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Recommended Plant References and Books for the Central Texas Area


   

Excellent sources for horticultural information of any sort include books, internet research and personal advice from experienced and knowledgeable gardeners. Other helpful references include maps of climate zones, rainfall, soil composition and information you can receive from your local Extension Office or Master Gardener organization. We have provided separate pages with Recommended Books, Climate Zone information, and Links to other sites that are educational and non-commercial in nature, to help you find additional information. If researching a specific plant in doing internet research, always use the botanical name as a first resort, and common name only when that is the only known reference.


Be weary of the sources of information on the internet. Remember, anyone can post information whether right or wrong, opinion or based on research. Go only to trusted source sites and keep them bookmarked for future reference. We always try to find two or more sources for information we seek to make sure there is consensus or agreement on the facts provided.
 

  

GENERAL REFERENCE BOOKS

  • Manual of Woody Landscape Plants, Michael Dirr, University of Georgia, 1990, Fourth Edition, Stipes Publishing Company,

  • Florida Landscape Plants, John Watkins and Thomas Sheehan, University of Florida Press, Gainesville, FL, 1975, 420 pages.

  • Exotica, Alfred Byrd Graf, Roehrs Company, E. Rutherford, NJ., 1976, 1,837 pages (contains 12,000 illustrations and costs close to $200 but is the most authoritative source on tropical plants).

  • A Field Guide to Texas Trees, Benny J. Simpson, Gulf Publishing Co., Houston, TX, 1992, 372 pages

  • Carolina Landscape Plants, Gordon Halfacre and Anne Shawcroft, Sparks Press, Raleigh, NC, 325 pages

  • Blooming Bromeliads, Ulrich and Ursela Baensch, Tropic Beauty Publishers, Nassau, the Bahamas, Distributed by Hagen Books, Mansfield, MA., IBSN 0-964-1056-0-8, 265 pages.  The best book ever on bromeliads.

  • The Tropical Look: An Encyclopedia of Dramatic Landscaping Plants, Bob Riffle, Timber Press, ISBN 0-88192-422-9, almost 500 pages with 409 color photos, covering 500 genera and 5,000 individual plants. August 1998.    In March 1999,  this book was awarded the American Horticultural Society's book of the year.   

  • An Encyclopedia of Cultivated Palms:   Bob Riffle and Paul Craft, Timber Press, ISBN 0-88192-558-6, 528 pp.  

  •  Agaves, Yuccas, and Related Plants - Mary and Gary Irish, Timber Press, 2002, 312 pages, color photos and excellent information about these dry climate plants including identification keys.

  • Perennials for the Southwest - Mary Irish, Timber Press, 2006, 312 pages, color photos and excellent information about arid climate plants.

  • Trees and Shrubs for the Southwest - Woody Plants for Arid Climates: Mary Irish, Timber Press, 2009, 332 pages

  • Native Texas Plants - Sally and Andy Wasowski, Second Edition, Gulf Publishing Co., 407 pages, a comprehensive reference book on gardening with Texas native plants, region by region.

  • Xeriscape for Central Texas, A water-wise approach to home landscaping, Austin Energy Green Building Program, 248 pages, 2004

  • Native and Adaptive Landscape Plants - An Earthwise Guide for Central Texas -  Wonderful information about recommended plants for Central Texas.  It is FREE at any local nursery in Austin and is published by the City of Austin. 

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    Please note that other book recommendations on specific topics can be found on the various subject matter pages contained at this site

     Of the 100 plus books on horticultural topics contained in our library, the selections above have proven to be the most useful and widely used for researching information on a variety of plants grown in our area. The listing above may not refer to the most current edition but the contents should be the same. Certain classes of plants have been hybridized so much that it is impossible to publish a book about them that remains timely and up to date. These would include plants such as bromeliads, orchids, hibiscus, roses, daylilies, plumeria, and a host of other flowering perennials and tropicals. In such cases, plant catalogs from specialty growers serve as the best references and most contain cultural information as well Although cultivars of trees and shrubs are continually introduced, information about the species they come from also applies to new cultivars introductions. No single book will cover all your reference needs.