Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4940 in Books
• Published on: 1999-10-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 128 pages

Synopsis
This is a guide for both beginners and more advanced gardeners, in which over 800 woody plants are described. It aims to provide easy-to-follow information on selection, growing, and care.

About the Author
Dr. D.G. Hessayon
Dr D.G. Hessayon's Expert books have made him the world's best-selling author on gardening. Born in Manchester, he was variously a horticulturist research scientist, university lecturer, artist and newspaper editor before launching the Expert series in 1959. In 1999 Dr Hessayon was awarded a Guinness World Record Certificate for being Britain's best-selling living author of the 1990s. He lives in Essex, and has two daughters and four grandchildren.

Excerpted from The Tree and Shrub Expert by D.G. Hessayon. Copyright © 1983. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Gardening styles may come and gardening styles may go, but ornamental trees and shrubs go on for ever. The only living thing which was common to the naturalistic British style of Capability Brown and the formal French style of Le Notre was the use of trees and large shrubs. But this is not a book about the grand gardens of yesterday. It is about the ordinary home gardens of today, ranging in size from tiny plots outside terraced houses to multi-acre estates surrounding stately homes. In both of these there is a place for shrubs, conifers and climbers, and the popularity of these plants has greatly increased in recent years.

There are several reasons for this growth of interest in woody plants. The advent of the garden centre is, of course, a major factor. Once we had to order our shrubs from a nursery – now we can see conifers, trees, climbers and so on all neatly displayed, in full leaf and perhaps in flower, and ready to take home for planting. Planting is no longer a task which must be completed in the cold moths of the year – container-grown shrubs can be planted all year round.

Above all, perhaps, is a much wider understanding of the unique role of trees and shrubs in the garden. The lawns, paths and low-growing flowers form the ground-level pattern. Above them rise the woody plants, the trees, shrubs, conifers and climbers – the upright living framework of the garden. In summer they provide height, colour and fragrance – they give the garden its shape. In winter their role is equally or even more important. When the flower garden has died down, the bare branches of deciduous shrubs and the leaf-bedecked stems of the evergreens ensure that we are looking at a garden border and not a bare plot of ground.

Trees and shrubs have an additional virtue – they are much less trouble than annuals, vegetables, lawns and the herbaceous border. Once fully established there is little to be done – no constant feeding or spraying, no regular dead-heading and staking, no annual planting ritual and no rushing out with the watering can every time the weather turns dry.

The labour-saving aspect of trees and shrubs is well-known – hardly any textbook fails to mention this virtue, but these plants are neither trouble-free nor child’s play. You will need to apply some skill before you even lift a spade. Careful selection is vitally important because woody plants vary greatly in their environmental needs and the size they will eventually reach. Some types will flourish in chalky soil – others will quickly sicken and die. A Hebe may reach less than 1 ft or more than 10 ft – a Pine tree may stay at less than 2 ft or tower 70 ft or more into the sky when mature – it all depends on the variety you have chosen. The golden rule is never buy a tree or shrub on impulse or because it looks so nice and is just about the right size in the garden centre. Much of this book is devoted to a series of A-Z guides – study them carefully before making your choice.

Container-grown specimens are not cheap to buy and once planted they should be regarded as permanent, as many do not take kindly to being moved. So plant them properly, and this does not mean digging a hole and just dropping them in. Chapter 6 provides a simple guide to the proper technique – above all, avoid planting expensive and choice specimens too close together. Selection and planting call for some care, but the established plant needs little attention.

Shrubs and trees bring an air of maturity to the garden. They can provide beautiful flowers, heady fragrance, attractive leaves, eye-catching shapes and colourful bark. There is also a practical aspect – shrubs can reduce the effect of high winds, increase privacy, cut down the weed problem and screen out unsightly objects. They are truly a worthwhile investment, repaying over and over again the money and care bestowed on them.

Customer Reviews

The Tree and Shrub Expert
Another book that I wouldnt know what to do with out it, I have looked to buy many trees in the past that have a great write up but after reading this book it will say; Not for the small garden or shelter fronn winds etc.
A lot of information but also very easy ti understand.
I keep this book very close to hand and have taken it with me to many peoples gardesn to help identify trees.
A must for me when it comes to tree's location and pruning if any.
I had a tree with an unusal bark feature but I soon found the cause.
A must have book for anyone with 1 or more tree's in the garden.

The Tree & Shrub Expert by D G Hessayon
I found this book really helpful with lots of illustrations and easily understood information about lots of trees and shrubs. I managed to identify several of my shrubs that I did not know the name of, from the illustrations, as there are some quite unusual ones there. My only wish would be that the book was in the same format, but dealing with flowering shrubs only and twice as many of them. Overall though an excellent book.

An amateur gardener from Surrey.

Excellent for beginners and experts alike
I borrowed a couple of books in the series a few years ago when we first started our garden. They really are excellent value, and it's much easier to garden with them than without. I've only ever seen them in garden centres so far, so I'm well-chuffed that they've appeared on Amazon. Now I just have to persuade people to give me the ones I want as presents. Wahey!