Since Beth Chatto is on the other side of the pond, she won't be of help as to invasiveness since that varies considerably based on location.

What does s/he mean by invasive? The technical definition of plants that escape cultivation and cause problems for native plants by displacing them? Or rampant thugs in the garden?

If the technical definition is of interest, I'd suggest a web search for invasive plants and his/her state. There are a lot of web resources.

If the thug definition is what is meant, I usually search for the plant's name and read inputs from non-nursery sources, such as blogs and gardenweb. I also ask here or in the New England forum.

I tend to use the web for this sort of information since I find that the list is constantly changing as new information comes out, so books may not be very up-to-date or complete unless they are really recently published.

I do like the DiSabato books (also the mixed border one) for a good general reference.

A beginning gardener does not want to be overwhelmed that's for sure - I do like Tracy DiSabato's book and use is often but have discovered Kerry Ann Mendez's books, The Ultimate Flower Gardener's Top Ten Lists and Top Ten Lists for Beautiful Shade Gardens - she has good practical advice on gardening, written in a way that entertains and informs - for example, she tells about 10 great plants if can use if you have shade but dry conditions, what are the top 10 gardening mistakes, etc. I would have your friend check out the books at her local library before buying.

Babs, good point about Beth's book. I think anyone can get a list of invasives, I believe she meant rampant thugs in the garden. That is what I thought, to just google each plant to ask is it aggressive and that should keep her on track.

NickMaine, thanks, I haven't heard of that book and I do love top ten lists. [g] Sounds like one I would enjoy myself.

Perennials for Every Purpose by Larry Hodgson has gradually become my "go to" book and is within arm's reach of my computer 24/7, year-round.

I like that the book is divided into chapters devoted to many useful chapters, i.e., Low Maintenance Perennials, Perennials to attract Bees, Butterflies & Birds, No-Care Perennials, Shade Perennials, etc. It also includes a glossary of Latin names & terms which is helpful for folks who (unlike me) didn't study the language in school. The book also includes helpful tips identifying best cultivars, pests/problems and suggestions for companion plants.

As others above have posted, invasives are listed by each state on the web. Also on the web are helpful sites displaying a wealth of information. Two that I frequently use for reference are:

Missouri Botanical Garden (http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/)
White Flower Farm (http://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/)

crikey ...

invasive should be a year ten concern ...

and books.. pshaw ... lol.. good things to curl up with in winter ...

take her by the hand.. introduce her to a GOOD NURSERY ... and show ten good plants to plant ... and have her buy them ... [as many as the budget allows]

and then take her home.. and show her how to plant them ... taller in back ... spacing based on size estimates ... etc ...

go back once a month to discuss [tell her payment involves cookies or muffins each time you come ] ... and then show her how to deadhead .. as i am guessing she might be concerned with that.. seeding ... rather than invasives ... and every time you go over.. take her some plant of yours.. to show her how easy it is.. to trade plants ...

and then in fall show her which ones to throw away ... because they did not live up to expectations .. and which can already be divided.. should she wish more ... [too many nebs dont understand putting some plants out of their own misery ....]

frankly.. in the time invested in a good book.. you could show her a lieftime of reading ... if she waits to read and study the book.. planting season will be long gone ...

also... have her track down a local garden club.. and have her join it.. or at least go on whatever tours they offer.. i learned more about plants.. walking thru others gardens than i ever did online.. or in a book ...

and then.. if she is still interested come fall.. buy her a book for next winter...

the problem with britain.. is that they are above the 60th parallel .. they are 2/3 of the way to the north pole ]mid MI is the 45th to compare ... halfway] .. their idea of full sun is near on shade to us in the US ... and they have at least every other day of rain/fog/clouds ... it is why they are a pale people.. lol ... i got very confused in the way back machine as to why a lot of their THEORY didnt seem to work for me ...

tell her to just plant things.. soon ... and start turning her thumb green.. instead of ink stained ... lol

if she isnt local ... just send her some things from your garden ... you cant believe what you can jam in a shoebox and mail away ... new post if you dont know how to do it ...

ken

Hi Ken,

I agree with most of what youâÂÂve suggested which is basically mentoring someone. Unfortunately, she does not live close enough to me to do that. Yes, a shoebox of plants and seeds is something more I could do.

IâÂÂd still like a few book titles to recommend to new gardeners. Some people learn best hands on and some people like to learn by reading first and then hands on. IâÂÂm sure she will be gardening this season and isnâÂÂt waiting for more information, but she is looking for a book and there are a lot of books out there and I would just like to narrow down the search for her, which would save her a lot of time.

I donâÂÂt agree that invasives or aggressive plants should not be a concern until year ten. By then her garden could be overrun with poor choices. It would be nice to at least know the worst of them to avoid from the start.

I am curious to know if someone mentored you that way Ken?

Thanks Gardenweed, sounds like a great reference book and I also like the way it is organized. And thanks for the links too.

There are a lot of great gardening books out there. You probably can't go wrong with any of them. That said, one book I highly recommend, especially for newer gardeners, is Nan Ondra's The Perennial Care Manual. It is extremely well written and easy to follow and breaks down care and maintenance of different types of perennials. It is similar to Tracy DiSabato's book, but with more and better photos and, IMHO, better text. In fact, I even gifted a copy to a friend who had questions about starting a new perennial garden!

I'd suggest she hook up with a local garden club. Not only is that a great mentoring environment, but it will be a source of local information. Like true invasive plants, garden thugs can vary from location to location. Some are pretty standard - and I've yet to encounter ANY text that outlines them to any satisfactory degree - but many respond differently by region. For example, many plants that are thuggish east of the Rockies tend to be less worrisome west of them, and vice versa. Actual siting in the garden will also have a huge bearing on how aggressive some may be.

And it also depends on personal preferences.........some may be willing to put up with aggressive spreaders and/or wanton self-seeders if they serve a purpose or offer attractive features other than their iffy behavior.

My pleasure PM2. When I moved here I had plenty of ideas but decided (because I'm probably anal to some degree) to do my homework before poking a spade into the dirt. My first garden book suggested drawing the existing garden layout--including structures, hardscape, plants, trees + any other miscellaneous items--on graph paper along with the compass orientation of the property. I found that to be of enormous help when I began designing my garden beds, either from scratch or else modifying those that were here when I arrived. Having a defined plan, no matter how preliminary, seemed to make things come together more quickly. Did things end up the same as the plans I made and sketched with a pencil? Guess again. Am I happy with how it looks? Next question.

IâÂÂm looking forward to trying your book recommendation, ispahan and comparing it to the DiSabato book.

Gardengal, I have had vinca minor in deep shade, hemmed in by the driveway, the street and a fence and behaved well for 20+years, then tried it in full sun and what a difference. 3 small transplants turned into an 5ft wide patch in one season. I quickly dug it up. So that is true in some cases.

Gardenweed, I must have read the same book, [g] because that was one of the first things I did too, was to draw the existing garden on graph paper and follow the sun patterns and mark where I had sun and how much and orientation. I still have that original drawing and I pulled it out just last week to check something and was very happy I had it and didnâÂÂt have to go measure something all over again.