Well, when the book first arrived, all I could think of were the types of books that were 'field guides to. . .' I actually considered sending it back as I thought it would be of little value--I HAVE NEVER BEEN MORE MISTAKEN! While the book gives the appearance that it is pure textbook in style and format it was at least for me VERY informational, AND put together in a very readable format. There is an absolute wealth of technical information on berries and fruits but the book is also written so that even the most berry-less person (myself) can easily use the information. The book contains a great section on the care of berries and fruits with several chapters on pruning. It also lists the berries and fruits individually with a chapter devoted to each. The chapters all contain the same type of topics: overview, selection, care, disease, suggested cultivars for your zone, and anything unique about the cultivar. It is also very well photographed AND the illustrations are very helpful. I found it to be a valuable addition to my growing gardening library with a great deal of very practical advice!

Having recently purchased a condo in Houston with a north-facing porch, I eagerly awaited delivery of this book. However, I was quickly disappointed. This book should be titled "Shade Gardening in the North," since virtually all of the plants listed are for Zones 5 and lower...not much help for my Zone 9 garden. It did contain a couple of pages of information for shade gardening in the South (which they consider to be North Carolina!), but I was really looking for specific information on the types of shade plants I could plant here. This would have been a great book if I lived in Ohio, but not so good for us Texans.

This wonderful little book (thick, but only 4.27" wide) is an absolute necessity for anyone who wishes to do some gardening in a shady area. In fact, this book is really three books rolled into one. The first section looks at shade and shade gardening, it is straightforward and highly informative. The second section is entitled The Color Plates, and gives a long list of shade-loving plants, including a very nice color picture, and a highly informative description. The third section goes hand-in-hand with the second, and gives more in-depth information.

This book is really great, a must have for those of us who wish to do some gardening in a shady area. I highly recommend this book to all gardeners!

The Taylor's Guides are very reliable sources for gardening information and great pictures, and the Shade Gardening Guide is one of the best. Shade gardening is difficult for many reasons. There are not that many very showy flowers for seasons other than Spring, and there are many types of shade. The descriptions are very specific and helpful: light shade, dappled shade, "the more shade, the less moisture is needed," and so on. The soil and shade descriptions for each plant are excellent and detailed.

Although the plants are listed alphabetically for the cultural requirements, the pictures are listed by groups: trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals, summer bulbs, ground covers, vines, grasses, and ferns. I would recommend that people using the book for plant selection read the "Encyclopedia of Plants" part as well as the brief but good descriptions with the color pictures.

Keep in mind too that the flowering times are primarily for New England (zone 5). Furthur South you may get earlier and more flowers. For example, Ceratostigma is listed as an Autumn bloomer, while in PA, it blooms from July through October. So you get more than the book suggests. Not bad. Anyone with shade should experiment with the plants in this book. As a gardening professional, I see so many great and underused plants listed and described in this book.

My family found a number of fun projects in this book. We'd been thinking about ways to accent our flower beds and found useful project in this book. We created some different birdhouses as well as a few paths throughout the garden. We very pleased with the results.

Online Review: Taylor's Guide to Gardening in the South, published by Houghton Mifflin Company, 1992. Reviewed by Russell Lipp on 4/17/2000. Email rlipp@compuserve.com.

This 391 page illustrated guide to gardening in the southeastern part of the United States is an excellent value. There are 145 pages of color plates. Overall, what makes this guide appealing are the following points: - The guide is laid out in a logical sequence for both experienced and new gardeners. - All the basic gardening ideas and steps are clearly explained. - The color plates provide botanic and common names, plant height, unique characteristics, best growing region and reference pages to detail information. - The guide's price is lower than other regional gardening books. - There is a very good index, as well as several appendices that include a list of public gardens and their addresses, seed and plant sources and references.

This guide is not meant to be a thoroughly complete treatise for all southern gardening. As such, it is weak on the following points: - It does not cover annual flowers (and thereby saves considerable bulk). - Some of the color plates have photographs taken from a distance so that close-up details cannot be seen. - Some of the specie lists are incomplete, such as the Hosta plant. While the text mentions there are 25 Hosta species, only 5 are described.

There are 16 gardening books in the Taylor's Guide series. Eight authors contributed to this guide. The book cover states that this book provides a "guide to the best plants specifically selected for the region". The primary emphasis is to describe those plants that do well in each of the southeast regions of the country. This guide succeeds very well in this respect.

It is very important to read this book from the beginning, and not to skip portions or start in the middle. Earlier sections provide the basic information for succeeding sections. For example, the section on Garden Design is dependent on and builds on the earlier information provided for the regions and their climatic differences.

All of the "advice" information is contained in the front of the guide. This includes Regional maps, Garden Design, Old Standbys and Favorites, Native Plants, Southern Lawns and the Gardening Year. These sections are followed by the color plates. The last major part is the Plant Encyclopedia. The color plates and Plant Encyclopedia are cross-referenced for ease of lookup.

An experienced gardener might want to take more time to read the Old Standbys and Regional Favorites section, and take less time reading the Garden Design section. While there is useful information for all levels of gardeners, any book on gardening can go just so far. There is still the need to visit local nurseries and gardens to talk with experts about their plants. This "local" advice will supplement this guide, and provide answers to most of your questions.

I enjoyed reading and reviewing this book, and can strongly recommend it to anyone interested in gardening in the south.

not a lot of garden photos, but a lot of good information on what plants work best for your area, plus info on techniques and garden care. a good primer

Overall, I was disappointed by the book. The information provided is accurate but limited. Of the some 400 Primula species that exist, 5 are listed, similarly, the 70 Aquilegias are covered by only 4 species and the over 500 Potentillas have only one species described. Granted this is a "one-volume reference" with photos of the 1000 so-called "best plants", the book does not claim to be exhaustive. This book ranks low in my library. The photographs are often out of focus and the colours are poorly produced. The brief plant descriptions are separated from the photographs and are not overly helpful. The book may be useful to the less ardent gardeners of the world but given the hefty price tag, I would spend my money elsewhere. Anyone taking this volume to the nursery to buy plants would only have the barest notion of what to buy. I would urge others to purchase the smaller more focused guides in the Taylor's series.

I found this book to be very helpful. As stated in one of the other reviews, it is not an exhaustive reference, nor does it highly detailed. However, it is an excellent guide to gardening principles and ideas. The plant encyclopedia is comprehensive enough for the average gardener, and expains basic plant characteristics. I like the pictures, and think the basic layout of the book is ok, but it could use some improvement. I was able to buy my copy used, and would not recommend paying the full price.

We purchased this book on buying a new home to search out trees, shrubs and flowers to include in our landscape design. As such, the book is excellent. I would not buy this book for plans and actual design patterns. The first chapters of the book give general introductions to gardening strategies; then beautiful and thorough plant identification. The ending chapters are on hardiness zones, plant care. Makes a wonderful reference book. Highly recommend.