The New Western Garden Book: The Ultimate Gardening Guide

I have trusted Sunset's Western Garden for decades living in Arizona. Back in the 1980's I accidentally discovered this garden guide in a used book store and haven't found another source that is so complete and helpful since. I tried the disk CD version back in the 1990s and was disappointed and always went back to my hardcover copy. It was time to get an updated version. I found this much newer edition which was listed as used and in very good condition so I took the chance and bought it. It arrived fast and I am amazed by the actual condition of the book and could not be more delighted. Being on a limited income I am always looking for ways to save money and I did well with this purchase by buying used. I ended up saving over 75% of the new hardcover edition by buying used and the softcover. I take good care of my books so for me this was the best route to get all my garden knowledge for my area and zone. I can depend on this book to find the information on any plant I choose to look up and it hasn't failed me yet during all the decades I have used it. Not only can I find the plant it also gives me everything I need to know about it and how to grow it for the best results. Living in Arizona has different gardening methods and demands and I found this out when moving here from the Midwest. What I did up north doesn't work in the desert environment as I found out with my first garden in Arizona. Since owning this excellent reference guide I have made adjustments and learned so much about growing in my zone and have so many great successes when gardening and my green thumb has come back to me!

The 2014 book is fantastic. A little hard to get used to at first since I do not know all the scientific names of the plants but after you get acclimated on how to use the different sections and the index it's easy to find what you are looking for. I love the beautiful pictures and the tips on how to grow from seeds outdoors, when to plant the sprouts outdoors, planting from store bought plants, challenges the plants have, drought resistant plants and gardens, and the detailed portion explaining the climate zones. It does not go in to as much detail as Sunset's Western Garden book of Edibles but it is great for everything. I visited a local Botanical Garden at the University of California nearby and they recommend this book to their students for part of their curriculum. The garden layouts in the back of the book are realistic in the fact that it is possible that I could actually get my yard to look like that for area I live in for the drought resistant desert plants. It was cheaper to buy the book on Amazon and I am very pleased with my purchase. It is in better condition when it arrived from shipment than many of the books I saw available for sale in the store and both were brand new.

"Sunset" has been the consistent go-to book about gardening for decades, and I've always had at least one! The climate zones are far more useful than those issued by the USDA, the plant lists are helpful, and the plant descriptions and information about growing the plants are very good. I do occasionally find something in a description that's contradictory, in particular statements about the mature size of a particular plant, but almost all descriptions are on-target. I've been gardening long enough that I rarely use the section in the back of the book that describes pests, growing techniques, etc., but I can see that for someone new to gardening it would be a valuable resource. In the past it seemed that new editions were published more frequently, which meant the plant names in the book kept up with changes in taxonomic names, and that's a bit less true currently. That said, names don't change that often, and Sunset generally notes both the old and new names. Regardless, I'm sure I'll buy the next edition whenever it's published. The 5-stars are a given, and I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in plants and/or gardening, especially for the price. I contains an amazing amount of good information!

The Western Garden Book is an excellent source of information on most varieties of plants and trees grown in the western parts of America. It covers not only where to choose the best locations but also how to care for and treat if need be. It is an excellent reference book, so much better than most other gardening help books offered.

If you live in CA, this is the best gardening book you can buy. Beautiful photos, yes, but even better is that it's a wealth of information on plants, tools, ecosystems, microclimates, etc. For this edition they expanded the section on edible gardening and they took out a large chunk of the plant propagation section. I really wish they had kept the plant propagation section in here because I feel like more and more people are trying to grow from seed especially with edibles. Still, it's a great book, well-researched, and laid out in a logical way. Note: plants are cataloged by latin name and not common name. This actually helps learn the latin names, though, which are the standard horticultural names. Makes it easier when drafting a plant list for ordering from the nursery or retailer.

I bought this for my daughter. I was visiting and we were trying to figure out what plants would survive her cold winters and dry summers in California. I asked if she had a Western Garden Book and she said no. I can't live without mine so I ordered it for her right then and there! This is a great resource book for all the micro-climates in California. The information is clear and informative. The back is full of good gardening advice and the majority is information about an amazing array of plants for the garden. There are some houseplants but better to get a book specifically for houseplants if that's what you are into.. The very front of the book includes special areas like shade garden plants, deer resistant plants and stuff like that.The plants are listed botanically but it's easy enough to google a common name for the plant to get the botanical name, if you don't know it or it isn't listed on the container. You won't find this kind of in- depth information on the internet, though. I think every gardener should have one if they live on the west coast.

I have owned several Sunset Western Garden books over the years. I do a lot of gardening and update the books every 5 years or so. I recently purchased this edition to help me with plant selection for a landscape remodel at my daughter's home in California that I had been asked to plan. As usual, the book did not disappoint. The previous books had most plant pictures hand drawn. This book has replaced them with actual color photos for every plant described which is a more accurate view of what the plant actually looks like. It is easy to use, exteremely informative and updated with many new varieties. What ever western climate zone you live in or whatever size area you want the plant to fill, you will find plants for your specific need (climate areas for western states are well defined). This book is a must for anyone planning landscaping or planting or caring for plants and trees in the western states (including Alaska and Hawaii). 5 stars!

The Go-To for me in landscaping research. I just bought a house in a totally different zone than I'm accustomed to, so needed this book to find out how to care for my new landscaping. I have had different versions of this book over the past 20 years, and this is my favorite. The pictures are clear, the drawings are clear, and they have even more common sense tips for people like me, who struggle to care for plants properly. I have crepe mertles in my yard, and this book explained exactly why we were seeing yellowing of the edges of leaves. This is SO helpful! I can now treat the plants accordingly (potassium deficiency) without worry. It told me how to prune them (different than most trees/shrubs) and gave common sense information about traditional pruning of our other new trees and plants. I actually got better information from this book than I did the local nursery's specialists. That says a LOT.

Good clean book as described

I just love this book, it is a very welcome addition to my collection of gardening books. It has been very informative. Every time I look inside I find something new or if I look for something specific it is there. What more can I say? A very good buy.

Excellent product Excellent delivery

As a Master Gardener, I can vouch for this gardening book - it's one of the first one's I reach for when I need to look something up.

Great book, super informative!! A definite must have for every gardener!! Great new full colour pictures compared to the older version.