Conifers for Gardens

An Illustrated Encyclopedia

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.

Media reviews of this book:

"[A] good place to start educating yourself about these wonderful plants is [this] magnificent new book. ... With this tool, it is possible to find a plant that will fit just about any need and stay in bounds."

—Susan Banks, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, March 1, 2008

"A good base to start from if you are looking for that special conifer for the garden, or for more information on a species or cultivar that you already have. ... This book will appeal to many tree enthusiasts, but most of all to conifer-lovers."

—Tony Kirkham, BBC Gardens, January 2008

"As a planning resource for gardeners confronted with a vast, confusing array of nursery cultivars, this volume will prove itself highly useful. ... Recommended."

—L. F. Lister, Choice, January 2008

"Evergreen conifers are wildly popular, with 1,300 species and varieties currently jostling in the marketplace. But some grow too big and some grow too slow. Which are just right? Conifers for Gardens ... will tell you."

—Carol Stocker, Boston Globe, December 13, 2007

"Any new homeowner or plant lover would welcome a copy as conifers form the backbone of many good landscape designs."

—Marianne Binetti, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, December 6, 2007

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Customer reviews of this book:

"Best book on this subject I've ever seen! My praise to the author."

—Judi S. from Amherst, New York, March 25, 2008

"Best book yet on conifers! I will recommend it in my lectures, here at our conifer nursery and elsewhere. Superb!"

—Samuel J. from Bishop, Georgia, November 8, 2007

"Very informative, great photographs, and very logical organization!"

—Joe M. from Clinton, Delaware, June 12, 2007

An excerpt from this book:

A brief glance into this book and one soon discovers that conifers cannot simply be described as evergreen trees with needles. "Conifer" comes from the Latin meaning "to bear cones." A conifer's seeds are held in its cones. If one shakes a typical cone as it matures and opens, seeds will fall out. Plants that produce seeds encompass most of the plants on earth and are placed into two divisions: angiosperms and gymnosperms. The angiosperms have so-called covered seeds. Think of an apple or a pumpkin, where the seeds are embedded in the fruit. This is the biggest group of plants. Gymnosperms have so-called naked seeds (the word is from the Greek: a gym was once a place to run around naked) ...

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