GARDENING : Book Sprouts Wisdom on Growing Anyplace
“Taylor’s Master Guide to Gardening” describes itself as a complete, one-volume reference with a fully illustrated encyclopedia of the best plants to grow in every region.
And, surprisingly in this era of hyperbole, the 672-page presentation--while abbreviated--does come close to the billing.
Editors Rita Buchanan and Roger Holmes cover more than 3,000 plants and six distinct gardening regions within the United States and Canada: West Coast, Rocky Mountains, Southwest, South, Midwest and Northeast. An impressive list of experts from each region contributed.
For average gardeners, the main attraction is likely to be color photos of about 1,000 of “the best trees, shrubs and plants,” with the pictures on the same page as the descriptions. The book is in 9-by-12-inch hardcover format, lists for $60 and is published by Houghton Mifflin Co., which also brought out the first Norman Taylor gardening dictionary in 1936.
There are four main sections:
* “Creating a garden” examines how to develop a home landscape and recommends plants for various situations.
* The “plant gallery” is organized by type of plant (trees, shrubs, etc.) and important groups.
* The “plant encyclopedia” lists plants alphabetically by genus and tells how to grow them.
* “Gardening techniques” tells how to buy plants, make compost, fertilize, water, prune and propagate.
The description of portulaca, or moss rose, is typical of the encyclopedia’s entries: “Low-growing annuals with plump succulent leaves on trailing stems. Some have showy flowers. About 40 species, nearly all from warm and tropical climates.”
Grandiflora is described this way:
“A favorite annual for hot, dry sites. Blooms from early summer until frost. The trailing stems are covered with plump cylindrical leaves and waxy round flowers, one-inch-wide, single or double, in shades of yellow, orange, red, pink or white. Old-fashioned types closed by late afternoon and didn’t open at all on cloudy days, but new strains keep longer hours. Excellent for edging walks, beds or driveways, or in containers.
“How to grow: full sun. Prefers ordinary soil and watering but tolerates infertile soil and long dry spells. Buy bedding plants in spring or direct-sow seeds about the time of last frost. The seeds are tiny, but the seedlings grow fast. It often self-sows. Shear halfway back and fertilize in midsummer to promote fresh growth and renew flowering.”
Rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) is described as an evergreen shrub used as a culinary herb and useful as a specimen, hedge or ground cover.
“How to grow: Full sun, Well-drained ordinary or unimproved soil. Tolerates heat and drought. Plant 2 feet apart for ground cover (prostrate types) or hedge (upright growers). Pinch growing tips to promote full, bushy growth. Grows well in containers and can be overwintered indoors in a cool, sunny room.”
Buchanan and Holmes, the co-editors, formerly were with Fine Gardening magazine. Recently they have collaborated on a number of titles in the Taylor gardening guide series. Listed contributors and consultants included Nancy Beaubaire, editor of the magazine.
