Books

Food Not Lawns: How to Turn Your Yard into a Garden And Your Neighborhood into a Community

Average customer rating:

if you are over 40 skip it... so gen X
Not just Gardening--A guide to Activism and Environmentalism
Keys to change any reader can use.
A Real Focus on a Real Solution
Bringing it all together

Food Not Lawns: How to Turn Your Yard into a Garden And Your Neighborhood into a Community
Heather C. Flores
Manufacturer: Chelsea Green
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Similar Items:

Gaia's Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture
The Revolution Will Not Be Microwaved: Inside America's Underground Food Movements
Gardening When It Counts: Growing Food in Hard Times (Mother Earth News Wiser Living Series)
How to Make a Forest Garden
Plenty: One Man, One Woman, and a Raucous Year of Eating Locally

ASIN: 193339207X

Book Description

Gardening can be a political act. Creativity, fulfillment, connection, revolution--it all begins when we get our hands in the dirt. Food Not Lawns combines practical wisdom on ecological design and community-building with a fresh, green perspective on an age-old subject. Activist and urban gardener Heather Flores shares her nine-step permaculture design to help farmsteaders and city dwellers alike build fertile soil, promote biodiversity, and increase natural habitat in their own "paradise gardens." But Food Not Lawns doesn't begin and end in the seed bed. This joyful permaculture lifestyle manual inspires readers to apply the principles of the paradise garden--simplicity, resourcefulness, creativity, mindfulness, and community--to all aspects of life. Plant "guerilla gardens" in barren intersections and medians; organize community meals; start a street theater troupe or host a local art swap; free your kitchen from refrigeration and enjoy truly fresh, nourishing foods from your own plot of land; work with children to create garden play spaces. Flores cares passionately about the damaged state of our environment and the ills of our throwaway society. In Food Not Lawns, she shows us how to reclaim the earth one garden at a time.

Customer Reviews:

if you are over 40 skip it... so gen X.......2007-05-25

This is a very shallow book by the new generation of writers that find fault with everything done in the twenty years before they were born,
Its very shallow, big type and very preachy.
If you are interested in gardening, try Giaas garden, a much more serious study of permiculture.
In this rambling book, the aurthor boasts of not making over 8 k a year, but inherited the money to buy her farm!
I liked camping living until I was thirty, now I am 45 and really like my freezer and new stove.( yes, I have my own three hens and belong to a CSA)
I know a number of the original flower/farm people, and as they got older they liked having a few more comforts.

So this is one of the new gen X books, shallow to a fault. Nothing but sound bites.
the aurthor sems all hyped about third world living, but I am not sure she has ever been to a third world and seen how hard that style of life is,,it is easy to glamorius the distant!!!

Not just Gardening--A guide to Activism and Environmentalism.......2007-01-23

I picked up this book to learn practical application of permacultural principles applied to urban yard scales--and there is a wealth of such information here. However, I do feel like Flores preaches just a little too much about the environmental destruction and political problems currently plaguing our country. In my view, anyone picking up a book called Food Not Lawns probably is already well-versed in such issues, and Flores is essentially preaching to the converted. That said, this book DOES have tons of practical information, and I would recommend it as an excellent counterbalance and companion book to Toby Hemenway's Gaia's Garden.

Keys to change any reader can use........2006-12-14

For activist readers who believe activism is a political pursuit, FOOD NOT LAWNS: HOW TO TURN YOUR YARD INTO A GARDEN AND YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD INTO A COMMUNITY offers a different viewpoint, maintaining that growing food where you live is a key method of becoming a food activist in the community. Chapters advocate planting home and community gardens with an eye to drawing important connections between the politics of a home or community garden and the wider politics of usage, consumption, and sustainability. Another rarity: chapters promote small, easy changes in lifestyles to achieve a transition between personal choice and political activism at the community level, providing keys to change any reader can use.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

