Sunset Garden Book is Indispensable Resource

This edition of Sunset’s Western Garden Book, published in 1976, was the best gardening guide for a gardening greenhorn.

When I first started gardening, I needed a lot of help. I had always thought gardening was a relaxing pastime that rewarded one with beautiful flower beds, baskets of fresh vegetables and a luxurious lawn.

I had no idea how much work it would take.

One of my indispensable resources was Sunset’s Western Garden Book. Because it was written for those of us who garden in the West, it helped me understand that gardening was definitely regional and that understanding “climate zones” was critical to gardening success.

This book also helped me understand how plants grow. This may sound elementary, but understanding roots, stems, leaves, and fruits and flowers was also a good reminder that nothing should be taken for granted in the garden.

Everything was important to a new gardener like me, from soils and amendments to planting techniques and watering. In fact the advice to “water infrequently” probably saved a few dozen plants from death by drowning.

This edition of the Western Garden Book included a “Plant Selection Guide” that listed, compared and evaluated plants for all kinds of uses in the landscape. I used the guide to become familiar with plants’ scientific names and which made good ground covers, which should be used background plants and which bloomed when.

My gardening library has grown considerably since I picked up that first book and there have been many Sunset Book updates. But, even all these years later, I still turn to the “Western Plant Encyclopedia” in the back of this book whenever I need to find an accurate plant description, to find a helpful illustration, or to remind myself when it comes to plants, there’s still so much to learn.

What’s the indispensable resource in your gardening library?

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