Tony Lord

This substantial plant dictionary opens with a few pages of fully illustrated introduction which includes a guide as to How This Book Works; then there are a few pages which discuss gardening in the British Isle and its climate along with a temperature zone maps. The section on Hardinsss Zones provides a large world map showing the hardiness zones and this is followed by a couple of pages explanation for each of the twelve zones. There are also sections on Plant Nomenclature; Plant show more Geography, Discovery and Classification; and Plant Groups.

Volume II concludes with three illustrated guides to: Leaf Types; Flower Types; Fruit Types. There is also a Glossary and an Index.

The Dictionary of course constitutes almost the entirety of the two volumes. Each genus has a brief introduction and a paragraph on Cultivation. The follows a selection of species and culitvars along with synonyms and common names, symbols indicate preferred aspect, hardiness, height and spread. There is a brief description which concludes with the hardiness zone rating. The descriptions are factual and objective.

The dictionary is illustrated throughout in full colour, with most but not all of the plants pictured. The pictures vary in size from relatively small to up to about 1/4 of a page (larger pictures appear in the introduction). The standard of photography is very good, and many of the plants are shown in their natural habitat.

The book claims to contain more than 20,000 garden plants from around the world, I take their word for that - I'm not about to count them. With most of these illustrated there must be several thousand photographs.

The plants are from all over the world, and so obviously not all can be grown in a temperate climate; many of the pants listed would require heated greenhouse or conservatory cultivation in frost prone areas. but whatever your garden conditions there is bound to be plenty here of interest, and the sheer quantity of excellent photographs make this a fascinating, and rather hefty tome to leaf through.

A CD is included adding to its appeal. show less

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