Customer Reviews:
RI Master Gardener Advanced Education.......2007-10-17
As the RI Master Gardener Advanced Education Coordinator, I have used this book for two years in workshops delivered to our membership. The "Locator Key" and identification system is easy to use (easier than using the weed identification systems) and the drawings and descriptions are clear. Would recommend to anyone interested in identifying wildflowers or "weeds."
Best Wildflower Guide I Know.......2007-08-14
Because the keys are based on number of petals, this is the easiest identification guide I have. I take it into the field along with the Peterson's guide, which has better illustrations, and cross-check my flowers.
Very Useful.......2007-06-11
In the past, I found field guides to wildflowers very frustrating. I have both A Field Guide to Wildflowers : Northeastern and North-Central North America (Peterson Field Guides)and a Golden Wildflower guide. Because the aforementioned are organized by color first, one has to painstakingly search though all of the illustrations until a probable match is found. This is time consuming, and for me, very difficult, leading to many misidentifications.
Newcomb's Wildflower guide takes a different approach. Created for the non botanist, it begins with flower shape, then leaf location, then leaf shape, until you have a 3 digit numeric key. Next by looking under this key for more detail, you are directed to the right page(s). For me this is wonderful, it takes a little practice, but once you get the hang of it, you find the correct illustration and description quickly without having to page though a multitude of pink or blue or white, etc. flowers.
Admittedly, this system is not for everyone. Many people may like starting with color, but for me this guide is truly useful in the field.
Great guide for beginners and advanced.......2007-05-23
Overall a great book if you are interested in wildflower identification. I wish there were more pictures. Once you learn the coding, it is easy to narrow what you are looking for. I tried identifying a a flower that I already new by using the coding and was able to go directly to it. Using it to identify others you don't know takes a little practice, but it cuts your search time way down.
A Staple for Every Fan of Plants.......2007-03-08
This book is the first to go into a field bag when headed outside. It is an invaluable resource. A great deal of drawings (mostly B/W) that aid in the identification of Northeastern wildflowers. Note: requires a moderate amount of practice and/or knowledge of plants and flowers to be truly effective.
Book Description
This book introduces a revolutionary new concept to gardeners. Planting on roofs and walls began in Europe, but it is now becoming popular all over the world. Green roofs and walls reduce pollution and run-off, and also help insulate and reduce the maintenance needs of buildings. Planting Green Roofs and Living Walls discusses the practical techniques required to make planting on roofs and walls a reality. It describes how roofs may be modified to bear the weight of vegetation, considers the different options for drainage layers and growing media, and lists the plants suitable for different climates and environments. This informative book will encourage gardeners everywhere to consider the enormous benefits to be gained from planting on their roofs and walls.
Customer Reviews:
A serious attempt on a difficult subject.......2007-06-06
I am a big advocate on using plants to create green walls and roofs. They can reduce the urban "heat island" effect and create usable green open spaces. I found this book's discussions on Intensive Green Roof, Extensive Green Roof, , Ecoroof, Brown Roof, etc interesting. This book is a serious attempt on a difficult subject. The color photos inside the book are helpful also.
There are still technical difficulties in using green walls and roofs: water proofing, how to handle the structural weight of large trees, how to integrate large plants with building structure, etc. All these technical discussions are needed, and they could be the subject of another book.
Gang Chen, author of Planting Design Illustrated
Good for Beginners, but..........2007-01-11
Planting Green Roofs and Living Walls is an excellent book for any landscape architect who has not yet designed and detailed either. For myself, the most helpful bit of information was the data collected and presented from various green roofs.
The living wall section on the other hand was thin. There was no mention of the living wall system Patrick Blanc developed which is much more interesting than putting up a wire trellis and planting vines next to it. The other comment i would have is that almost all of the examples are from Europe. We have fabulous examples in the US with more relevant plant materials and weather conditions.
Finally I would say that the authors didn't seem interested in exploring native plant materials and instead focused on a few cookie cutter plants commonly planted all over the northern hemisphere. Not unlike McDonalds.
Nice examples of successful Green Roofs.......2006-11-10
This book is great for those who may have trouble visualizing the possibilities of what you can do with a green roof. There are many examples of what you can grow, and what types of vegetation are suitable. The book is however not very technical about the architectural detailing considerations involved. Some sections and detail drawings would make this book much more valuable as a design resource.
