The one "must have" reference for anyone who gardens with woody plants.
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This bestselling encyclopedia, illustrated with brilliant photographs, describes the best woody plants adapted to cooler climates, showing both habit and details of more than 500 species, and including some 700 additional cultivars and varieties. Brief cultural information is supplied for each plant, as well as Dirr's perceptive comments and opinions.
Media Reviews
If you can't tell your Aesculus parvi ora from your Parrotia persica then this guide to the best woody plants should have pride of place on your shelves.
In making choices for your garden you can’t do better than Dirr’s Hardy Trees and Shrubs . . . [Dirr’s] inimitable style of writing is in high gear – he doesn’t hesitate to trenchantly admire or dislike a subject, and the photographs are both very beautiful and excellently descriptive. This is a must-have reference that can be confidently placed on the coffee–table too.
Though my shelves sag under the weight of books about trees and shrubs, there’s still space for a pictoral encyclopedia that does the subject justice.
A photographic tour-de-force, this is the book Dirr fans have been waiting for. In addiction to the usual opinionated and informative text we have come to expect from Dirr, this encyclopedia of hardy woody plants is illustrated with 1,650 full-color photographs selected by the author from his slide collection. At the end of the book is a useful index of plants grouped by desirable characteristics and cultural requirements.
An excellent reference book and a fine gift for the holidays.
Highly recommended for horticulturists, landscape architects, arboreta, botanical gardens, and all libraries needing a comprehensive reference on woody plants.
Michael Dirr's Manual of Woody Plants had long been the bible of professional horticulturists, but that unillustrated tome can be heavy going for laypeople. Here, Dirr makes his opionated wisdom accessible to all. Most entries can be grown across the U.S.
Fortunately, for all gardeners, Michael Dirr has written this book. We can all benefit from his scholarship and his keen, and I am pleased to say, practical obervations.
Of great use to garden designer in particular, this book will allow them to gain vital insights into the habits, culture and visual impact of many of the trees and shrubs used in northern gardens.
Dirr’s book is an easily read compendium of useful, up-to-date information and instructions for selecting plant materials for anyone interested in growing or utilizing them in the landscape.
Dirr’s illustrated encyclopedia is another in a series of exquisite horticultural and gardening books published by Timber Press.
The ultimate in reference texts about shrubs and trees was released in September. Hardy Trees and Shrubs (Timber Press) by Michael Dirr, one of the nation’s preeminent woody plants experts, sets what should be the standard for plant books. This compendium is in a class by itself for its honest descriptions. Its 490 pages offer a lot of information and there are more than 1,600 full-color photographs. It is a beautiful presentation that will save more than its price by ensuring that whomever receives it will make good plant selections.
Dirr's encyclopedia is an excellent reference book and point of departure for anyone who wants to know more about a particular tree of shrub.
Dirr’s Hardy Trees and Shrubs is a must buy for all who love woody plants, and for most of our plant materials students as well.
Those readers not familiar with Michael Dirr's plant books would do well to make Dirr's Hardy Trees and Shrubs their first.
Dirr’s Hardy Trees and Shrubs is certain to expand the horizons of gardeners formerly content with the handful of shrubs to be found at the local nursery.”
This tome is of a very high standard--its most outstanding feature being the high quality of photographs which have taken the author more than 25 years to accumulate.
The author is to be congratulated on his long years of dedication in accumulating such a wealth of photographs and information. At $69.95 I do not consider this to be too high a price for such an excellent publication.
Dirr's Hardy Trees and Shrubs is an important and valuable reference work which no life sciences library should be without... This book is a classic.
Sit down with Dirr’s Hardy Trees and Shrubs and be gratified by nearly 500 pages of sensational photographs accompanied by clear, smooth, and visceral text... The text and photographs have been meticulously merged into a pure volume that delights the eyes and mind.
Honest, parochial, personal, and glib, Dirr’s Hardy Tress and Shrubs is a trove of beauty and substance.
Dirr's encyclopedia is an excellent reference book and point of departure for anyone who wants to know more about a particular tree or shrub... His respect for the plants is open.
It is with practicalities that Dirr scores most highly, with his combinations of stirring verbal descriptions and excellent photography.
The text and photographs have been meticulously merged into a pure volume that delights the eyes and mind.
Unquestionably one of the most significant books ever published, this lavishly illustrated encyclopedia describes the best woody plants, from Abeliophyllum to Zenobia.
Michael Dirr is the acknowledged authority on American trees and shrubs. His book . . . is a valuable reference.