I don't know of a specific Northeast garden book. I depend on my set of Taylor Guides. One for each "genre"-perennials, annuals, bulbs, shrubs...and on an oldie but goodie "Illustrated Guide to Gardening" from Reader's Digest. I don't think our climate merits a specific guide-we have 4 distinct seasons, usually not too many extremes of anything, and a pretty good growing season most years. Plants like it.

At the closing sale my Borders store is having (sniff, sniff), I bought the American Horticultural Society's Northeast Smart Garden Regional Guide. I don't know how it compares to the other two books but it has information on planting, pruning, fertilizing, and caring for the environment as well as a large section on plants suitable for different types of sites -- and absolutely gorgeous pictures!

I know there are a couple of books on gardening in the Washington, DC area that may be out of print now but other large metropolitan areas may have similar books available. I've also seen other books that specify "northeast" in the title. Living in the Washington area it is difficult to concentrate on gardening for either the northeast or south because we are in the middle so some parts of both are appropriate. The most important thing is not to purchase plants that will not survive your winter temperatures. There are lots of other caveats associated with plants but it does no good to worry over a plant that is sure to die in the winter weather.

There is no one such book for the northeast. But the fact is that until the 1980s, most garden books were very northeast-focused and written by gardeners in that part of the country.

Many of our best garden books are older books, such as Donald Wyman on shrubs. Too long to compile a bibliography here but if you spend some time in the public library, you'll find a lot of titles.

There are many newer books as well but a lot are just pretty pictures. Garden books are also best bought on specific topics such as perennials, trees etc.

My favorite genre of garden books is that in which the author describes the making of her/his own garden. They include all the mistakes they made. Lots of these are by gardeners in the northeast. Look up Sydney Eddison's "A Patchwork Garden" or Frederick McGourty or Elisabeth Sheldon or Helen Van Pelt Wilson, to name just a few. Treasure troves of good info and interesting reading to boot.

The book I have doesn't have northeast in its title, but does cover the area very well...Growing Perennials in Cold Climates by Hegerman and Whitman. I live in the lower Hudson Valley of NY, and using this book has really been helpful in making plant selections and organizing their care.

I'm from the South West I am only a visiter to your forum. We have many zones in Calif. I have people from the Northern States, where it get very cold and wet, they want to know what to plant in open run, so I need your help. I need to know the zones that they are able to grow what? What cactus can be grown in open run and in what zone. He is a teacher of lerning impaird children. He wants to grow cactus.
I know what books are availble here but I can't advise him on what is availble East of the Rockies. I have copied all of the information you presented. Thank you very much. Norma

A good one for the northeast region, though out of print now, is Charles Cresson's On The American Flower Garden. I found a used copy easily online.

Here is a link that might be useful: noted local gardener

Surprise -- your wish is granted. You can have exactly what you want.

A few years ago Sunset published editions for the Northeast. They did not sell well and Sunset abandoned the effort. I guess gardeners of the NE felt satisfied with the books they already knew and trusted, or perhaps the detailed Sunset maps just bewildered them. In any case, the books went out of print.

However, I just checked on Amazon. Used copies of Sunset Northeastern Landscape Book and Sunset's Northeastern Garden Book are both available.

Enjoy.

Rosefolly