Collection Development "Regional Gardening": North by Northeast

Gardening in the Northeast (NE) United States is a pleasure, even with its unique challenges. The terrain, ranging from coastal plains to mountain valleys, from rolling hillsides to breathtaking seasides, offers nearly endless horticultural possibilities. Gardeners in this region are also lucky to have seasons of beautifully dramatic contrast and relatively few periods of drought, coupled with winter cold that provides necessary dormancy for many flowering plants—and makes the growing season all the more appreciated. Yes, it is a comparatively short growing season, and in New England the extreme winter cold can limit the varieties of plants that are able to survive without considerable protection. The same cold, however, keeps insect pests at bay.

Even the most desirable landscapes come with challenges and opportunities. Clay in this part of the country is heavy and drains poorly but can be improved by mixing in soil amendments such as compost or sphagnum peat to help plant roots penetrate deeper so they find water and nutrients. Some gardeners may find bedrock near the surface, making it seem impossible to plant anything; in such areas, they should consider building raised beds instead.

For this article, the NE is defined as 12 states: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, and West Virginia. Generally, these states range from Zone 4 to Zone 6, according to the U.S. National Arboretum USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (www.usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/ushzmap.html). This tool, essential to all gardeners, divides the United States into “hardiness zones” based on minimum winter temperature ranges.

Gardeners should also be familiar with summer heat survival zones; the American Horticultural Society's Plant Heat- Zone Map (www.ahs.org/pdfs/05_heat_map.pdf) is useful for choosing plants that will survive the range of summer temperatures that NE patrons will encounter. Using these maps together and keeping in mind the humidity, soil condition, and rainfall for a given zone will enable gardeners to select the best plants for their locations.

As gardeners often turn to their local libraries for horticultural information, your collection should be as hardy and diverse as the region it represents. Start with a good array of plant selection and planning/landscaping guides tailored to your area—and don't forget the books that address native plants. More “anecdotal” titles such as gardening essays and memoirs add a dimension of fun that should appeal to armchair gardeners. If your patrons are primarily casual gardeners, your core collection should focus on titles that emphasize low-maintenance, easy-care gardens, but more experienced horticulturists will want more advanced botanical and horticultural resources.

Be careful in weeding and pruning your collection. Owing to new environmental sensitivity, you may want to discard older volumes that advocate pest solutions no longer recommended and replace them with books that offer sound chemical-free approaches. And stay aware of revised editions of core titles, replacing as your budget allows. That said, there are several classic titles unfortunately now out of print that should be retained as their information remains valuable. These include W. George Schmid's The Genus Hosta, which was the first and remains the most comprehensive guide to the shade-loving, winter-hardy hostas so central to NE gardens, and Jane Taylor's Drought-Tolerant Plants, still useful in these times of dwindling natural resources.

A number of publishers are releasing gardening guides geared to specific geographic regions and states. This month Nashville-based Cool Springs Press (www.coolspringspress.net), which has published more than 250 regional gardening titles, launched in December a new web site, digplantgrow.com, which will feature 50 minisites (for each state) and allow users to download book excerpts from the publisher's catalog. Other houses publishing regional horticultural series include DK and Sunset Books.

Garden Gate magazine (www.gardengatemagazine.com) is very useful for NE gardening and, furthermore, does not accept advertising. Be sure to check out the “web extras” section online. Martha Stewart Living magazine (www.marthastewart.com), too, offers some great gardening tips and ideas that will appeal to many readers. The web site additionally features videos, messages boards, and more.

But the “authoritative voice of gardening” since 1904 has been Horticulture magazine (www.hortmag.com). The free weekly e-newsletter is an additional bonus, not just highlighting an article from the print edition but also offering a “plants we love” feature and information on gardening exhibits, classes, and more.

Starred titles [*] are core purchases for most NE libraries. [This is the third in a series of collection development articles focusing on regional gardening; see also Brian R. Thompson's “Planting the Pacific Northwest,” LJ 12/05, p. 83–85, and Phillip Oliver's “Deep in the Heart of Gardening,” LJ 12/06, p. 79–81.—Ed.]