The Southern Living Garden Book: Completely Revised, All-New Edition

Reference and entertainment

Texas is in a funny location. It's too far west to be considered southern. It's too east to be called the West. It's somewhat south to be called part of the Great Plains. Yet it's referred to as all those things. I consider it Texas and home. Nevertheless, the Southern Living Garden Book includes Texas, albeit not very well.First off, the Southern Living Garden Book is, in my experience, the best general reference available because of its extensive plant encyclopedia and the inclusion of the American Horticultural Society's heat zones. But the book is in need of some editing and updates.The heat zone map included in this book remains a work in progress. Their map puts us in Heat Zone 9, but we're really Zone 10, based upon my examination of historical temperature data and gardening experience. This year, due to the drought, we were Zone 11. You have to keep such variations in mind, because the El Niño/La Niña cycles may raise and lower your heat zone from year to year. This year taught me to move more towards Xeriscape. Also, a thermometer survey showed that near the south-facing street is as much as 20° hotter than just 30 feet back under the Pecans. (We're installing a 60 foot dedicated cacti/succulent bed.) Considering these factors in your landscape plan will make the Southern Living Garden Book a more valuable reference when you look for the right plants for your nano-climates.Some plants were inaccurately rated for both heat and cold hardiness by the Southern Living Garden Book, experience showing that they aren't tough enough for our heat. For example, they claim Fatsia japonica is hardy enough for Heat Zone 12. Hah, hah. Experience shows it's perhaps good for Zone 9. We had one below-average summer and it lived. The next year, back to Heat Zone 10, and it died. This year, I tried once more, placing a new specimen in a more protected area. It did fine during the winter, despite two streaks of three 15° nights, but last summer's heat killed it. The book also says Fatsia japonica is marginally hardy for the Lower South (USDA cold hardiness zone 8, which is where we live). Perhaps the book needs to split Lower South into two zones to reflect the USDA's division into Zones 8A and 8B. We live in 8B, which may explain why Fatsia japonica is cold hardy here.The editorial offices reside in Birmingham, Alabama, which may explain why this book is more southern oriented and not so relevant for Texas. The editors would benefit from corresponding with the experts at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center and Texas A&M, the latter being the source of the Texas Superstar plant list of heat- and drought-hardy plants for Texas. By incorporating this expertise, the next edition of the Southern Living Garden Book-and it definitely needs an update-will be much more valuable to Texas gardeners. The current edition doesn't include many species listed by those two Texas sources, including many Texas natives.On the plus side, compared to the Texas-centric gardening books I've read, the Southern Living Garden Book provides the most extensive plant information and is a useful addition to your garden library.

I had the first edition of The Southern Living Gardening Book and wore it out over the years. Recently, I purchased the new one, and it's even better! If you garden in the south, you must have this book! The way the book divides the south into zones takes the guess work out of buying plants. If the doesn't say a plant will grow in your zone, don't waste your money. It simply will not. The information for each plant is excellent. And the list is exhuastive. It's the rare plant that isn't listed, and if it's not, it means one of two things: either the plant is so new it wasn't included in the book or it simply won't grow anywhere in the south.I am a garden designer, and I find the plant lists in the book invaluable. Need evergreens? Need blooming shrubs? Need flowers? Go to the lists and pick and choose according to your needs. For the most part, the plants in the lists will be readily available at your local garden center.Are you browsing garden catalogs? How many times have you ordered and planted new things just to have them die, making you feel like a failure? Before you spend your money on a new, exotic looking plant, check the SLGB. It will tell you where to plant, how to plant, and whether it will thrive in your garden. Big confidence builder!Whether you are a beginning gardener or have gardened for decades, you need this book! If I could only have one, this would be it!

I have bought this book over 8 times. Everyone who sees this book; wants one. It is the Bible of gardening if you live in the south. Not only does it list the plants common name, but the long formal name as well. It covers every plant, vegetable, flower, tree, shrub and grass that grows in the South. It explains how to plant, when to plant, where to plant, how to prune, fertelizer to use, how to winterize. Every topic you can think of is in this book. There is simply nothing out there better as a reference and a how to for everything living.

DON'T JUDGE ME. I bought this book for art/junk journaling. Like a "specialty paper pack" ... it will be torn up to make pockets and pages for my junk journal. The photos are absolutely gorgeous and will make beautiful "journaling cards" when glued onto a sturdy piece of card stock, and the information pages will become folded into double or triple pocket holders for other ephemera. I am by no means a gardener ... and don't plan on becoming one. BUT for what I got this for, at the price I got it, it's AWESOME!!

Although this is an older edition I found it incredibly helpful. It's pretty comprehensive with good descriptions and photos. I'm not a cutting edge gardener so it didn't bother me that the book didn't list the latest plants to hit the market. I would definitely recommend it.

This is the second book of this provider. I have bought the new edition and passed the old one on to some of my customers. This book is a necessity for all southern gardeners. It is complete with images of many plants and helpful information. As a designer of unique gardens for specialty customers, I use it as my main resource. It introduces new variety and highlights usage in the garden for many types of wildlife-butterflies, hummingbirds, other birds, and many other species. I enjoy the format and I think that it is very easy to use. It also contains various growers who are very reliable as I have used some of them. Many thanks to Southern Living for publishing this book.

The book is fine, I was somewhat disappointed that the cardboard cover has a big crease in it from top to bottom. Other than that I’m very pleased with this purchase.

Love this book! Very informative for all types of gardeners.

Aunque no se refiere a la jardineria española, sino a la del sur de los Estados Unidos, se pueden encontrar puntos de contacto que hacen muy recomendable su lectura. Bien impreso e informativo.