Variegated Trees and Shrubs: The Illustrated Encyclopedia
One could say this book is an appreciation of the non-green. It is an excellent encyclopedia ... in fact, superlative.
Virginia Master Gardeners Association Report
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.
- Format: Hardcover
- Pages: 340 pp.
- Book dimensions: 8½ x 11 in. (215 x 280 mm.)
- Images: 762 color photos
- ISBN-10: 0881926493
- ISBN-13: 9780881926491
Media reviews
"Sure to tempt even the most diehard of gardeners."
—Valerie Easton, Seattle Times
"This is a well-written book worthy of placement in any lbrary."
—James H. Flynn Jr., American Reference Books Annual
"Recommended for public libraries, for academic libraries collecting in the areas of botany or related fields, and for individual gardening enthusiasts."
—Courtney Greene, E-Streams
"One could say this book is an appreciation of the non-green. It is an excellent encyclopedia ... in fact, superlative."
—George Graine, Virginia Master Gardeners Association Report
"As a guide to garden lovers, this publication should succeed in introducing new ideas and further thought into peoples' minds so that gardeners and landscape designers could in the future include a wider colour variation within gardens by using variegated foliage."
—Michael Hickson, International Dendrology Society Yearbook
"This gorgeous guide is highly recommended for all garden and landscape collections."
—Lawrence Looks at Books
"The encyclopedia contains gorgeous photos of each plant featured ... Adding this book to your library is a good idea if you plan to experiment with variegated plants."
—Jean Starr, Munster (IN) Times
"Like all Timber Press books this is a handsome and sturdy volume, equally at home on the reference shelf or the coffee table."
—David Papayanopulos, Gardener's Gazette
"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
"More than 760 color photographs complete this striking book."
—Michigan Gardener
"Variegated plants can offer spots of golden sunshine, shimmering silver and bold burgundy amid the sea of green ... Covering the spectrum of woody plants, this beautifully photographed volume expands the list of variegates beyond hostas and other ephemerals."
—Des Moines News
"Its hard to find fault with this lovingly assembled and comprehensive book. The enthusiasm the author feels for his subject is evident throughout the text and constantly enlivens it."
—Jean S. Wexler, Vineyard Gazette
"Thanks to Ronald Houtman and his new book,Variegated Trees and Shrubs, we now have a reference guide that will give us the colors and textures that we thought we could not live without."
—Mark T. Govan, "Florida Gardening" WFLA 970 AM
"It is the perfect tool that you need to help you spice up your garden this fall."
—Linda Cobb, "In the Garden", WSPA-TV
"The work is not only definitive, but attractive with its large size, glossy pages, and hundreds of fine, useful color photographs."
—Henry Berry, Midwest Book Review
About the author
Ronald Houtman
Ronald Houtman is currently secretary of the Trials Committee of the Royal Boskoop Horticultural Society (RBHS.) 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.
Dirr's Trees and Shrubs for Warm Climates
Dirr's Hardy Trees and Shrubs