A Real Focus on a Real Solution.......2006-11-30

When I had originally bought this book I thought it was going to give me step by step instructions for turning my lawn into a food producing landscape. However when I read the book cover to cover in less than 3 weeks (which is rare with me, I usually never read them that fast) I realized what Heather was focusing on - Community and education. She has written a book to inspire us to grow on our front lawns and talk to our neighbors about it. Get the community involved no matter who they are. After I read it and then promptly lent it to a friend with similar interests I popped in the DVD "End of Suburbia" - I listened to James Kunstler talk about how were doomed and he even mentions that growing food on our lawns may start to become mainstream. This book will guide those of us who are willing to be pioneers in the upcoming energy transition and help us help eachother grow food consciously with the small or large spaces that we now mow. What a breath of fresh air and a really inspiring, well thought out guide. Its a must read. I purchased this book with Toby Hemenways Gaias Garden and they are a perfect match, Toby goes into a more in depth permaculture perspective.

A big Mahalo to Heather!

Bringing it all together.......2006-11-17

This is a superb book. I've not read a lot of permaculture books but this does an excellent job of tying ecological/sustainable living together with building community, and it does so with a decidedly positive attitude. A must read.

Average customer rating:

PermaCulture for Temp. climates!!
Excellent for anyone hoping to get a handle on sustainable agriculture
Permaculture Tour-de-force!

Edible Forest Gardens (2 volume set)
Dave Jacke , and Eric Toensmeier
Manufacturer: Chelsea Green
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Ecology | Environment | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

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Similar Items:

How to Make a Forest Garden
Gaia's Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture
Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World
Designing And Maintaining Your Edible Landscape Naturally
Cornucopia II: A Source Book of Edible Plants

ASIN: 1890132608

Book Description

Edible Forest Gardens is a groundbreaking two-volume work that spells out and explores the key concepts of forest ecology and applies them to the needs of natural gardeners in temperate climates. Volume I lays out the vision of the forest garden and explains the basic ecological principles that make it work. In Volume II, Dave Jacke and Eric Toensmeier move on to practical considerations:concrete ways to design, establish, and maintain your own forest garden. Along the way they present case studies and examples, as well as tables, illustrations, and a uniquely valuable "plant matrix" that lists hundreds of the best edible and useful species.

Taken together, the two volumes of Edible Forest Gardens offer an advanced course in ecological gardening-one that will forever change the way you look at plants and your environment.
What is an edible forest garden?
An edible forest garden is a perennial polyculture of multipurpose plants. Most plants regrow every year without replanting: perennials. Many species grow together: a polyculture. Each plant contributes to the success of the whole by fulfilling many functions: multipurpose. In other words, a forest garden is an edible ecosystem, a consciously designed community of mutually beneficial plants and animals intended for human food production. Edible forest gardens provide more than just a variety of foods. The seven F's apply here: food, fuel, fiber, fodder, fertilizer, and "farmaceuticals," as well as fun. A beautiful, lush environment can be a conscious focus of your garden design, or a side benefit you enjoy

Customer Reviews:

PermaCulture for Temp. climates!!.......2007-06-15

This book is a must for anyone who wants a future on this planet, especially in temperate climates

Excellent for anyone hoping to get a handle on sustainable agriculture.......2007-01-04

As a graduate of a Permaculture Design Course, organic farm worker and someone generally interested in virtually all aspect of sustainable ag, I found this book incredible. Now, I've only read the first one (about to start on volume number 2), but the quality of information in the first volume in outstanding. Volume 1 is concerned with the theory behind forest gardening, but with a keen eye towards using that information in the second volume (which includes detailed information on actually creating a forest garden). David Jacke does a great job of covering everything from invasive plants to forest succession to what a guild is and how to build one to underground microbes and why we should care about them. Full of informative figures, graphs and sidebars, this book does an excellent job of filling a niche that has been otherwise missed by many permaculture and sustainable ag books - what to do in the more temperate, rainy parts of the world. I'd recommend this book over Patrick Whitfield's great book if you live in the U.S. because it suggests a variety of plants native to the U.S. and has a larger number of useful species for people who live in the U.S. and are dealing with colder temperatures than those seen in Britain. Overall, I'd recommend this book to anyone with the slightest interest in creating an edible landscape on a piece of property.

