Northeast: SmartGarden Regional Guide

American Horticultural Society

The American Horticultural Society's "smart gardening" program teaches gardeners in the Northeast how to assess their own preferences and time availability, analyze the possibilities of a location, and then create a garden that is in tune with the environment. This lavishly illustrated guide covers gardening in Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin. Information on 5,000 plants includes hardiness zones, sun and water requirements, and plant size to help determine the perfect plants for any site.

This might be our first choice for a Northeast gardener's first book. The term "SmartGarden" has the ring of a marketing strategy, but as it’s described in Part I of this excellent book, it’s a truly sound way of gardening. Section 5, for example, is titled "Take Good Care of the Earth," not "Use a lot of 5-10-5." This sensible shoes approach is enlivened by the usual great DK graphics and fine photography from notables like Graham Rice and Tony Avent.

See Details