Product Description

Presenting a new way to think about gardening, the American Horticultural Society's "smart gardening" program teaches gardeners how to their own preferences and time availability, assess the possibilities of a location, and then create a garden that is in tune with the environment. A coding system, assigned to each plant, uses hardiness and heat zones, sun/shade, water needs, and plant size to help determine the perfect plants for any site.

Includes more than 3,000 plants that grow well in: Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #151541 in Books
• Published on: 2004-05-31
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 400 pages

Customer Reviews

Unique reference book for southeastern gardeners
This is a gorgeous book overflowing with beautiful color photos and sure to motivate any gardener. The intent is to help gardeners select plants that are compatible with specific growing conditions. It is comprised of three parts: Part 1 features "The Ten SmartGarden Tenets" which includes detailed sections on factors like assessing your site, choosing the best plants, working with nature, managing pests, keeping a garden journal, etc. The bulk of the book is Part 2 which is a plant selection catalog and features plants in every conceivable category (examples are "Drought Tolerant Trees," "Winter Flowering Shrubs," "Shrubs with Gray or Blue Foliage," "Vines for Small Arbors," etc.) Every plant has a photo and basic, general information is designated by a symbol. Part 3 covers gardening techniques with excellent step-by-step photos and directions on selecting plants, planting, pruning and propagation. Appendices includes gardening resources, web sites, horticultural organizations, and botanical gardens and arboreta in the U.S. The only issue I have from giving the book 5 stars is that even though the plant categories are endless, each section contains only about 8 or 10 plants and sometimes that just isn't enough to choose from. Still, the photos along are worth the price - this is a beautifully designed book.

A reference to over 3,000 plants
South-eastern gardeners won't want to miss the Society's Southeast Smartgarden Regional Guide, a reference to over 3,000 plants which grow well in the Southeast. With literally thousands of color photos accompanied by step-by-step gardening sequences and techniques, this is packed with fine detail.

Very well organized with tons of pictures
I first borrowed this book from a friend who is a garden designer. After a quick scan I knew I had to have it. It is very well organized for those who have long range visions for what they would like their garden to be. Great for planning purposes, with tons of full color pictures organized into utilitarian catagories to easily find what you need. I believe this book will save me a lot of time, money and aggrevation in my gardening endeavors. I am an organizer, and this book works like my brain does, so it is a great fit.