The Secret Garden: Dawn to Dusk in the Astonishing Hidden World of the Garden

Customer Reviews:

Great for any of your gardening friends!.......2001-11-28

This is a great Chrstimas present for any of you who have gardening friends. I loved it! It's also a great coffee table book.

Classic Irises And the Men And Women Who Created Them

Average customer rating:

A must have book!
Sheer Beauty

Classic Irises And the Men And Women Who Created Them
Clarence E. Mahan
Manufacturer: Krieger Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
ASIN: 1575242818
Release Date: 2006-11-06

Product Description

Irises are one of the world's most popular garden plants. That was not always so. The story of how several men and women transformed relatively unimpressive iris species into the plants with flowers of diverse forms and colors so beloved by today's gardeners has never been told until now. This book, the first ever written on the history of garden irises, represents years of research in French, British and American primary and secondary sources. It challenges taxonomists' designation of Iris germanica as the type species for genus Iris and the generally accepted status of Iris albicans. It is also the first book containing extensive information on the native iris species of Florida and the deplorable state of taxonomy of these species. This scholarly work was written to appeal to the lay reader as well as to the specialist. Many beautiful and original pictures of irises are included along with pictures of some of those whose stories are told.

Customer Reviews:

A must have book!.......2007-01-29

If you have not gotten a copy of C E Mahan's book "Classic Irises and the Men and Women Who Created Them" Do so. Especially those of us who live in California. If you want to know about the movers and shakers of the
California iris world you get to learn about them here. Phil Edinger, Ben Hager, William Mohr, Sydney Mitchell, and Jennett Dean are all there. (I personally met Ben Hager, actually talked him into speaking at a Fresno Iris Society meeting years ago.) What an honor that was.

There are wonderful photos and prints of flowers gone by. Well written and a joy to read. As the Preface states: "The book is a history of garden irises. It tells the stories of the men and women who transformed iris species into the flowers of myriad forms and color that grow in our gardens today." It actually does more than that. It helps us understand
how this little flower has been kept in gardens all around the world for centuries. It shows the passions of the men and women who loved them and their hard work of ensuring that generations to come would be able to love them as well.

The last chapter, which is dear to the author's heart, is about the "Ghost Irises" of Florida. In this particular case, time is fleeting for these irises, and the knowledge to be gained shall be lost forever.
What am I talking about? Obtain a copy for yourself and see!

"Classic Irises and the Men and Women Who Created Them" is well written by a very knowledgeable gentleman. "Clarence E. Mahan is an internationally recognized authority on Irises" He was president of the AIS Society and still very active in giving programs and lectures. There is no doubt in my mind that this book shall be around for a long time. Thank you CE Mahan for taking the time to save this information and share it with those of us who love Irises.

Sheer Beauty.......2007-01-27

When I slid this book from its packaging, I gasped at its external beauty. One cannot, they say, judge a book by its cover. But it is also said that there is an exception to every rule. Believe me, this is a book that you can judge by its cover. It is, literally, a work of art from beginning to end -- simply magnificent. If you are a lover of irises, I guarantee that the beauty of the illustrations will tear at your heart -- the paintings of Ethel Anson S. Peckham, the outstanding color photographs by Mike Lowe, as well as a variety of artistic renderings selected by the author from his own collection and from other sources. I forgot supper as I scanned the pages and, serendipitously, read passages here and there, but I soon saw that this was a book whose delights, like rich food, should be savored slowly and over time. It is a series of cleverly titled stories intertwining the development of great garden irises with the lives of their developers, all told in the author's uncomplicated but richly informative style. Whether relating the fortunes of French nurserymen during the Terror or a future irisarian's experiences as a boy on the American prairie, Clarence Mahan's narrative is never dull. Quite the contrary; in the remarkable depth and extent of its scholarship, it often reads like a detective story, its findings occasionally spiced by the sly humor for which the author is known among his associates in the iris world. Nor is this a book only for iris lovers. Since the early hybridizers of irises were often collectors, cultivators and purveyors of a wide variety of flowers, the reader is also treated to equally interesting sidelights on the development of roses, peonies, chrysanthemums and other garden favorites. But it is, above all, a tribute to the men and women whose lives resulted in the irises that grace our gardens today.

In the preface, Mr. Mahan says of the persons of whom he writes, " . . . they were not just gardeners. They were also artists. They created beauty by breeding irises." This is a book worthy of its subjects and their work, by an author who is of the same breed.

