Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #148676 in Books
• Published on: 1998-08
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 1187 pages

From Library Journal
Serving as an ideal companion to Dirr's Hardy Trees and Shrubs (above), this classic manual offers thorough information on the woody trees and shrubs used in landscaping. Aside from each plant's physical description, there's also an elaboration of hardiness, growth rate, culture, diseases and insects, landscape value, cultivars, and propagation.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

On my short list of best horticultural references
I have a lot of reference books covering landscaping, plant propagation, identification, and disease problems. Dr. Dirr has done a fantastic job of compiling all of this information (and a few welcome opinions) for a couple thousand landscape plants into one consise work.

When I have a question, this book is usually my first stop. Information on common species is very comprehensive. However lesser used landscape plants are covered in an abbreviated manner, which sometimes forces me to find other resources (which are not difficult to locate thanks to the large number of cited references).

The indexes of both common and scientific names make this sizable volume easy to navigate and usable. The glossary and sections on morphology and identification are handy, espically for beginners or those of us who have been out of college for a while! Additionally, the thoughtful layout and readable type size make this manual more usable than other similar books I have encountered.

Dr. Dirr has created an excellent volume which is on my short list of horticultural reference works.

Directory of woody cultivars
In spite of all the accolades heaped upon this directory of woody cultivars it is not without a downside. The sturdy size and thick paper which make it stand up to horticulturally engaged hands make for a clumsy book at home or in the library. Not much thought was given to lay-out and typography, with the wrong font chosen for this lay-out. The style of writing is rather dry and a little wordy. The nurseryman's indifference to spelling shines through often enough to make me ache for a corrector's pencil.

The cover claims "Identification" as a primary function of the book, but all the 'Manual' has to offer here is looking up a supposed identity and making a comparison. Pictorial support is quite limited (usually one line-drawing per species, mostly of a single leaf).

What this book does offer is the chance to quickly look up an unfamiliar cultivar, and this is why reviewers call it a "Bible". Any use beyond that will be a bonus.

Truly the Bible of woody plants for any serious gardener
Whether you're a plant collector or an avid gardener, or both as I am, this book is worth its weight in gold (and it weighs a lot). Dirr's work is indispensable. I like to collect plants, including rare and unusual plants and I like to start woody plants from seed. This manual takes the mystery out of guessing what the plants' needs are and exactly what conditions are required for sowing seeds. I even find myself reading about some old favorites (like American Elm, Sugar Maple, Red Oak, etc.) and learning new things. I've only had this manual for a few weeks and I've already got many pages marked with "stickies" and highlighted many passages and even made notes in the margins. You don't even miss the pictures.
by Marcel Beauchamp, Ottawa Ontario Canada (USDA zone 4)