On the bookshelf

THE reference: “The American Horticultural Society A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants,” by editors Christopher Brickell &H. Marc Cathey is the reference book you turn to when you want to look up the name of a plant, see a picture of it and get a general description, such as growth habit, leaf and flower type, plant height and spread, geographical origin and hardiness and heat zones. This desk reference lists more than 15,000 plants with the hardiness zones in the United States and Canada, with 6,000 color photographs. It is organized alphabetically by botanical name, with an index in the back that cross-references plants by their common name. (Hardcover, $80.)

The Washington Post