Garden Plants of Japan
One of those admirable (and sadly all too rare) additions to the literary horticopia that includes solidly useful information without being boring.
The London Independent
Japanese plants have had an unmistakable influence on the gardens of the world. Who can imagine gardens without flowering cherries, hostas, Japanese maples, or magnolias? For all the popularity of these plants in international gardens, however, few gardeners know the full story of Japanese plants — their history and uses in gardens in Japan, their horticultural merits for gardens of all kinds, even the meaning and symbolism of their native names. Now for the first time, a color encyclopedia provides an authoritative overview of the Japanese garden flora. Garden Plants of Japan serves as a manual for horticultural advice, a source of inspiration for armchair gardeners, even a guidebook for travelers to Japan. Sumptuously illustrated, it explores the entire palette of plants cultivated in Japan, carefully noting which plants are authentically Japanese and which are transplants. The selection of plants and the amount of detail and insight are unprecedented.
- Format: Hardcover
- Pages: 440 pp.
- Book dimensions: 8½ x 11 in. (215 x 280 mm.)
- Images: 783 color photos, 2 maps
- ISBN-10: 0881926507
- ISBN-13: 9780881926507
Media reviews
"The authors develop an extensive plant encyclopedia, a kind of guided tour of the plants Japanese gardeners enjoy and, in many cases, revere."
—Marty Ross, Horticulture
"There's something here for everyone intrigued by Japan or by plants."
—Josephine Bridges, Asian Reporter
"Provides an in-depth look at the full palette of Japanese plant material, arranged by category, from trees to mosses."
—Clear Englebert, West Hawaii Today
"Leaf through this detailed volume to be both awed and inspired."
—Rosemarie Papayanopulos, Pullman Daily Evergreen
"[This book] serves as a manual for horticultural advice, a source of inspiration for armchair gardeners, and even a guidebook for travellers to Japan."
—Professional Gardener
"Nothing like it has existed."
—Clear Englebert, FungShway.com
"This attractive, complete, useful reference fully satisfies an interest in the variety of Japanese plants."
—Henry Berry, Midwest Book Review
"Spend an hour with this book, and you'll be wondering why we all don't grow the delicate, fragrant, early-blooming Japanese apricot ... as well as a whole garden's worth of little-known pines, bamboos and flowering cherries."
—Valerie Easton, Seattle Times
"Expertly designed to serve both as a practical manual for gardeners and as an inviting book for browsers."
—Julienne L. Wood, American Reference Books Annual
"This is a handsome book, generously illustrated with excellent color photographs of gardens, garden features and individual plants, both native and exotic."
—Roy Lancaster, Garden (Peterborough)
"They [the authors] have greatly advanced the subject of Japanese horticulture."
—Journal of Japanese Gardening
"This attractive, complete, useful reference fully satisfies an interest in the variety of Japanese plants."
—Henry Berry, Midwest Book Review
"One of those admirable (and sadly all too rare) additions to the literary horticopia that includes solidly useful information without being boring, and beautiful photographs without being banal. All power to its authors, then."
—Christopher Stocks, Independent (London)
About the authors
Ran Levy-Yamamori
Ran Levy-Yamamori received a B.A. in horticulture from Hebrew University and has worked as a field biologist and natural history writer. Currently he writes on nature for various publications in Japan, Europe, and his native Israel, and for several years, he wrote the popular "Flower of the Week" column, which appeared on the front page of The Japan Times' Sunday edition.
Gerard Taaffe
Gerard Taaffe received his horticulture education at National Botanic Gardens in Dublin, the Royal Horticultural Society garden at Wisley, and the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh. He has held several senior positions in horticulture and is currently a freelance landscape gardener and designer who teaches garden design in Japan. He also writes a garden column for The Japan Times.
In the UK or Europe? View this book at TimberPress.co.uk.
The Garden Plants of China
The Jade Garden