Permaculture Tour-de-force!.......2006-08-24

If you are a home gardener who has ever stopped to wonder whether permaculture was useful to you, you need to read these books. If you are an intermediate to advanced permaculturist, you will revel in these books. If you want to understand how a single individual with a garden can make the world a better place, you need to read these books.

Jacke and Toensmeier lay out an incredible vision in Volume I for the potential that permaculture holds for gardeners in the northern US. And they lead the reader through an eye-opening education in the scientific theory which supports that vision. In Volume II, they walk the reader through the process of creating their own unique vision for the reader's own permaculture design. Then they lay out, step by step, how to progress from vision to reality.

Along the way, they range from the theoretical to the highly practical, from how many miles of fungal strands are in a teaspoon of soil from the forest floor, to exactly how to plant a tree so that it not only survives but thrives. And they do it in a voice which is both learned and whimsical, enthusiastic and serious -- and downright fun.

I'm buying a second set of these books. I need to keep one set with me as I build my garden; I learn new things every time I turn the page, knowledge I need on a "how to" level. But I need a second set, so that I can lend it to my friends who would get tremendous insight from reading these books...my order for my second set is going in today!

Full disclosure: I am a very pleased client of Dave Jacke's design practice.

The American Woodland Garden: Capturing the Spirit of the Deciduous Forest

Average customer rating:

Must have book for woodland gardeners
Great Book!
Inspiration for Your Own Woodland Garden
A book of wonders.
Tons of pictures.

The American Woodland Garden: Capturing the Spirit of the Deciduous Forest
Rick Darke
Manufacturer: Timber Press, Incorporated
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Similar Items:

Native Plants of the Northeast: A Guide for Gardening and Conservation
Native Trees, Shrubs, and Vines: A Guide to Using, Growing, and Propagating North American Woody Plants
Wildflowers, (The New England Wild Flower Society)
The Color Encyclopedia of Ornamental Grasses: Sedges, Rushes, Restios, Cat-Tails and Selected Bamboos
Armitage's Native Plants for North American Gardens

ASIN: 0881925454

Book Description

North America's eastern half, roughly from the Midwest to the Atlantic, was once a great deciduous forest. Although centuries of human intervention have cleared much of the land, the timeless forest remains in the spirit of the place. Today, even the shortest period of human neglect allows for the resurgence of the process of forest creation. The greatest gardens — and happiest gardeners — in this area will be those that take into account the nature of the land.
In his unique, and often thought-provoking new book, award-winning author Darke promotes and stunningly illustrates a garden aesthetic based on the strengths and opportunities of the woodland, including play of light, sound, and scent; seasonal drama; and the architectural interest of woody plants.

While written from a compelling and fresh perspective, The American Woodland Garden never strays from the realistic concerns of the everyday gardener. Information on planting, soils, and maintenance provides a firm foundation for horticultural accomplishment. An alphabetical list of woodland plants offers useful advice for every garden, emphasizing native trees, shrubs, vines, ferns, grasses, sedges, and flowering perennials that fit the forest aesthetic. More than 700 of the author's stunning photographs show both the natural palette of plants in the wild and the effects that can be achieved with them in garden settings. Many of the most striking photos in the book were taken at classic gardens that are paragons of an ecological style.

The American Woodland Garden is a clarion call to a new awareness of our relationship to the natural world. This book will take its rightful place among the classic works that have influenced our concept of the American landscape.

Customer Reviews:

Must have book for woodland gardeners.......2007-05-14

This man is the best photographer of the woodlands and a great speaker. Would purchase any book by him.

Great Book!.......2007-03-26

I am a novice gardener but this book gives great advice and great choices from groundcover to shrubs and trees for the woodsy landscape. I refer to this book all the time.

Inspiration for Your Own Woodland Garden.......2007-03-18

A gorgeous, substantive book. It's not a how-to in a conventional sense, but it will definitely get your creative juices flowing in terms of your own woodlands. If you've never thought about "color palette" for plantings, you'll really enjoy this book.

