousand plants, along with cultivation data, for all the major regions of North America.

Author Biography

Christopher Brickell was director general of the Royal Horticultural Society from 1985 to 1993, president of the International Society for Horticultural Science from 1998 to 2002, and is currently chairman of the International Commission for the Nomenclature of Cultivated Plants. An editor-in-chief of DK's The American Horticultural Society Encyclopedia of Gardening, he is also a frequent lecturer, writer, and adviser to numerous organizations. His comprehensive knowledge of ornamental garden plants and his active involvement with many aspects of horticulture have brought him many awards. Dr. H. Marc Cathey, US editor-in-chief, a renowned research horticulturist and President Emeritus of the American Horticultural Society, spent 37 years at the USDA. His studies of the effects of light, temperature, pollutants, and chemicals on plants have benefited all gardeners. Dr. Cathey was the fourth Director of the US National Arboretum (1981-1991) and was instrumental in the creation of the USDA Plant Hardiness maps (1990 and 2003) and the AHS Plant Heat Zone map (1997). He is a frequent guest on national TV and is currently a commentator on National Public Radio.

Table of Contents

Foreword	7	(1)
How to use this encyclopedia	8	(2)
Introduction	10	(45)
Botany for the Gardener
The plant Kingdom	10	(2)
The life of a plant	12	(2)
Leaves	14	(2)
Flowers	16	(2)
Cultivation
Hardiness	18	(1)
Gardening in different regions	19	(1)
The garden environment	20	(2)
Outdoor cultivation	22	(2)
Care under glass	24	(1)
Pruning	25	(1)
Pruning groups	26	(2)
Propagation	28	(2)
Plant problems	30	(1)
Organic issues and native plants	31	(1)
Ornamental Plant Groups
Trees	32	(2)
Shrubs	34	(2)
Climbers	36	(2)
Perennials	38	(2)
Rock plants	40	(2)
Annuals and biennials	42	(2)
Bulbous plants	44	(2)
Orchids	46	(1)
Bromeliads	47	(1)
Cacti and other succulents	48	(2)
Palms and cycads	50	(1)
Ferns	51	(1)
Aquatic plants	52	(2)
Grasses and bamboos	54	(1)
The A-Z Plant Directory	55	(1017)
Glossary	1072	(10)
Common name index	1082	(12)
Acknowledgments	1094	(4)
Hardiness and Heat zone maps	1098