Sunset Western Garden

The New Sunset Western Garden Book: The Ultimate Gardening Guide Description, 9th Edition, Editors of Sunset Magazine, Oxmoor House, 2012, 767 pgs.

ISBN-13: 978-0376039200

The 9th edition of this great 80 year old standard for western gardeners demonstrates that gardening is an ever-changing endeavor.

If you're a West Coast gardener, you probably already know this book is one of the must-haves. I don't always purchase the newest edition. I lived with the 3rd edition for over 15 years. But this one is a great update. There are beautiful photos now rather than just the line illustrations. There's also a great plant index.

The Plant Finder lists in the front have been revamped, with the old sections on broad categories of plants such as "annuals, "vines" and "ferns" replaced with more useful sections on "ornamental edibles", "plants that attract beneficial insects", "sculptural plants", "plants for moon gardens" and more.