A book of wonders........2007-02-12

This is simply the best book in my garden library. It is a way of looking at the environment around us, an ethos complete with pictures, information, and instruction. Be sure to buy this book in hardback, because paperback binding will never survive the hard useage this book will receive in your home.

Tons of pictures........2006-02-04

This book is full of excellent pictures - woodland landscapes and closeups of individual woodland appropriate plants. The majority of the book has at least one picture on each page = lots of inspiration sources! Chapter Five (pgs 194 to 352) contains info on individual plants listed alphabetically by Latin name. The info contains the author's first hand observations about the plant's likes and dislikes, growth habit and rate and various other tidbits to make sure you place the plant where it will grow the best.

Average customer rating:

Visuals and text both excellent
The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Trees
Wonderful book
If you love trees, you should own this book
Blissful Hours with This Book

The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Trees
John White , and David F. More
Manufacturer: Timber Press, Incorporated
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Similar Items:

Dirr's Hardy Trees and Shrubs: An Illustrated Encyclopedia
Tree Identification
Trees of North America: A Guide to Field Identification, Revised and Updated (Golden Field Guide from St. Martin's Press)
Instant Guide to Trees
Tree Finder: A Manual for the Identification of Trees by Their Leaves (Nature Study Guides)

ASIN: 0881927511
Release Date: 2005-08-15

Book Description

This book is the result of 10 years of on-site, meticulous painting of individual living trees as well as their detailed parts. David More, a supremely gifted botanical artist, has contributed 330 more illustrations than the 2000 contained in the first edition.

The main section of the book is devoted to almost 400 double-page spreads, which describe and illustrate more than 1800 species and cultivars of trees. The trees illustrated were selected because they are commonly cultivated in England and continental Europe; most are also to be found in American gardens, and some are indeed native to North America. Besides paintings of the trees' habits — both summer and winter for deciduous trees — there are detailed paintings of leaves or needles, bark, blossoms, fruit, nuts, or cones.

This book is a must-have for any reader with an interest in trees, whether to grow them, identify them, or simply take pleasure in the minutely detailed and beautifully drawn artwork of David More.

Customer Reviews:

Visuals and text both excellent.......2006-02-18

The combination of this author and this illustrator has produced an amazing book. Both have a lifelong interest in trees. The author aimed to produce a book to be "read for pleasure", but maintained a high scientific standard throughout, so you'll need to know a scion from a taxon from a sport. (There is a helpful glossary.) But he never forgets his duty to keep the text interesting. So we learn every cricket bat for the last 300 years has come from a single willow and its descendents.

The max height and hardiness are given for each tree, plus a rank as to desirability on a scale of 1 to 5 . One is a top choice for the garden or grounds, 3 might be suitable for commercial use, and 5 is a tree not particularly recommended, if only because of "extreme dullness".

It's rare to find any author this knowledgeable, who can offer anecdotes and historical information on countless specimens. And the accompanying paintings are works of art in their own right.

The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Trees.......2006-01-15

The book is beautifully illustrated and is very thorough. Even though it might have more application in Europe than in North America, it still contains pertinent information for species found in the United States.

Wonderful book.......2004-05-27

I bought this for the library but now I want my own copy. It answers questions which field guides don't address. I was not bothered by the euro orientation -- in fact it had much more information about the Scarlet Oak than the recently lauded Dirr's.
Tree lovers: Get this book. It is cool.

If you love trees, you should own this book.......2003-12-27

I value this almost as much as I do Dirr's Hardy Trees and Shrubs: An Illustrated Encyclopedia. What I like best about this book are (a) the wide variety of trees that it features and (b) the excellent illustrations, which provide far more detail on tree profiles, leaves, cones and other seedpods than other comparable books. So far, I have found illustrations for every tree that I have considered planting, including many uncommon ones. This book can really help you visualize what a particular tree will look like when you are designing your landscape.

