5 comments about Botanica's Roses: The Encyclopedia of Roses.

1. WOW! Was I shocked when this huge bundle of joy showed up at my door! I anticipated a lot of pics but holy cow! I was able to use this hummer to identify 2 roses I had scoured other resources for in no time! (So far I only have 40 roses.)

   It is beautifully written and the photos--pure eye candy! I adore roses so it was like giving a gourmet dinner to a starving person.

   Those are the good points. I only have 2 nit-pickies that are hardly worth mentioning because I ADORE this book and recommend it 100% to any and all garden lovers. 1) The Cd-Rom tweeked on my computer--probably because I have version Windows ME..., 2) on the rose descriptions they forgot to share how big the roses would get. They used words like " a medium shrub". I figured that they meant about 5 feet but if you dont know roses its a necessary tid-bit.

   So there. if you are unsure of spending the hefty sum on this book, don't think twice...BUY IT TODAY--And BTW Amazon has it the cheapest. GO ROSE HAPPY!! Do it...you won't be sorry.




2. I looked at the reviews and they where excellent. I bought the book and it has wonderful pictures. However, nobody mentioned that it is for Canada. It has a wonderful picture of Canada and its temperature zones . The difficulty is I live in United States of America. The book is for Canada period. Yes, it is a nice book, but it has to relate to USA, and this book does not. Each flower mentions a zone for growing, it mentions zone 9 numerous times. However, the book says on page 21 "Zones 9-12 do not occur in Canada" ? I tried to relate zones in my Great Western Book to the temperatures of the Canadian zones. Zone 1 in Botanic is not the zone 1 in Great Western, we are comparing Apples to Oranges. Yes I like this book. If I lived in Canada it would be a must. I am very dissapointed that Amazon did not show page 21, the Canadian Termperate Zones, if they had I would never have bought it.



3. It is a beautiful book and if that is what you are looking for this is a great book. However, Amazon forgot to mention this is for Canada. Page 21 displays temperate zones for (CANADA ONLY). Again Page 21 "Zones 9-12 do not occur in Canada"? Many roses in this book are zones 9 and above---what is the temperature of 9 and above????? I live in the USA. ... Its still a beautiful book. Amazon should have made it clear it is a wonderful Canadian Book.



4. At one level it is a coffee table book. Its large format, heavy glossy white paper, and crisp photography all put it up there with the best gardening 'picture books.' At another level it is a reference. Only Modern Roses has more entries - but it costs much more and has few if any photos. And it is the photos that make this book a great one. It may be the best single source of rose photos one can get at any price.
   
   The entries are spare, but there is very little crucial information missing. Virtually every entry indicates whether the rose is vigorous and which diseases it is prone to suffer. When roses fare better in one climate than another, Botanica tells you so. If a rose has fragrance, it says so. If a rose is spindly and lacks adequate foliage or branching, it will usually be indicated in the entry.
   
   The entries have been scrubbed clean of personal bias as one would expect of a good reference. Unfortunately, it is a rosarian's personal connection with a rose that really makes reading about roses fun. Thus, most people who like to read about roses will find Graham Stuart Thomas' Book on roses more engaging, despite the comparative lack of photographs. Most will also find Stirling Macoboy's Ultimate Rose Book more engaging for the same reason. Even Claire Martin's 100 Old Roses and 100 English Roses have a litte more zing.
   
   My interest in growing roses started around the time I picked up The Ultimate Rose Book. And it's still a good one to consider. It may be the closest thing to this book; but the photography in Botanica's roses is more accurate, more colorful, and far more exhaustive.
   
   If one has to choose the first book to get when starting down the path of growing and enjoying roses, this might be the best.



5. This book is worth owning for the photography alone! I own the Australian version (with the relevant 'hardiness zone map') and I recommend that any buyer of this book check the edition they are buying to ensure it is relevant to their location. While most experienced rose growers will have some idea of what will grow where, those seeking to establish roses for the first time will certainly find a relevant locality guide useful.
   
