Annuals for Michigan

Nancy Szerlag and Alison Beck
Lone Pine Publishing, 2002
296 pages

Although it's not a new book, I just had to review Annuals for Michigan for ITGO's first book review. Beyond overflowing with useful information, Annuals for Michigan is pure eye candy for anyone who loves plants. Starting with the cover, and extending to nearly every single page within, this book is full of gorgeous photographs. Annuals for Michigan starts with short, straightforward sections on everything from plant selection and garden prep to pests and seed starting. The main bulk of the book is an encyclopedia of annuals that do well in Michigan. Each entry gives basic plant info such as height, spread, and available colors, and goes into more depth. You will learn how to plant and care for each annual, as well as know ahead of time which pests and problems might befall it. Particularly helpful to me was the section under each annual for recommended cultivars. And, for each entry, there are several photographs, so the gardener has a very good idea ahead of time what to expect in their garden.

Annuals for Michigan is indispensable to the gardener who wants to punch up their landscape with annual color, but it is also a boon to small-space gardeners who need to find the perfect plant combinations for their container gardens. Besides all that, it offers pure inspiration. My copy is full of sticky notes marking the plants that I want to try. The only problem is, I think I have more pages marked than unmarked! ITGO