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The New Encyclopedia of Hostas

By Diana Grenfell and Michael Shadrack

The lush, sculptural hosta is loved by gardeners for its ability to both combine well with other plants and project a strong presence when planted alone. The New Encyclopedia of Hostas — the second edition of Diana Grenfell and Michael Shadrack's classic work — provides growth and cultivation information for seven hundred cultivated hostas.

Detailed, easy-to-read descriptions include growing tips, recommendations for landscape use, and suggestions for companion plants. Clear cultivation advice is provided, including recommendations for hostas that succeed in challenging environments, such as the warmer regions of the United States. Captivating photographs show hostas up close and in a wide range of different garden situations.

Gardeners will appreciate the depth and scope of this essential reference and use it time and again to help with plant selection and identification, and to inspire new plantings.

Filed under: bestsellers, encyclopedia, genus specific, new books, care, cultivation, pests and diseases, reference, shade

Format: Hardcover
Pages: 472 pp.
Book dimensions: 8½ x 11 in. (280 x 215 mm.)
Images: 849 color photos
ISBN-10: 0881929603
ISBN-13: 9780881929607

About the authors

Diana Grenfell

Diana Grenfell is co-founder of the British Hosta and Hemerocallis Society and a life member of the American Hosta Society. With her husband, Roger Grounds, she is former co-owner of Apple Court, a British nursery specializing in hostas, daylilies, and grasses. Diana has done much to raise the profile of hostas throughout the world, broadcasting, lecturing, and writing many authoritative books and articles on the plant.

Michael Shadrack

Michael Shadrack is a photographer with more than six thousand hosta images in his library. He is an active member of the British Hosta and Hemerocallis Society and the American Hosta Society, and has assumed leadership roles in both organizations. Michael regularly lectures on hostas in North America and Europe, and is an avid hybridizer as well.