Product Description

This is a comprehensive and detailed survey of woody plants undertaken by one of the world's most knowledgeable plantsmen. Thousands of species, their hybrids and cultivars are described in a directory accompanied by practical advice covering planting, cultivation, pruning, propagation and pests, adorned with charming and relevant quotations from other sources. Graham Stuart Thomas discusses the history of shrubs in Britain, their introduction and use at different periods, as well as the value of shrubs in the garden today - for their individual beauty or as a structural part of mixed plantings. The expert information is always related to the interests of the gardener: characteristics such as size, evergreen or deciduous, colour of flower, scent, season of flowering, autumn colour, methods of propagation are all given in an ingenious Line of Facts for easy reference. Lively short descriptions of the characters of each plant help amateurs and professionals alike choose what to grow and what to avoid.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #472668 in Books
• Published on: 2004-05-01
• Format: Illustrated
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 592 pages

Review
"Will inspire all kinds of gardeners from the greenest novice to the expert." Emma Tenant. -- The Spectator "[Graham Stuart Thomas] ... has been turning out books luminous with opinion, humour, and consumate plantsmanship." -- Horticulture "Destined to become a standard work." Anthony Huxley. -- The Garden

The Spectator
"Will inspire all kinds of gardeners from the greenest novice to the expert." Emma Tenant.

The Garden
"Destined to become a standard work." Anthony Huxley.

Customer Reviews

Concise detailed infomation from this master plantsman
If you are a really enthusiastic gardener and you only want the very best then this book is for you. Graham Stuart Thomas is the master plantsman,he writes with real knowledge of his subject in a clear concise way.His chapters on "Working with Colour" and "Practical Points" are real masterpieces of common sense and the main body of the book, the "Alphabetical List of Shrubs" covers all the genera you are ever likely to grow, in Mr.Thomas's own erudite style. The choice of colour photographs concentrates on those subjects which are worth growing in any collection but are rarely featured in most run of the mill gardening books, and they are of course of excellent quality. My only criticism of the book is that it does not contain any of the author's superb botanical illustrations; still we can't have everything!