Blissful Hours with This Book.......2003-07-24

If you love trees you need to own this book. What an achievement for an artist not even 50 years old yet; 800 pages of astonishingly detailed paintings of hundreds of trees. The lifelike realism of form is matched in the coloring of all aspects of tree morphology and development, including bark, seeds, cones, berries, twigs, leaves and silhouettes. The first time I opened the book I thought the pictures were photographs. The more I examine the paintings the more agog I am that they came from a person's vision and hand - and the more I prefer them to photographs. People who love trees will understand what I mean when I say the paintings, with absolute realism,convey the spirit of trees in a way that photographs can't.
A book to covet until you own it. It's brilliant and extraordinary.

Timber Press Pocket Guide to Japanese Maples (Timber Press Pocket Guides)

Average customer rating:

Handy for arborists and horticulturalists
Excellent Resource for Acer Palmatum Lovers!!

Timber Press Pocket Guide to Japanese Maples (Timber Press Pocket Guides)
J. D. Vertrees , and Peter Gregory
Manufacturer: Timber Press, Incorporated
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Japanese Maples
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ASIN: 0881927996

Book Description

The Timber Press Pocket Guide to Japanese Maples describes and illustrates 300 of the most widely available Japanese maples in North America and Europe. Along with basic information on cultivation and maintenance, it provides lists of trees for specific landscape uses, enabling gardeners to select the best trees for various garden conditions. Fifty newer cultivars are presented, including four outstanding trees that are expected to become very popular in the near future. The guide is a valuable complement to the 3rd edition of J. D. Vertrees' Japanese Maples (updated in 2001 by Peter Gregory). Its handy format makes it an ideal reference for taking to the nursery or garden center.

Customer Reviews:

Handy for arborists and horticulturalists.......2007-06-10

Small brief and compact but very detailed synopsis of the about 300 cultivar. Useful for taking to the nursery or when you go to gardens with cultivar. Well illustrated and designed for quick reference.

Excellent Resource for Acer Palmatum Lovers!!.......2007-05-27

This is an excellent companion, for any lover of Japanese Maples, to the Hardcover volume, "Japanese Maples" and it is transportable and can be used as a reference on the go. The descriptions and photos are spot on and it's organized by landscape purpose, location and size. It also includes 50 new cultivars. I would strongly recommend it.

The Tomato Crop: A scientific basis for improvement (World Crop)

Average customer rating:

The Tomato Crop: A scientific basis for improvement (World Crop)

Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Qualifying Textbooks - Spring 2007 | Stores | Books
ASIN: 0412251205

Average customer rating:

Well worth the modest price
teaches you to see
this book is worthless
Detailed Tree ID
Does not contain Western USA trees

Tree Identification
George W. Symonds , and Stephen V. Chelminsky
Manufacturer: Collins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Similar Items:

The Shrub Identification Book: The Visual Method for the Practical Identification of Shrubs, Including Woody Vines and Ground Covers
Tree Finder: A Manual for the Identification of Trees by Their Leaves (Nature Study Guides)
Winter Tree Finder (Nature Study Guides)
The Illustrated Book of Trees: The Comprehensive Field Guide to More Than 250 Trees of Eastern North America
Instant Guide to Trees

ASIN: 0688050395

Book Description

A new method for the practical identification and recognition of trees -- and an important supplement to existing botanical methods.

The book is in two parts: Pictorial Keys and Master Pages. The Keys are designed for easy visual comparison of details which look alike, narrowing the identification of a tree to one of a small group -- the family or genus.

Then, in the Master Pages, the species of the tree is determined, with similar details placed together to highlight differences within the family group, thus eliminating all other possibilities. The details of the Oak trees on this plate are an example of the system.

All of the more than 1500 photographs were made specifically for use in this book and were taken either in the field or of carefully collected specimens. Where possible, details such as leaves, fruit, etc., appear in actual size, or in the same scale.