   Roses are beautiful flowers and the plants themselves are fairly drought tolerant: an important consideration for those of us living with ongoing water restrictions.
   
   I bought this book for the photographs as much for the information it contains. Other books will provide rose gardeners with more specialised information. But this is the book to turn to if glorious colour photographs inspire you.
   
   The size and format of the book makes it more a coffee table book than an everyday guide.
   
   If you like roses, you'll love these photographs.
   
   Jennifer Cameron-Smith

No comments about Growing Fruits in Hawaii Also Herbs, Nuts, and Seeds: A How-To Guide for the Gardener.

1 comments about The Ultimate Garden Planner: The Definitive Guide to Designing and Planting a Beautiful Garden.

1. This book's title says it all. Peter McHoy wrote the book (in fact, he has written numerous books) on gardening, but The Ultimate Garden Planner tops the list. Whether you want water features, a rock garden, a formal or an informal garden, or a wildlife-attracting haven, here is your one-stop, step-by-step planner.

   Large color plates on every page illustrate a compendium of outdoor features. McHoy incorporates planting diagrams, cross-section views, and numbered instructions with plant identification.

   The result gives novice and veteran gardeners alike hundreds of choices to adopt outright or adapt for your own particular terrain and needs.

   Two green thumbs up!

1 comments about Ticks Off! Controlling Ticks That Transmit Lyme Disease on Your Property.

1. Ticks Off! Controlling Ticks That Transmit Lyme Disease On Your Property is a practical guide for homeowners and others seeking to control Lyme disease transmitting ticks. Covering personal protection against tick bites, identifying whether blacklegged ticks (deer ticks) exist on one's property, strategies for keeping down infection rates by monitoring and influencing the animals that serve as tick hosts, and more fill this brief yet extraordinarily accessible and practical quick-read resource.

5 comments about Marijuana Flower Forcing: Secrets of Designer Growing.

1. This book simplifies the often confusing subject of indoor growing. Tom seems to know the subject better than other indoor gardening authors. All areas of gardening are covered. I liked the book a lot. A must for the cannabis gardener. I especially liked the historical information.



2. I thought this book was great, it had it pros and cons. Such as, it didn't describe the drying process in great detail, and we all know this is the most important part. all and all it was a good book.



3. Only one page in chapter 4 " Outdoor Growing Tips" that discusses flower forcing techniques outdoors. And,there are only three pages in this "Chapter" !! Lots of good info if you are an indoor grower, but the book did not offer what I was looking for.



4. I just finished this book, and while I am by no means an expert, I've "forced" a few flowers in my time. For the most part the information is good and I did find a few nuggets that I definitely will use (very interesting the part about napthelene), but --sorry Tom-- the writing is stinko! The sentence structure is so poor and "high school" that at times I found myself having to read some sentences over and over again so I could understand what he was talking about! I wasn't stoned reading this, but he may have been stoned writing it. There's constant annoying reiteration of material and I haven't quite figured out if that is intentional or just more poor writing. It's kind've like, "As a said in the last sentence and the last paragraph and the last chapter...blah blah blah." I also found a few direct contradictions with other books that are considered classics and tried-and-true bibles on the subject. Ouch Tom! COOLER temperatures promote females, not hotter! Again, a few very interesting points and techniques, but for the most part information that is better had from other books. I recommend spending ten more bucks and purchasing Indoor Marijuana Horticulture by Jorge Cervantes. A few typos, but the info is excellent, well-researched, well-illustrated, complete and clear.



5. OK, here it is: This book is a waste! Very little new information. It is only 76 pages with many pages with just pictures. (...)

3 comments about Orchid Growing Basics.