Organic Architecture with Plants .......2004-09-28
Greenroof professionals and enthusiasts alike will be delighted with the easy reading and scope of content offered in "Planting Green Roofs and Living Walls" by Nigel Dunnett and Noël Kingsbury. Very well organized, the book's forte and major value is as an essential resource - especially in terms of plant description, characteristics and specification. It's also a great bargain in that the book is filled with color photos, drawings, charts and reference material. This indispensable hard cover reference guide contains a truly massive collection of appropriate plant information, and perhaps most importantly, extensive plant directories are provided for both greenroofs and façade greening.
Organic Architecture with Plants
Greenroofs, living walls, and various other bio-engineering techniques are introduced and the authors cite the associated benefits and reasons why we should be integrating these measures of organic architecture into our built environments. The authors refer to current international research and technology; background and history are touched on; and benefits and applications of these "ecotechnologies" are discussed at length. Yet, a "How-To Build" book this is not; basic principles are set out and tools for further research are provided.
Benefits at a Range of Scales
The section "Why Build Green Roofs?" explores hard evidence and the various benefits operating at a range of scales from amenity and aesthetic values to economic and environmental aspects. Increased roof life, insulation and energy efficiency, green building assessment and public relations, biodiversity and wildlife value, water management, air pollution, and fire prevention and risks are discussed with supporting evidence.
Although previously well known, the biodiversity and wildlife value of greenroofs is expanded upon here, including the new British models of "brown" or "rubble" greenroofs - those which recreate the thin, infertile landscapes of disturbed brownfield sites. Spontaneous colonization is presented as an important natural occurrence.
A Vast Array of Planting Opportunities
The authors rightly note that "The majority of guides to green roofs and roof greening concentrate on the technical and construction aspects but have relatively little to say about planting opportunities - mainly because most authors are not plant specialists." Well, Noël - a well known writer of plants and gardens, and Nigel - a senior lecturer in the Department of Landscape at the University of Sheffield, most certainly are plant experts, and an entire 47-page chapter is devoted to the wide range of planting opportunities for extensive greenroofs, beyond the ubiquitous albeit hugely successful use of Sedum species.
Prevailing site conditions will always dictate the plant selection, so designers need to know what plant species will not only survive but thrive in extreme local conditions. Desirable physical attributes of plants and how they may be established and managed are presented. Considerations of monocultures, single plant combinations and mixtures, and plant communities are useful as planting design tools. The form and physiology of suitable greenroof plants are nicely covered from a botanical as well as functional and aesthetic perspective. Issues of viewing considerations are pondered and design solutions are offered relating to the roof function and visual criteria. "Methods of vegetation establishment" is particularly detailed and thus extremely valuable. The authors point out, however, that current research is insufficient to show how long each species will live and how each species will interact over the years atop roofs.
The very important aspect of different growing medium properties and functions is addressed in-depth, and comments are provided about particular types of materials, substrate depths, and accompanying vegetative possibilities. Maintenance issues and requirements are briefly noted, touching on feeding, plant protection, drainage, and weeding.
Considerations of Natives and Introduced Species
The unexploited opportunities of testing and using native vegetation are explored, in terms of increasing biodiversity and aesthetic benefits. Regionally native plants should be tested for many reasons, including ecological restoration. Non-native plant species with invasive tendencies can be a problem, therefore careful selection is critical to maintain healthy ecosystems. Yet many introduced species are appropriate, and there are many circumstances where non-natives offer considerable local wildlife value.
Certain natural plant communities and their soil types are explained and presented as an argument for further study as suitable models for successful roof plantings. Trialing of appropriate local plant communities is therefore recommended and encouraged so as ultimately to be able to introduce more natives into the greenroof matrix of plant species.
"The natural habitats of potential roof-greening plants" explores the potential to discover and trial the world's flora found in similar harsh habitats. Mountain, high latitude, coastal, limestone, sclerophyllous woody vegetation, semi-desert environments, and species whose plants are exposed to climatic extremes are regions with potential for testing of new roof greening plants.
The Task Has Just Begun
Philosophy and advice to greenroof plant enthusiasts can be summed up with these reflections by the authors: "With roof greening becoming an important part of the new built environment, it is increasingly important that more attention is paid to sourcing new plant material from habitats in the wild where conditions approximate those on rooftops and other problem urban situations...The task of selecting suitable plant species for roof greening has arguably just begun, and it offers potentially enormous rewards."
They are quick to point out that the globalization of our knowledge base and the ready availability of certain aggressive species can threaten entire ecosystems, and care must be provided to the selection of greenroof environments (just as at ground level) so as to avoid invasive and potentially destructive non-natives or introduced species.
