Annuals for Washington and Oregon

Discover the best annuals for the Northwest with this colorful guide. Plenty of photographs and illustrations accompany clear, easy-to- follow gardening advice. Tips on when to plant, growing from seed versus nursery-grown bedding plants, optimal growth conditions and problems and pests are also included.

If you don't live and garden in the Northwest, ignore the title and buy this book anyway. Perhaps these annuals do particularly well in the region, but what is special about Annuals for Washington and Oregon reaches far beyond any specific state. Alison Beck and Marianne Binetti have written a book full of practical advice, packaged in a handy size and shape for carrying around to nurseries. And that is just what you'll want to do, as the first few pages are filled with a pictorial index of color photos of a great number of annuals arranged by common name. You can identify the plant you are interested in, see how it looks in bloom, and then refer to the cultural instructions later on in the book to check on how to site and care for it, as well as to see larger color photos of its form and habit. It's hard to think of a better format for introducing gardeners to the great variety of annuals available today and their many possibilities in the garden. --Valerie Easton