Types of Gardening Encyclopedias That Are Useful to Gardeners

The contents of The Gardening Encyclopedia are a treasure trove of information on how to grow healthy plants, whether they are for ornamental purposes or for consumption. First published in 1971 and now revised annually, The Gardening Encyclopedia has earned more than 100,000 editions and has become an almost veritable reference guide for the backyard gardeners of both the United States and Canada. Now that the forty-year-old edition has been updated, there is much new material that is not only fresh but also well illustrated. The new material relates not only to the many subtopics touched on throughout the past four editions, but also touches on subjects ranging from flowers and shrubs to fruits and vegetables.

One of the most popular articles in The Gardening encyclopedia is a twenty-six page illustrated booklet entitled “Donald W. Wyman – The Definitive Guide to Gardening, Plant propagation, and garden pests.” In this booklet, you will find a complete bibliography of material that was previously published by Donald W. Wyman. This includes such well-known gardening books as: “ighton L. Winnicott,” “J. E. Stickney and Others,” “American Horticultural Association,” “Botany: A Manual of the Sciences,” “Cultivating the Garden,” and “The Century of Trees: A Social History of the Exhibition of the Season.” Also included in this book are forty-two color photos of different plants, gardens, and landscape designs. Another interesting aspect of this book is that it was written expressly with the amateur gardener in mind, which is evident by the plethora of plant information presented and the amount of plain English used.

Other popular articles found in gardening encyclopedias include “How to Avoid Making Your Garden Smelly,” “Planting Roses in the Summertime,” and “Gardening Supplies, Gardening Tools, and Garden Accessories.” While these gardening publications provide useful information on most gardening subjects, some of their information is geared towards a specific type of gardening. For example, there are gardening encyclopedias that focus on southern California gardening, or those that are strictly devoted to landscaping.

A popular gardening encyclopedia is called “Horticulture: A Practical Guide to the cultivation of All Formations of Plants for Market Sale.” This publication is available from many large bookstores and also can be ordered directly from the American Horticultural Society (ASHP), which is the not-for-profit organization that sponsors the publication. The AHS publishes a number of different issues each year, as well as an online version called “Gardening magazine.” The Horticulture publication is divided into two sections, one dealing with the practical aspects of gardening, and the other with art and architecture. There is also a helpful list of links, which will lead you to additional articles, essays, and even gardening kits. The magazine also contains a large section on organic gardening.

Another useful kind of gardening encyclopedia is the “Garden Manual: An Encyclopedia and Guide to Gardening and Vegetable Growing.” This second edition of the classic encyclopedia is a revised and updated version of its first edition. This new edition covers a broader subject matter than the first edition and includes over fifty new recipes. This is the most complete version of the Garden Manual and was highly recommended by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The editors took great pains to make sure that this second edition is equally useful to amateur gardeners, professional gardeners, and even those who are interested in getting more information about how plants grow and what they can do for the backyard.

The third type of gardening encyclopedias that should be mentioned are those that focus on greenhouses and hydroponics. These include “Greenhouse Gardening: A Manual,” and “Botanical Garden Encyclopedia.” Both of these books are written by experts in the field and provide excellent information for those who want to learn more about greenhouse gardening. These are by far the best resources available to gardeners who want to better understand the plants that they grow and how they can be used for beautification and the decoration of their gardens.