Façade Greening and Living Wall Structures and Surfaces are the final two chapters of the book, offering both visual and ecological climbers, clingers, ramblers and scramblers. New support structures, materials, technologies and details provide practical and interesting information for this older yet equally fascinating design element of green architecture. The authors examine how the design of façade greening can equally disguise unattractive features while at the same time enhance existing surfaces. In either case, education and care are necessary to promote vigorous growth that is supported by a variety of vertical and/or horizontal structures.
At the end of the book, 49 pages are devoted to the Roof-Greening and Façade-Greening Plant Directories, listed by botanical names, common names, cultivars and related species. The horticultural and cultural aspects are presented with definitions and listings of many specific plant characteristics.
A minor grumbling on my part about the book is the absence of identifying greenroof project photo captions for the geographic locations and the building application types. It would be beneficial to know not only where each is located, but also whether the project is commercial, industrial, residential, etc.
A Dovetailing of Living Plants, the Building, and Its Human Users
Whereas Ted Osmundson's excellent 1999 "Roof Gardens: History, Design, and Construction" is considered the bible for the intensive greenroof crowd, Nigel Dunnett and Noel Kingsbury's "Planting Green Roofs and Living Walls" is simply a must have for extensive and intensive greenroofers worldwide.
"Planting Green Roofs and Living Walls" is a comprehensive argument for integrating nature and architecture, and I highly recommend it. It's obvious that Kingsbury and Dunnett are first and foremost dedicated, ecologically minded plantspeople; here, then, is a very important work for those of us in the greenroof industry. ~ Linda S. Velazquez, Publisher Greenroofs.com
Amazon.com
Now that The Year in Trees from the North Carolina State University Arboretum is available in paperback, there's no reason that every American town park designer, landscaper, home gardener, and "plantsman" (a pet term of late coauthor J.C. Raulston) shouldn't have a copy. In her extensive portraits of 150 woody plants (trees, shrubs, and vines), Kim Tripp reveals herself to be a plantsman on a mission. Whether rescuing underappreciated plants like Catalpa from undeserved weed-tree status, introducing readers to nonnative varieties like Korean lilac that have proved easy to grow in the United States, or reintroducing gardeners to "grande dames" like the southern magnolia, Tripp's goal to encourage greater diversity in landscape plantings is in passionate evidence.
The authors risk alienating readers--or at least commercial nursery owners--with their repeated case for variety. In his fine introduction, Raulston writes of gardeners "distracted and mesmerized by the many spring blockbusters" available at the local chain nurseries, whose proprietors tend to ignore less common but often more appropriate and interesting plants in pursuit of easy profit. "Azaleas, azaleas everywhere and no relief in sight!" Tripp writes with exasperation in her portrait of Fothergilla, her suggested alternative to the ubiquitous flowering shrub. Her choices are bold and sometimes antagonistic, but always reasonable and based on rigorous, wide-ranging data collection. The featured plants, arranged into spring, summer, fall, and winter sections, are all shown in one or more color photograph, making The Year in Trees an invaluable reference, not to mention a new classic, for home gardeners. --Liana Fredley
Book Description
Kim Tripp assisted the late J. C. Raulston in his pioneering work on plant testing and introduction at the North Carolina State University Arboretum, and together they produced this collection of 150 exciting trees and shrubs that can bring new interest to gardens throughout the year.Published at $44.95 Our last copies available at $22.49
Customer Reviews:
Recommendations from two experts who really know plants!.......1998-09-03
The world of horticulture was shocked when Dr. Raulston was killed in a car accident almost two years ago. He was known worldwide for his plant expertise and especially for the new plants he brought into the public eye. Kim Tripp honed her craft at Harvard's Arnold Arboretum, so when these two recommend a plant they know what they are talking about! The book is well written and easily to follow season by season. Particularly recommended for serious gardeners.
Book Description
Explains how versatile vines and climbers provide solutions to landscaping problems.
Extensive selection and planting guide presents more than 100 recommended varieties.
Detailed instructions for each variety on siting, support, care, and pruning.
Authoritative information to make every reader an expert on climbing plants.
Eye-catching design.
Customer Reviews:
Growing Vines.......2007-01-10
Vines are one of the most difficult plants to grow. Once they are established, they seem to take care of themselves. But the establishment is the thing. This book starts at the very basics. Helps you pick the vine best for your area and then gives you the all important steps for planting and early care. The vine plant listing is extensive with good photographs to help you make the right selections. Great for the beginner to the seasoned gardener.