Customer Reviews:

Well worth the modest price.......2007-05-10

Having used a number of feild guides with resulting frastration I found this book very useful and well worth the modest price. There is a hardback available for a much higher price that would not have been worth it as a reference tool. But, I was able to quickly narrow the scope of my search for identification of a "mystery" tree in my yard. The species was not in the book, but the genus was and that allowed me to utilize Internet resources to get the exact species nailed down. I also like the fact that the book covers identification from a number of angles - leaves, flowers, fruit, bark, and twigs. As a novice, this was instructive to me. The fact that the pictures are in black and white is not a major draw back inasmuch as they are good quality. It is clearly not a stand alone reference, but is a useful tool, especially when combined with what is now available on the Internet.

teaches you to see.......2006-09-19

This unique book teaches you a skill quickly and painlessly. Tree identification can be complex and confusing. It doesn't matter about color photographs of trees. It doesn't matter if the book can't fit in your backpack. It doesn't matter if the book doesn't look pretty. What does matter is that the book teaches you how to be alert and observant. You will recognize shapes and outlines no matter what the season. You will know what to look for. From just reading the first chapter on leaf identification I was able to identify at least a dozen trees in my yard and neighborhood, both the genera and species, effortlessly. This is the type of book where you learn something so that you don't have to carry the book around with you. If you can't identify the tree, you at least know what is important and can look up the information based on your intelligent observations. The book is well organized for maximum acquisition of knowledge and as with any new knowledge, one's world expands and one's mind is opened to creative possibilities and greater empathy with all things living on this earth.

this book is worthless.......2006-08-30

The book is suppose to be a guide to identifying trees by viewing the leaf systems, branches, and bark....it is in black and white, so color, variations, etc are not seen. Therefore, as a identification book, it is worthless. Also, it is a little large for hikers and canoers.

Detailed Tree ID.......2005-09-29

All black & white WITH detailed descriptions.
Could use color and clearer illustrations.

Does not contain Western USA trees.......2004-11-29

I agree with most of the other user comments already posted (ugly book - but handy identifiation process) BUT I must point out something that no on else has said:

THIS BOOK ONLY INCLUDES TREES found in the EASTERN USA.

For those of us that live in the western USA, this book fails miserably.

Conifers for Gardens: An Illustrated Encyclopedia

Average customer rating:

Conifers for Gardens
Best Conifer Book for American Gardens
midrange

Conifers for Gardens: An Illustrated Encyclopedia
Richard L. Bitner
Manufacturer: Timber Press, Incorporated
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Similar Items:

The Encyclopedia of Grasses for Livable Landscapes
Niwaki: Pruning, Training and Shaping Japanese Garden Trees
Gardening with Conifers
Encyclopedia of Garden Ferns
Rain Gardens: Bringing Water to Life in the Designed Landscape

ASIN: 0881928305

Book Description

Conifers for Gardens is intended to take away the element of uncertainty when you're choosing a plant that may alter your yard for years to come. Profusely illustrated with more than 1,500 crisp photographs and brimming with concise descriptions of both species and their numerous cultivars, this meticulously researched reference provides information — including size, appearance, hardiness, preferred growing conditions and susceptibility to pests and diseases — for almost every hardy conifer you're likely to encounter in the trade, whether it's a tried-and-true favorite or a connoisseur's treasure. So if you've ever been torn between, say, 'Golden Mop', 'Lemon Thread', and 'Sungold' sawara-cypresses, relax — choosing and identifying conifers just got a whole lot easier.

Customer Reviews:

Conifers for Gardens.......2007-06-08

As a home gardener, I found this book extremely helpful. The photographs are beautifully composed, and there is a wealth of information on how the wood from various conifers is used. The comments on how wild critters use the trees are also most interesting. An excellent reference book to keep on my bookshelf.

Best Conifer Book for American Gardens.......2007-06-07

This is the first comprehensive book on American conifers to appear in twenty years. The two volume Van Huey Smith book is almost that old (reprinted with later dates), has minimal text and the photographs are poor. The Bloom book on gardening with conifers is attractive, more recent, has beautiful pictures, but British and, therefore, limited in scope.