Legends in the Garden: Who In The World is Nellie Stevens?

Average customer rating:

Legends in the Garden: Who In The World is Nellie Stevens?
Linda L. Copeland , and Allan M. Armitage
Manufacturer: Wings Publishers, LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Ornamental Plants | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Folklore & Mythology | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Horticulture | Agricultural Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 1930897081

Book Description

If you've ever wondered about the people and places immortalized in plant names, this enlightening and entertaining book will provide some answers. Legends in the Garden introduces 46 people and places — some familiar, others unknown — associated with popular garden plants. Rosa 'Burbank' honors Luther Burbank, the "plant wizard" of Santa Rosa. John Champneys and Philippe Noisette, key figures in the development of the rose, gave their names to R. 'Champneys' Pink Cluster' and R. 'Blush Noisette'. But who were Nellie Stevens (Ilex 'Nellie Stevens') and Frances Williams (Hosta sieboldiana 'Frances Williams')? This delightful book combines accounts of the lives of these intriguing characters with descriptions of the plants that bear their names and the stories of their chance discoveries or deliberate breeding.

Average customer rating:

Plant Exploration for Longwood Gardens
Tomasz Anisko
Manufacturer: Timber Press, Incorporated
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Garden Design | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

General | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Nature Writing | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0881927384

Book Description

Longwood Gardens of Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, enjoys a long and distinguished tradition of plant exploration and introduction, dating back to the foundation of its arboretum in 1798. Since the 1950s, 50 such plant-hunting expeditions have taken place on six continents and in some 50 countries. These quests are the subject of Plant Exploration for Longwood Gardens, which tells the stories of the people who participated in what were often arduous but always stimulating adventures and the plants they brought back. Illustrated with 500 photographs, this book provides a complete account of these journeys to the far corners of the world and is sure to be a fascinating read for anyone interested in the history of plant exploration and introduction.

Bonsai: Its Art, Science, History and Philosophy

Average customer rating:

Comprehensive coverage for beginners to experts
A compendium of practical and innovative bonsai techniques.

Bonsai: Its Art, Science, History and Philosophy
Deborah R. Koreshoff
Manufacturer: Timber Press, Incorporated
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Japanese Gardens | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Ornamental Plants | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Shrubs | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0881923893

Book Description

This book is intended to give correct and practical information on the Art of Bonsai. The horticultural and artistic aspects of Bonsai are covered in depth, and the reader is also presented with knowledge of the historical and philosophical aspects of the art.Published at $29.95 Our last copies available at $14.98

Customer Reviews:

Comprehensive coverage for beginners to experts.......2000-06-16

This text was the one i'd been searching for so long. I've purchased a dozen bonsai books over the years and finally found Koreshoff's book. It's straight foreward, simple, and explains so many things i'd been confused about that other bonsai books don't touch on like the philosophical purpose of the shapes of trees. Bottom line is this: you can get many bonsai books and get close to what Koreshoff has done, or you can purchase hers and be done. You won't regret it.

A compendium of practical and innovative bonsai techniques........1998-03-13

With few color photographs but many excellent line drawings and lucid writing, the author covers all the essentials. The techniques presented are both practical and innovative. The chapters on shaping, soil, and styling are exceptional. Only Naka's two volume set rivals this publication.

Average customer rating:

Kew: A History
Ray Desmond
Manufacturer: Harvill Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Reference | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
ASIN: 1860465293
Release Date: 1998-07-02

Book Description

With an Introduction by Sir Ghillean Prance.

This authoritative, illustrated history of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew traces a remarkable evolution over more than two centuries, from the time of Queen Caroline to the present. This is the first history of Kew to make extensive use of the gardens' archives for its research.

Book Description

The Huntington Botanical Gardens in San Marino, California, are a remarkable showcase of exotic plants from all over the world, and this lavishly illustrated volume depicts many of the most unusual and beautiful specimens. The introduction tells the fascinating story of Henry E. Huntington's development, during the first two decades of the twentieth century, from railroad and real-estate magnate to one of Southern California's leading philanthropists, and the transformation of his self-supporting working ranch into a world-class botanical garden.
Today the 206-acre estate comprises fifteen specialized gardens filled with 20,000 different kinds of plants, with as many as 1,800 rose species and cultivars, 1,200 camellia cultivars, and 5,000 cacti and succulents. Themed gardens are devoted to roses, camellias, subtropical, Australian, and jungle plants, as well as palms, bamboo, and water lilies. Especially popular with visitors are the desert and Japanese gardens. The book presents a comprehensive look at these astonishingly diverse plantings, from towering landmark trees to minuscule rare desert succulents, many pictured in the book's 270 color photographs.