Lots of Great Information and Photos, Well Organized.......2002-08-14
All About Vines and Climbers by Ortho has much information on a variety of vines/climbers and is well organized and categorizes them in many ways--zone, type, color, fruits, fragrance, winter appearance, etc. Also offered is planting advice for plants, seeds, cuttings, and pruning advice and where to purchase vines, and different types of structures to grow vines on. Even mentioned are gourd vines!
In the past years, I started to add vines to a giant trellis (an old dilapidated greenhouse that I converted to a giant trellis) as a hobby and I find this book helpful because not all mailorder houses or nurseries carry the many different sorts of vines and so one is often not really sure of what is all available. I was familiar with the major ones, but now I know I can add some great new ones! It is a basic book, but it offers more information compared to a more comprehensive all around book that has a vines' section.
It is so far the best book on vines/climbers that I have read.
Compact and Straightforward.......2000-02-09
This book is great for the beginning vine grower. All of the most common vines are described in detail. Recommendations are given for various climates and growing schemes. I have practically worn my book out from using it so much. What a handy reference!
Customer Reviews:
Unusual, Beautiful, Useful.......2001-03-10
What an unusual book dedicated to those free-spirited plants that ramble, scramble, and twine across our gardens. Very well done with a good balance of information and illustration - a book I pull off the shelf regularly.
Unusual, Beautiful, Useful.......2001-03-10
What an unusual book dedicated to those free-spirited plants that ramble, scramble, and twine across our gardens. Very well done with a good balance of information and illustration - a book I pull off the shelf regularly.
Book Description
Topiary and the Art of Training Plants is a complete guide to the art and craft of creating increasingly popular and surprisingly low-maintenance decorative garden effects.
With clear advice and step-by-step illustrations, this book provides a wealth of ideas, including how to:
sculpt topiary shapes, from balls and pyramids to animals and abstracts, for year-round decorative effect
rejuvenate neglected trees, shrubs and hedges
train fruit trees into espaliers, fans, cordons and festoons
train climbers and twiners to make fragrant, colorful arches and arbors
create patterns for hedges and knot gardens
train plants into standards
shape easy mock topiary for quick results
Topiary and the Art of Training Plants also includes:
garden plans showing how to incorporate topiary into beds, borders and whole gardens
an extensive plant directory
a North American zone map
a directory of North American sources to locate plants suitable for topiary
more than 120 full color photographs and 60 watercolor illustrations.
Beautiful, inspiring and comprehensive,
Topiary and the Art of Training Plants is a practical gardening guide with the information and value to make it a favorite of gardeners everywhere.
Customer Reviews:
Useful & Has Depth.......2004-12-27
David Joyce's book on topiary is well-designed to interest the beginning topiarist, along with those who are more experienced. I've had this book for several years now and I learn something from it every time I refer to it.
I recently used it to try (hack?) my first topiary -- a boxwood bird. Joyce offers dimensions (such as plant size, and height at which to begin cutting), which I imagine would be helpful to those who appreciate precise directions. There are also large and detailed images of different types of topiary, along with sections on espalier and the like. This is a valuable reference in my garden library.
Topiary and the Art of Training Plants.......2000-04-10
As someone who loves the structure of formal gardens and wanting to try to create one on a small scale in my yard, I was very pleased with David Joyce's Topiary and the Art of Training Plants. He assumes his reader has some knowledge of the basics of growing plants, although he does give very general information on preparing beds for topiary plants. The book has sections on the causes and some solutions for established topiary in decline and how to correct a neglected and overgrown hedge. The book explains how to create some shapes in topiary along with step by step illustrations. Regarding hedges, it tells when and how to train widely used hedging plants. The book even relates how to grow pleached screens - training trees with flexible branches. There are sections on creating knot gardens, mazes, and climbers used as screens and canopies. The book gives a directory of a selection of plants for topiary and hedges, along with information on the hardiness, growth, size, maintenance, propagation and problems of these plants. It also lists sources to obtain plants and tools. The book is full of color pictures which will inspire plenty of ideas. It will be a great reference as I design and maintain my own topiary.
Book Description
Describes approx. 560 roses in detail and contains over 160 magnificent colour photographs. It provides cultivation and pruning advice for each main grouping of roses. The book was written by a rose breeder and commercial grower of vast experience and is available in a handy pocket- sized format.
Customer Reviews:
Valuable part of a Rose Book Collection.......2004-09-11
David Austin's Old Roses and English Roses is a gem; a little rough cut but still shimmering due to Austin's clear love of the subject. This book strikes one as being a little rougher still. Some of these roses he clearly loves. Others get perfunctory treatment.
