Here are some books that will give the beginner a good start to gardening knowledge. Most of these are available on Amazon.com or your local book store.

PLANT HORTICULTURE AND MAINTENANCE

Western Garden Book, Sunset Publishing - This is a good all-around reference for plants, woody or herbaceous. Geared toward the western states. Full of mostly colored drawings of plants accompanied by a short description. Includes some more in depth sections on specific subjects (for example, apple trees, basic gardening, etc.) and a plant selection list that includes full color photos. Probably the first book I'd recommend to a beginner.

A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants, The American Horticultural Society - Another comprehensive guide attempting to summarize all garden plants from A-Z. The full color photos of representative plants of each species and short descriptions may help the beginner more than the advanced gardener.

Manual of Woody Landscape Plants, Michael Dirr - Now this is a garden designer's reference book. This is the "bible" of woody landscape plants. Worthwhile for the beginner who is willing to delve into the basics of horticulture (just a bit). Mr. Dirr's copious note taking over many years gives more insight into a plant's characteristics than just about any other comprehensive guide. Dirr's sometimes opinionated notes are a refreshing change from the usual dry horticultural documentation and sometimes downright entertaining. As the title notes, this is a book about woody plants, not perennials. There are no photographs, just line drawings and in depth descriptions for the most popular woody landscape plants. Dirr is a professor, an east coaster (Georgia) who has lived in Illinois and Massachusetts, so the differences in climate must be taken into account.

Dirr's Hardy Trees and Shrubs: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, Michael Dirr - For those who find Dirr's Manual (above) too, well, horticultural, we have this book. Where the Manual is all words and no photos, this book is mostly photos accompanied by conversational descriptions. Easy on the eyes and easy on the brain. We like pretty pictures.

Armitage's Garden Perennials: A Color Encyclopedia, Allan Armitage - One of Dirr's peers, also an east coaster, Mr. Armitage has focused his attention on annuals and perennials. He has written many books but this one stands out for the many beautiful color photos included in it. Perfect for the beginner. The writing is conversational and "blog-like" which makes for an easy read but also a little harder to pinpoint specific plant information like a good reference book should.

The Color Encyclopedia of Ornamental Grasses, Rick Darke - The best "grass" book yet. However, he's released a new book called; The Encyclopedia of Grasses for Livable Landscapes that is supposed to be even better (haven't reviewed it yet). Despite grass being the most ubiquitous plant of all (in the form of turf grass), most people I would say find grass a mysterious subject. This book helps the beginner fully understand the differences between rushes, restios, sedges, true grasses, cat-tails, and bamboo. Full of color photos, good descriptions, and instruction on how to care for the various grasses. Ornamental grasses add texture, movement, and form to your garden. No garden is complete without a specimen from the beautiful grass family.

Cass Turnbull's Guide to Pruning, Cass Turnbull - The public schools don't teach kids how to care for plants and they really should. After all, if the average person doesn't understand the most basic things about what plants need, how are they to make intelligent decisions about the environment we all live in? One important aspect of plant care is pruning. It has an enormous impact on plant health as well as aesthetics (as we all walk around our neighborhoods and see everyone's pruning skills on display). Cass is the local gardener who established the much heralded Plant Amnesty program (www.plantamnesty.org). A tongue in cheek non-profit bent on teaching proper pruning techniques. This book encompasses much of Cass's valuable first hand practical knowledge about how to prune.