Customer Reviews:

Great souvenir and resource for the gardens.......2002-02-02

I visited the Huntington Museum in Pasadena last July not expecting all that much but was most impressed. I particularly enjoyed the scope and variety of their botanical gardens and so bought this book to remind myself of what I'd seen and also to learn more about the background of the gardens and how they came to be.

I was disappointed in no respect. The book provides historical photographs as well as an account of how Henry Huntington both earned his wealth and used it to establish this marvelous place. It goes on to provide sumptuous photographs of all parts of the gardens, covering both what's there and how they were established. Detail on the desert section and the Japanese section (my two favorites) were particularly appreciated. My only quibble is that a chapter on the notable trees is saved for the end, rather than covering the trees along with the location they belong to. This seems rather odd but is a minor note.

All in all, this book is a splendid souvenir and resource for the gardens of Huntington.

This is not a review but a correction........1998-06-14

As author you have listed the photographer instead of the writer. The author should be Walter Houk, as you will discover on the title page.

Average customer rating:

The Plants that Shaped Our Gardens
David Stuart
Manufacturer: Harvard University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

Landscape | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

General | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Landscape | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Ornamental Plants | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Dangerous Garden: The Quest for Plants to Change Our Lives

ASIN: 0674007905

Book Description

Inspiration, happy accidents, and outright obsessions have all had their way with gardens--but nothing has done more to shape the modern garden than plants themselves. In a story that ranges from continent to continent and spans four centuries, botanist and gardener David Stuart reveals how the garden as we know it was created not by garden designers but by ordinary gardeners responding to exotic and novel plants that suggested new spaces, places, and means of display. The history begins with two earth-changing events--the establishment of colonies in the Americas and the spread of the Turkish empire. Both brought the first astonishing wave of flowering exotics to gardens across Europe. Stuart relates how, over the following centuries, the influx of new plants inspired a frenzy of hybridization (at first by a new breed of gardener, the "florist," later by nurserymen), which in turn led to such features as the familiar herbaceous border, flower bed, and rose garden, as well as the now little-known rockery, shrubbery, and "wilderness."

From the Dutch tulip mania, the eighteenth-century European passion for "American gardens," and on to the rhododendron craze of the nineteenth century, Stuart's book traces the shape of the modern garden as it changed with the fashion, returning at last to classic, cottage garden varieties long neglected in favor of the foreign and new. In conclusion, Stuart looks at plant prospecting today--now that the collecting of plants may prove essential to protecting botanical diversity and preserving plant species rapidly disappearing from the wild.

Average customer rating:

Technical but wondrously informative
In Praise of Hallé

In Praise of Plants
Francis Halle
Manufacturer: Timber Press, Incorporated
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Essays | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

General | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

French | Foreign Language Nonfiction | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Nonfiction | French | Foreign Language Books | Specialty Stores | Books

Professional & Technical | French | Foreign Language Books | Specialty Stores | Books

All French Books | French | Foreign Language Books | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0881925500

Book Description

What do we know about plants, really? Through a rich array of examples, many illustrated in the author's elegant and distinctive style, this book offers a new look at botany. This scholarly yet fun book examines the qualities that make plants unique, so different from animals. Experienced in both the academic and in-the-field sides of science, the opinionated Hallé delightfully makes the case that plants differ so profoundly from animals that questions are raised about the meaning of individuality and the nature of life and death.

Customer Reviews:

Technical but wondrously informative.......2003-11-23

It's always a good sign to see that someone has bothered to translate a science book from another language into English. Publishers can usually get some English-language scientist to write a tome on the latest discoveries in a more commercially agreeable manner than putting together a translation. So when the translation appears you know the book is good and/or original in a distinctive way.

In Praise of Plants by botany Professor Emeritus Francis Hallé of the University of Montpellier, France is such a book. However it is by no means a popular treatise; indeed, if you want to get the look and feel of a botany article in a professional journal, this book provides an entire book's worth! The material is technical, detailed, and uncompromisingly professional.

So why has the Timber Press chosen this volume to bring to the English speaking world? Partly because of the international prestige of Hallé, who is an expert on tropical plants; partly because they were able to get a translation by David Lee who is Professor of Biological Sciences at Florida International University; and partly because of the striking nature of Hallé's presentation.

