South Africa’s garden guru, Keith Kirsten, has completely revised his gardening classic to produce this new 3rd edition. It remains apractical illustrated guide that is suitable for all gardeners, whether novice or experienced, but has been updated to include new plant species that flourish in South African gardens.

Most of the book comprises directories of over 2 000 plants, and there are photographs of at least half the plants. Descriptions of each plant and how to grow it successfully in the garden are given, with handy symbols being used throughout the book to serve as a quick and easy reference.

Particularly helpful for modern eco-conscious gardeners are the symbols which clearly indicate a plant’s water needs, be they low or high.  The various plants types are divided into separate chapters for easy consultation with regard to their garden use. There are chapters on trees, shrubs, perennials and ground-covers, annuals, creepers, roses and bulbs as well as section on the kitchen garden.

Other chapters provide a guide to good design practices, as well as essential aspects of gardening basics, such as soil preparation, maintenance, and pest control. A valuable section about declared invasive alien plants and how to get rid of them is included.

Gardening with Keith Kirsten (3rd Edition) by Keith Kirsten. Softcover,  272 pages. Published by Struik Lifestyle (an imprint of Random House Struik), 2011. www.randomstruik.co.za  ISBN 978-1-77007-566-6

The SASOL guide to the birds of southern Africa is widely known to local twitchers and its popularity is such that a new and updated 4th edition is now available. Often regarded as the region’s most comprehensively illustrated guide to the birds of southern Africa, and highly practical to use for bird identification purposes, the new edition incorporates additional features.

Bird species accounts have been rewritten and now include group introductions, calendar bars show their occurrence and breeding months of the various species, and distribution maps have been updated. Sonograms depicting the calls of some of the trickier-to-identify species are also included.

But probably the most helpful revision in this new edition is the updating of the colour plates of bird illustrations, specifically designed to be easier to use with regard to comparison of related species. In addition there are nearly 400 new improved illustrations.

The four  experienced ornithologists responsible for the new edition  - Ian Sinclair, Phil Hockey, Warwick Tarboton and Peter Ryan  -- have clearly spend thousands of hours preparing this outstanding edition. Top ranking birding artists Norman Arlott and Peter Hayman have drawn the illustrations of each bird with precision and accuracy.

Sasol Birds of Southern Africa, 4th Edition by Sinclair et al. Softcover, 464 pages. Published by Struik Nature (an imprint of Random House Struik), 2011. www.randomstruik.co.za ISBN 978-1-77007=925-0

Did you know that there are 321 ferns in Southern Africa? That is the biggest surprise when opening this glorious book filled with images of every fern imaginable.

One does not normally associate these luxuriant plants with a dry climate region! One next discovers how practically the material in it is arranged for ease of use for the novice or amateur, making it simple to identify ferns  found anywhere in southern Africa, that is, South Africa, Swaziland, Lesotho, Botswana, and Namibia.

With a doubt Ferns of Southern Africa is the most definitive book on ferns currently available for the region. This comprehensive book dedicates two pages to each fern species, containing multiple photographs of the particular fern (including close-ups) and line drawings if needed, and a detailed but clear description of each fern. There are also tables that highlight differences between similar-looking ferns, distribution maps based on years of intensive field work, and a glossary of botanical nomenclature.

In compiling this unique volume the authors travelled extensively, even finding several new species of ferns during their journeys. Neil Crouch, Ronell Klopper, John Burrows and Sandra Burrows can indeed be regarded as plant hunters of the 21st century, and their book is worthy of  a place in every academic library throughout the world, as well as being suitable for all amateur plant enthusiasts.

Ferns of Southern Africa: A Comprehensive Guide by Neil Crouch et al. Softcover,776 pages. Published by Struik Nature (an imprint of Random House Struik), 2011. www.randomstruik.co.za   ISBN 978-1-77007-910-6

This inspirational book features the modern floral arrangements of Alysson Kessel, the contract florist for the Birkenhead House and Villa in Hermanus in the Western Cape.