The section on Hybrid Musk roses is very good - with photos of Cornelia and Buff Beauty stealing the show. The section on species roses really manages to make the point that these shrubby roses warrant a place in many naturalistic gardens. And the section on climbing roses is as good a single treatment of climbers as I've seen in one place.
The section on Hybrid Tea roses is the weakest owing to the fairly ugly photos of roses. In some cases the photograph is badly composed; a yellow rose against an orange or tan backdrop. In many cases the rose is perfectly good-looking and the photography crisp and clear. And we come away feeling like we had just eaten at a cheap buffet. Yes it's food. And we got as much as we cared to eat. Yet, one thinks there must certainly be more to good food than this.
Perhaps Austin is doing this to reinforce his point that, compared to shrubby roses hybrid teas are generally much less beautiful . If so he's made his point. In any case, quite a large portion of the hybrid tea roses he's chosen to discuss are still popular almost twenty years after the publication of this book.
Austin is not as lyrical as GS Thomas. And occasionally his narrative wanders a bit. But he has excellent taste and the photographs convey they beauty of the subject. Occasionally, he is even funny: speaking of Rambling Rector: 'Rose names are not expected to amuse, but here we have an exception'
In another review I write that Botannica's Roses may be the only rose book you own, owing to its encyclopedic scope. Yet it seems to me that if one is seeking aesthetic guidance this book and its companion Old Roses and English Roses are among the best to be found. And GS Thomas Rose Book. I have considerably less confidence in the aesthetic judgements of rose writers StateSide.
Product Description
More than 550 woody vines and shrubs native to Florida are covered in this easy-to-use field guide with line drawings and color photos. Useful to professional botanists as well as landscape architects and homeowners.
Customer Reviews:
Review of "The Shrubs and Woody Vines of Florida: A Reference and Field Guide".......2005-08-07
The Shrubs and Woody Vines of Florida: A Reference and Field Guide is an excelent field guide. I recommend it. Great alyour and design. Very informative.
I take my battered copy everywhere........2004-12-01
When I first moved to SW Georgia, this book was recommended to me by a local field researcher. I used it daily trying to identify all the species in my yard and on the hiking trails. It was, and still is, indispensible. I found it to be highly comprehensive, well written and a wonderful aid for landscaping my yard. It is not a key so some knowledge of plant families is handy, but not necessary.
Average customer rating:
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Forest Climbing Plants of West Africa: Diversity, Ecology and Management (Cabi Publishing)
Manufacturer: CABI
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 General
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ASIN: 085199914X |
Book Description
Climbing plants, including lianas, represent a fascinating component of the ecology of tropical forests. This book focuses on the climbing plants of West African forests. Based on original research, it presents information on the flora (including a checklist), diversity (with overviews at
severl levels of integration) ecology (distribution, characteristics in relation to environment, their role in forest ecosystems) and ethnobotany. Forestry aspects, such as their impact on tree growth and development, and the effects of forestry interventions on climbers are also covered.
Customer Reviews:
taylor's guide to groundcovers.......2000-04-17
This is a thorough, clear, concise reference guide to vines and ground covers. Very complete, excellent photos, well organized. I checked it out of the library with several similar books and liked it so much I decided to buy it.
Books:
- Oak Forest Ecosystems: Ecology and Management for Wildlife
- Ozark Wildflowers
- Pacific Coast Fern Finder (Nature Study Guides)
- Palm Reading: A Little Guide to Life's Secrets (Miniature Edition)
- Plant Life Of Kentucky: An Illustrated Guide To The Vascular Flora
- Plants and Empire: Colonial Bioprospecting in the Atlantic World
- Plants Of The Pacific Northwest Coast: Washington, Oregon, British Columbia & Alaska
- Plants of Western Oregon, Washington & British Columbia
- Quercus ilex Ecosystems: Function, Dynamics and Management (Advances in Vegetation Science)
- Respiratory Physiology - Understanding gas exchange
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A Field Guide to Trees and Shrubs: Northeastern and north-central United States and southeastern and south-centralCanada (Peterson Field Guides(R))
A Field Guide to Wildflowers : Northeastern and North-Central North America (Peterson Field Guides)
A Field Guide to Eastern Trees (Peterson Field Guides)
Botany in a Day: The Patterns Method of Plant Identification
Field Guide to the Grasses, Sedges, and Rushes of the Northern United States