Hallé emphasizes the form of plants and how that form has developed evolutionarily from their need to secure the services of both sun and earth while remaining nearly immobile. There are dozens of line drawings in the book, most by Hallé himself, illustrating the differences between plants and animals with the text explaining why these differences occur. For example, because plants are sessile (attached to the ground) they are symmetrical on the horizontal plane, a tree looking pretty much the same from whatever spot on the ground you view it. However in a vertical sense a plant is very different since its crown is in the air looking at the sun while its roots are in the ground looking for water and minerals. In contrast, animals (I'll just quote Hallé so you'll get a feel for the technical language): "have dorsiventral polarity and anteroposterior and bilateral symmetry." (p. 70)

Fortunately the attractive and sometimes funny drawings help to penetrate the language for this amateur!

Here are some examples of the sort of things you can learn from this book:

At the microscopic level, where gravity is relatively "negligible compared to other forces" like "surface tension, viscosity, friction and Brownian motion," (p. 64) life forms tend toward the round and take on the symmetries we associate with astronomical objects like the sun and Saturn. Hallé gives examples of bacteria, amoebas, diatoms, etc. where "vertical polarity simply does not exist." (p. 64) Science fiction writers take note: creatures living in interstellar dust clouds will be more or less round.

One of the clear homologies (same form) assumed by plants and animals is in "the external (assimilating) surface of a plant and the internal (digestive) surface of an animal." (p. 51) The plant maximizes its surface area to expose as much of it as possible to the sun and the air, while the animal creates folds and such within its alimentary canal so as to provide a large surface area for effective digestion. Hallé notes that plants resemble fractals externally. (p. 52)

The waste products of animals bring forth (to our sensitivities) malodorous compounds as do their decomposing bodies. Hallé explains why this is so on pages 148-151, and why the waste products of plants and their decomposing bodies do not usually offend us; indeed the smell of new mown hay and forest humus or even a compost pile, can be very agreeable. On page 149 he favors us with a drawing of a tree which grows in part upon the waste products of its metabolism stored in its trunk. Next to the tree Hallé has a dog on top of a pile of its excrement, noting that "An animal that stored its excrement would also be capable of becoming very tall."

Hallé's love of plants and his deep respect for them, and his life-long experience in studying them comes through most wonderfully in this fine book. Although technical, it is accessible to amateur botanists and just plain old gardeners and lovers of plants with just a little effort.

In Praise of Hallé.......2003-10-27

[copy of my review for Amazon.co.uk]

Reviewer: Mr P J Stewart from Oxford United Kingdom
The best book on plants I've ever read (and I've been reading about them for more than 40 years). Here at last is a biologist who sees plants for the amazing things they are and not just as something like stationary green animals.
Of the living things that we can see, plants make up the overwhelmingly greater part. They create the grasslands and forests and wetlands and the surface ocean conditions in which most animals live, they stabilize the atmosphere of the whole planet, and they are the ultimate source of almost everything that animals feed on. Yet biology, until its recent lurch into molecular studies, has mostly derived from animal models. Hallé cites many examples, such as the fruitless search for plant hormones and the extension to plants of the doctrine that the lineage of reproductive cells is strictly separate from that of the cells that make up the body of the organism.

Book Description

Tales of the botanist explorers who enriched our gardens.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent history and biography of plant hunters.......2000-11-28

This book is in a way the "Laertus" of botanical explorers, full of information and gossip, descriptions of the historical periods in which the explorations took place, and the technologies and economics driving the field forward. All of this in a great, slightly sarcastic tone that makes it a real page turner.

One note: for the most part, the book only discusses the actual plants in passing...a bit of botanical background might be useful. On the other hand, I'm sure it would be just as good a read without the background knowledge, as the book is more about people than plants.

A fast paced overview of horticultural collecting.......2000-05-23

In the wake of reading ORCHID FEVER, I looked for other books that dealt with the plant hunters -- particularly of the 19th century. What I found was this wonderful book that is even broader in scope, providing a fast paced review of highlights in mankind's never ending task of collecting, naming and growing plants. The author does not try to present only sensationalized material, and doesn't try to be "complete," but instead gives a wonderful and highly readable overview of the field. Highly recommended.

The triumphs and disasters in plant hunting.......1999-09-13

This exciting and in depth book contains excellent information on the many exploits of plant hunters around the world. It recites tales of both failures and successes. The author has a talent for weaving these incredible tales into stories you won't soon forget.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books