This one offers well-organized, thorough info on 1370 species and 1,550 good photographs for choosing garden-worthy selections. It handles ornamental attributes, culture, pests and diseases, value to wildlife (including attractiveness to "hoofed browsers") traditional uses of the wood, and best dwarf cultivars for bonsai, particularly useful to those of us who are downsizing or just want to grow conifers in containers on a small patio or deck.

Ornamental features are illustrated (i.e. most genera have good photos of typical foliage, bark, cones, etc.) along with brief descriptions of available cultivars, their habit, growth rate, distinguishing features, etc., many trees shown in garden settings. Most were photographed in arboreta and public gardens from the NE, mid-W to the NW, Canada, and throughout Germany.

In the appendix are lists of recommendations for specific conditions, a discussion of the qualities one should expect in selecting a holiday tree, lists of specialty conifer nurseries, and places to view conifers in the US, Canada, Britain, and Germany (with website listings.)

The book reads like a series of well-prepared lectures by a knowledgeable instructor. I would enthusiastically recommend it to anyone considering selecting appropriate conifers for gardens, either as a professional landscape architect, garden designer or home gardener.

midrange.......2007-03-21

This is a midrange book in terms of technicality. It's for someone who wants a little more than a basic intro to conifers, but not a technical book in terms of botany and not an extremely extensive encyclopedia. Photos are occasionally lacking, to my taste, but it's still a very useful book to have on the shelf, more useful than many others. I'm enjoying it.

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Gardening with Woodland Plants
Karan Junker
Manufacturer: Timber Press, Incorporated
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

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Perennials: A Gardener's Reference
Encyclopedia of Garden Ferns
Pots in the Garden: Expert Design and Planting
Designing with Succulents
Conifers for Gardens: An Illustrated Encyclopedia

ASIN: 0881928216

Book Description

Woodland plants add magic to any garden, with lush carpets of color, foliage at the middle level, and majestic height. Contrary to myth, large spaces and special soil are not required. Drawing on her own experience running a thriving woodland nursery, the author provides seasoned advice on the unique challenges of woodland gardening, including managing light levels, choosing the right plant for the right place, and achieving the well-balanced soil structure that is often key to growing a variety of woodland plants. Extensive planting suggestions will endow gardeners at all levels of experience with the confidence to experiment, and the extensive plant directory will inspire all gardeners to bring woodland plants into the garden for year-round pleasure.

A Field Guide to Western Trees (Peterson Field Guides: 44)

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Explore a New World
learning at the max

A Field Guide to Western Trees (Peterson Field Guides: 44)
George A. Petrides
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

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A Field Guide to Pacific States Wildflowers: Washington, Oregon, California and adjacent areas (Peterson Field Guides(R))
A Field Guide to Western Birds: A Completely New Guide to Field Marks of All Species Found in North America West of the 100th Meridian and North of Mexico (Peterson Field Guides(R))
A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians (Peterson Field Guides(R))
National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees: Western Region (Audubon Society Field Guide)
A Field Guide to California and Pacific Northwest Forests (Peterson Field Guides(R))

ASIN: 0395904544

Book Description

This newly designed field guide features detailed descriptions of 387 species, arranged in six major groups by visual similarity. The 47 color plates and 5 text drawings show distinctive details needed for identification. Color photographs and 295 color range maps accompany the species descriptions.

Customer Reviews:

Explore a New World.......2006-11-06

I am a birder but always wanted to ID the trees that the birds were perched in. I first took this book out in the field to the Arboretums in San Francisco and Berkeley. I found the book easy to use for IDing native trees. I also took this book with me on a trip to the eastern Sierras and trees that I have previously looked at as "pines" turned into Lodgepole, Mountain Hemlock, Whitebark, Red and White Fir, and Jerrery Pine. It really opened up a new world for me. And naming nature is one way to understanding the wonderfully diverse tree species of the west.

learning at the max.......2000-09-13

this tree book is amazing.while i hate science, this book got me into it. its still not my favorite subject, but now i like it.

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