American Horticultural Society Encyclopedia of Gardening

Very thorough, thematic introduction in gardening. Only shortfalling of the book is that the topics are so parsed that there is substantial repetition of common tasks throughout the book. Beautifully illustrated.

A well illustrated and highly comprehensive guide to gardening in the UK. Anyone with specialist interests is probably going to want something a bit more specialised than this book, huge though it is, but as a starting point or inspiration, this is a great start.

This is an excellent overall gardening guide. From pruning to mulch, division to fruit trees, containers to compost, this one has it all. I have used the vegetable section extensively, and plan to use the espalier information when planting my first apple trees. The photographs are excellent.

Fabulous and invaluable "how to" book which will let a complete beginner hit the ground running but provide lots of useful info for those further along in their gardening experience.

Sections on:

Planning & design
Trees
Shrubs
Climbers
Roses
Perennials
Annuals & biennials
Rock garden
Bulbs
Water garden
Cacti & succulents
Lawns
Herb garden
Vegetable garden
Fruit garden
Indoor garden
Maintenance - includes tools, greenhouses/frames, garden surfaces, soils/fertilisers, propagation, plant problems.

this book really helped with the outline of my garden. I plan on purchasing it as soon as I find a copy for cheep.

amer