The chapters on floral design are organized according to the vase shape, be they cubes and tubes, tall and slim, or wide and flat, making it easy for readers to find an arrangement for whatever vase they have at hand.

Some arrangements are bountiful and complex, while others use as few as two or three blooms, making it easy to achieve a stunning effect, no matter what the available budget.

A further chapter covers the effective use of clusters or groups of floral arrangements, as well as tiered structures and how to use repeats of a one simple arrangement most effectively.There are also step by step instructions for every arrangement in all these inspirational chapters.

A final chapter explores using flowers in a contemporary fashion for the finishing touches for special occasions, such as to enhance dinner napkins, and for bridal bouquets and buttonholes.

There is also an introductory section covering the basics of floral décor -- the equipment needed, preparation and care of plant material, the modern use of stems and leaves, and advice on unusual floral combinations.

There are ample beautiful colour photographs throughout the book to inspire and delight any floral artist.  The use of local plant material, such as proteas, leucospermums, arums,restios, Barberton daisies, and fynbos foliage and berries is particularly make this South African publication particularly enjoyable.

Birkenhead blooms: the floral art of Alyson Kessel by Alyson Kessel. Hardcover, 144 pages. Published by Struik Lifestyle (an imprint of Random House Struik), 2011. www.randomstruik.co.za   ISBN 978-1-77007-851-2

Gardeners, both new and experienced, will welcome the revised 5th edition of this classic book on identifying garden flowers. Originally conceived and written by South Africa’s pioneer ‘doyen of gardening’, the late Professor Kristo Pienaar, and first published in 1984, few books have exceeded its popularity. Even 26 years on, there are relatively few books of this type that are written with South African gardens and growing conditions in mind.

This new edition has been totally revised and updated by Professor Gideon Smith. The hard cover format of the book makes it an ideal hard wearing and long lasting addition to any garden lover’s book shelf

The 1 600 garden plants featured in the book are arranged according to their family, and then listed alphabetically in each family grouping. The plants include annuals, perennials, shrubs, trees and climbers. The sections on various succulent plant families is most welcome, as this group of plants so seldom features in other gardening books.

There is a full description of how best to use and grow each plant in a garden setting, and superb photographs of each of the plant species mentioned. A valuable addition is information about whether a plant is water smart, and the reader is warned if a particular plant can become invasive in certain gardening circumstances.

The Southern African What Flower is That? by Krito Pienaar and Gideon F Smith. Hardcover, 368 pages. Published by Struik Lifestyle (an imprint of Random House Struik), 2011. www.randomstruik.co.za   ISBN 978-1-77007-526-9

For those who wish to discover more about southern Africa’s trees, both amateurs and more seasoned tree-spotters will enjoy ‘What’s that tree?’  In this superb book, trees are grouped together into their broad family groupings, based on the features that related species share. The heading for each family group is given in English, making the identification of trees much easier for those amateurs who have no knowledge of botanical nomenclature.

In each family grouping, a wide range of tree species belonging to that family is named in English and in botanical Latin, and is described fully but in easy-to-understand terminology. The key identification features of each tree species are highlighted, and illustrated with superb high quality images.  In addition side-bars throughout the book highlight fascinating tidbits of information about the various trees.

The introduction describes the various terrains in southern Africa where certain trees are likely to occur, while at the back there is an illustrated glossary of plant parts. There is also an index containing both English and Latin tree names.

The book is written by Professor Eugene Moll of the University of the Western Cape. Having already produced a number of titles in the “What’s that?’ series, he is highly experienced in leading the beginner through the maze of getting to know some of the over 1 000 trees indigenous to southern Africa.

What’s That Tree?: A Starter’s Guide to the Trees of Southern Africa by Eugene Moll. Softcover, 184 pages. Published by Struik Nature (an imprint of Random House Struik), 2011. www.randomstruik.co.za ISBN 978-1-77007-831-4