Books for Bermuda are never an easy pick, purely and simply because they are written for other areas in general, and to varying degrees fit our palette and needs, which often gives us a different perspective on our ideas.

From a personal point of view point, I find it difficult to adjust to books, which use common names as the standard, and not the botanical name, which is just as easy and of course, is universal. The problem with common names is they are often common to a localised area, e.g. mock orange in Bermuda is Murraya exotica, whereas, in parts of the USA it is Philadelphus albus.

The following titles are just a few that are available in Hamilton Bookshops, some are lighter reading than others and some have a more scientific bent.

The Art of South Florida Gardening, by Songdahl & Leon, published by Pineapple Press is a compact little paperback covering the gamut from "Why landscape' to 'Wild things; insects, fungus and weeds'.

Many of the plants mentioned are known in Bermuda including fruits, trees, shrubs and vines. It has an interesting commentary on 'Learning your N-P-Ks' that is purchasing fertiliser, a precise and well -written piece that is educational and practical. Several pages are devoted to lawn grasses, with good format on each species discussed. Plant Physiology 101 explains why leaves are so important to the plant and its survival, and what leave variegation can do for a plant.

Bermuda is not always the easiest of places to get plants to grow, and Tough Plants for Southern Gardens, by Felder Rushing, published by Cool Spring Press offers advice on what to grow or is worth trying in various areas.

Under the heading 'Criteria Used for Selecting the Plants for this Book', benefits mentioned include, Possess strong values, such as beauty, better flavour or fragrance; Grow in ordinary soil with little or no soil or fertiliser; resist insect pests and diseases. This is a common sense approach to selection, but does need some knowledge of the material one is looking at using.

Chapters include, Perennials that Prevail; grasses with Gumption and Vines with Vigour. As stated earlier, many plants found in Bermuda are listed, whilst others have not been tried on a large scale or will certainly no grow in our soils, mainly because of the acidity/alkalinity differences.

Paperbacks seem to be popular this year, and from a cost point of view are in many cases the best buy. Though not a popular trait in Bermuda at this time, 'Balcony Terrace and Patio Gardening' by Margaret Davis published by Fulcrum Publishing, offers an interesting insight into this popular hobby for high-rise dwellers. As much as anything many of the chapters are of interest purely because of the functionality of their approach. The first three chapters give us an introduction into; Choosing Suitable Plants; Containers; Wind Control and even the fourth chapter on 'Using Wall Space' imparts a wealth of 'adaptability' to the use of a small area.

In a similar vein, 'The Complete Container Garden', by David Joyce and published by Readers Digest, offers the reader the choice of over a thousand plants for containers. These are grouped by colour and where applicable season.

As well as listing various suggestions of plant material, we are offered advice on versatile containers; successful gardening in containers; model plantings; plants for containers with of course the ubiquitous zone map.

There are some excellent examples of mixing and matching colours and textures, style of plants such as standard fuchsias, topiary work and colourful vegetables and trailing or cascading candidates for each and every occasion.

To maintain the interest of plants for Bermudas climate, 'Sunbelt Gardening', by Tom Peace, published by Fulcrum Publishing covers various areas throughout the sunbelt from annuals to trees and palms. Topics covered in the first chapter are indeed interesting and explore such subjects as effect of nighttime temperatures; hot soil and its impact; about drought; importance of establishment watering; heat versus drought and relativity of drought.

Again, many of the subjects discussed are found in Bermuda, whilst others are yet to be tried, this is especially the case with many of the annuals a perennial plantings.

An interesting publication out of the UK, "Hardy Palms and Palm-Like Plants", by Martyn Graham, published by Guild of Master Craftsman is one of those books that highlights the beauty of a wide range of plants which portray a narrowness of similarity. The plant directory of the books title, includes, palms, yuccas, agaves, cordylines, cycas and numerous plants perhaps never tried in Bermuda.

Two chapters I did find interesting, where 'Hard Landscaping' and 'Companion Planting and Garden Styles'. In the former, one can characterize the chapter in summary, viz, 'using paints, tiles and pavers in your garden will help you realize the full potential of your plants. Even a few well-chosen pots can radically alter the mood.

Companion Planting and Garden Styles explores the reason of why people find these types of plants so popular and how and why they use them.

For those interested in the botanical side of horticulture, 'Tropical Trees and Shrubs' by Wee Chin published by Sun Tree Publishing is an interesting read. It offers the usual approach of listing botanical name, common name, family, etymology, origin and distribution, botanical features, uses, propagation and related species.

Many of the plants listed are not found in Bermuda for various reasons, but it is of interest to those who 'want to know', and for those who travel to tropical climes, it could be taken just for the ride and of course the interest!

May I take this opportunity to wish all my readers, Season's Greeting's and a healthy and joyous New Year.