the new garden encyclopedia

Garden encyclopedias typically give practical, step-by-step guidance for design and renovation: assessing space and drainage, creating site drawings, choosing materials, and simple construction projects. Common tasks covered include laying patios, building ponds, planting and establishing perennials, and other basic hardscape and planting techniques.

They cover a broad range of plants, including perennials, bulbs, shrubs, trees, succulents and ornamental plants. Entries typically include photographic illustrations and descriptive text for identification and cultivation.

Useful features include Plant Selector tools for specific growing conditions, planting suggestions for 30+ site types, and plant lists organized by size and situation. These make it easier to match plant choices to light, soil, space and design needs.

Garden encyclopedias are highly visual references, featuring extensive full‑color photography, photographic plant catalogs and visual dictionaries to aid plant identification and selection.

They cover the full design process (site assessment through detailed plans), a range of landscape styles, comprehensive plant directories and visual references, practical construction projects (patios, ponds, planting), and case studies of notable or award‑winning landscapes.

They are usually hardcover reference books. Listed dimensions vary roughly: height 10.9–11.57 in, width 9.1–9.3 in, depth 1.18–1.7 in, and weight about 4.05–6.6 lb.

They are presented as adult reference books (listed example: Suggested Age 22 years and up) but are written to serve a range of readers — from beginner gardeners to experienced enthusiasts and hobbyists.