Product Description

Once the subject of snobbery and derision, variegated plants are now among the more sought-after and collected treasures of garden connoisseurs. Whether marbled, dotted, splashed, or veined, variegated foliage never fails to catch the eye and to add excitement whatever the flowering season. Variegated Trees and Shrubs (which includes woody ground covers and vines as well) fills an important gap in the literature and provides valuable information on selections that provide long-lasting specimen and accent plantings for years of garden pleasure. Written under the sponsorship of the Netherlands' prestigious Royal Boskoop Horticultural Society, this book describes in detail nearly 800 variegated trees, shrubs, and vines available internationally from nurseries. Painstaking in the accuracy of its nomenclature variegated plants are notorious for being misnamed in commerce this volume also includes a scientific discussion of the reasons for variegation as well as an essay on how to design with variegated plants in any garden. More than 760 garden photographs have been assembled from the author's collection and from contributors around the world.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #600947 in Books
• Published on: 2004-08-18
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 340 pages

From Booklist
Not so long ago, variegated leaves were disliked, but no more. Today the passionate attachment gardeners have for yellow spots, colorful stripes, and creamy splashes seems boundless. A plant breeder in the Netherlands and all-around expert in the field of horticulture, Houtman brings a trained eye and keen understanding of variegation to this beautifully illustrated compendium of woody plants. By devoting an entire encyclopedia exclusively to a trove of variegated cultivars and species, Houtman provides professionals and avid gardeners with a stimulating selection of garden specimens to choose from, whether it's a shrub to lighten up a shady area or a stunning tree as one element in an interesting composition with denser green foliage plants. Bevies of plants just starting to show up in nursery catalogs or beginning to appear at garden centers are included here, making Houtman's effort invaluable to anyone needing to stay current. Alice Joyce
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
Sure to tempt even the most diehard of gardeners. Valerie Easton, Seattle Times, September 8, 2004 (Seattle Times )

I practically guarantee that you'll be blissfully overwhelmed by the striking beauty and number of varigated plants from deciduous to evergreen and groundcovers to towering conifers. Up it goes onto my reference shelf. Susan Crittenden, Dig: The Magazine for Northwest Gardeners, May 2005 (Dig: The Magazine for Northwest Gardeners )

This is a well-written book worthy of placement in any lbrary. James H. Flynn Jr., American Reference Books Annual, 2005 (American Reference Books Annual )

About the Author
Ronald Houtman is currently secretary of the Trials Committee of the Royal Boskoop Horticultural Society (RBHS). He grew up in the world-famous nursery village Boskoop, and after his training as a nurseryman he worked for the Dutch firms P. G. Zwijnenburg and Firma C. Esveld. Apart from his work for the RBHS, Houtman serves as a private consultant, breeds new plants, writes and edits catalogs for nurseries, and writes descriptions for plant breeders' rights and patent applications. Houtman is a frequent lecturer and has written numerous articles in journals such as Dendroflora. He has a special interest in Stachyurus and Viburnum.