Portable garden guide

Derek Fell, who turns out gardening books like rabbits produce bunnies, isn't afraid to tackle a giant project.

In the "Encyclopedia of Hardy Plants: Annuals, Bulbs, Herbs, Perennials, Shrubs, Trees, Vegetables, Fruits & Nuts" (Firefly Press, $29.95), he attempts the impossible: covering 700-plus plants in a book that's small enough for the average human to carry around. He does quite well, too.

While the book won't satisfy readers looking for in-depth information on growing these plants, Fell's 224-page book works well as a quick reference, with nice color photos and brief descriptions of plants. Some of the zone references appear to be off (a few plants that grow reliably here in Zone 4 are classified as Zone 6), but this is still a good book to bring along when you go garden shopping to see what those plants will look like when they're all grown up.

MARY JANE SMETANKA