1. Received a few good tips on care of orchids A good book to have handy.



2. After reading Susan Orlean's "The Orchid Thief" I became absolutely intrigued by orchids and their culture. Of course I wanted to run right out and buy one but I no clue as to what I would do with the darn thing once I got it home! Then, while browsing the shelves of the NY Botanical Garden's giftshop, I came across this book. I was immediately attracted to the simple cover, and the way the info was presented within: clear, easy, non-intimidating language and photos. I bought the book and a week later bought my first orchid... and my 2nd the following week... and my 3rd & 4th two weeks after that! This book put me completely at ease with orchids - obviously! And, though all 4 were cheap Home Depot purchases that I later discovered to have pretty bad root rot, I'm proud to say that 4 years later 1 of those "starter" plants is still with me and thriving.



3. This book gives decent advice on growing orchids, but unless you want to get into the genealogy of orchids, it may be a bit overwhelming. However, I can imagine that someone who wants to start and orchid farm or have a section of their house devoted to orchids will find this book very helpful. Not really for casual orchid growers.

2 comments about Wildflowers Across America.

1. This book is a keeper. It's a beautiful coffee table book. It has stunning photography of wildflowers and a very nice personal account written by Lady Bird herself.



2. Lady Bird Johnson't words are beautiful. Her love of nature and the cleaning up of Washington DC and the Texas highways are good reading; I could have read for hours. The pictures bring the words to life. This book is a keeper in our library for our duration.

2 comments about Garden Talk: Ask Me Anything.

1. C.Z. Guest has been providing garden knowledge to readers for almost 30 years through her newspaper columns and has finally compiled some of the most common questions into one place. Geared towards the novice gardener, Guest's book is organized (or dis-organized!?) according to season and then, alphabetically. Despite some good basic (very basic) information, the book's lack of flow and sensible organization makes it a disaster to read or to use as a reference. Each "season" section contains varied information that may or may not pertain to that season, and some things appear more than once. For example, annual flowers are discussed under the Winter section because there is the briefest of paragraphs suggesting starting annual flower seeds in the winter, but an annual question also appears in the Spring section. Trying to follow alphabetically within the season is also futile since titles are inconsistent - some plants are discussed specifically while others are grouped together, etc. Thankfully it is fully indexed so you can get a quick look-up by subject. Information provided throughout the book is pretty mundane and something you will most likely know if you have been gardening for any amount of time. Guest's entire comment on daylily in the Spring section is: "You can plant day lilies in the spring or fall since they tolerate a wide range of growing conditions. Some bloomers are better than others, such as 'Happy Returns', a compact 18-inch yellow variety that will bloom all summer long. It is a true yellow and will blend beautifully with other flowers." There is a longer comment on daylilies in the fall section - but there is no indication that the reader should look there for more detailed info. This book may be worthwhile afternoon scan (the library's copy, of course) but does not stand alone as a garden reference guide worthy of the avid gardener's shelf.



2. Contrary to the first review of this book, I ordered it anyway & feel that once you understand the concept of it (what to do each season of the year rather than in general) it can be a great help, especially to beginners. It tends to read like a novel with headings alphabetically arranged in each season. I very much like this book. It would be great for those who like to read the entire book instead of having neat headings for each topic.

No comments about Cuttings from My Garden Notebooks.

3 comments about Indiana Gardener's Guide.

1. Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp, garden columnist for the Indianapolis Star on Sundays and Tom Tyler, past Extension Educator and horticulturist for the Purdue Cooperative Extension Service in Indianapolis collaborated to pick more than 175 ornamental plants that do well in the Hoosier landscape. Detailed information on each plant including the "when, where and how" to plant is included. Although not every plant that does well in Indiana is listed, this book provides a great starting point. A must for long-time Hoosier residents and new arrivals as well!



2. Finally a book for Hoosiers! The pictures are very helpful for beginning gardeners or those who just want to learn plant names. Bought as a gift for someone new to the landscaping field and she loved it!



3. I think this book is very well written and would be a very helpful reference library addition for gardeners' of all levels. It is written clearly and concisely. The pictures actually look like what they are describing. The book deals with those perennials that grow in our state but are also useful for any gardeners in the same growing zones. I have also heard Ms. Meyers-Sharp speak and her talks are just like her written word.