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Summary: Excellent book! Especially recommended for Hort. students.
Review: This book has helped me tremendously! I am a horticulture student taking a plant identification class, and often need to see what the whole specimien looks like, not just the leaf or the bud. I use this book in conjunction with the Dirr Woody Plant Manual to get the total picture of each specimen.
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Summary: Invaluable
Review: This book is a priceless addition to the gardeners/landscapers library for various reasons. The write-ups say much with few words...they're even very humorous at times. The pictures are marvellous...giving the reader a good look at several varieties..often those he recommends most. The quality of the paper and binding is also good..I've had this book for a couple of years ...hauling it around everywhere, it's stood up to much abuse. Most importantly.. Mr. Dirr's knowledge in this field get's top marks...& it will help the novice & veteran alike. This book comes highly recommended from an aspiring Garden/Landscape Designer who depends on it more than any other source for accurate tree/shrub information. Will soon be investing in his other books as well.
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Summary: What no one has yet mentioned....
Review: This book is also most up-to-date. Dirr includes many recently introduced species, so it is especially valuable for those of us who seek the unusual in our gardens.
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Summary: Take Dirr's with you when you go to buy trees
Review: This book is the standard for hardy trees and shrubs. It is a pictoral encyclopedia of trees that are hardy and should thrive in the northern half of the USA. This book is well-designed and organized--the author is obviously intelligent and understands the needs of landscapers. The book is alphabetical by genus and species. The text is succinct. Each species has at least one photograph of the plant in the landscape and, usually, close-ups. There are many useful tables at the back that list trees, shrubs, needle evergreens and vines, each by significant features, both design, for example height, flower color, etc., and cultural, for example requirements for moisture, shade, etc. Entries are indexed by both latin and common name.I live in the so-called lower midwest USA (SW Ohio), and I have found the recommendations to be reliable. My only significant variances have been in height, which is difficult to predict and highly variable depending on specific conditions. The midwest with its extremes of temperatures and humidity is challenging, and many plants may not achieve the expected height. But in any case, since I do not coddle plants, I would hesitate to plant anything not recommended by Dirr, thinking it would not be sufficiently hardy to survive in my location. I rely on this text. An important feature is Dirr's thoughtful inclusion of the location of origin of each species. If you favor native plants, this is important information and not always easy to locate. Used in combination with William Cullina's "Native Trees, Shrubs, and Vines", you should have all the information you need. My only complaint is the inclusion of introduced species found to be invasive and disruptive in some environments, such as Lonicera maackii (Amur Honeysuckle) and Berberis thunbergii (Japanese Barberry). I am not demanding "native only" landscaping, but I think it wise to cease using plants that cause damage to the native landscape, for example, Kudzu. Though these sorts of plants are still offerred in the nursery trade, I would hope that a renowned authority such as Michael Dirr, would help lead the move away from plants that, though popular, are actively disruptive in the US. Without "Dirr's Hardy Trees and Shrubs", tree selection would be significantly more difficult, and the chances of failure-to-thrive higher. The information is useful, the pictures are good quality and well reproduced, and the volume (hardback) sturdy and well bound. This is a great reference book for any public library's botanical/horticulture/garden section, as well as for those who need or want to know about selecting trees. It also makes a fine book for anyone simply interested in landscape trees or who values a beautiful, intelligently designed, and interesting book.
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Summary: An Excellent Tree/Shrub Book
Review: This book would appeal to the serious gardener. It contains many lovely photographs of tree/shrub cultivars and useful commentary on each type. Although it does not include every tree or shrub, the standout specimens are covered. This book is an excellent reference. It is THE BOOK many nurseries use to show customers mature specimens. I put off buying it because it was more expensive than many gardening books. Unfortunately, books with numerous photographs usually are expensive. The quality was worth the expense.
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Summary: An absolute must for the gardener, garden designer, etc..
Review: This is a marvelous pictorial encyclopedia of the best woody plants by renowned American horticulturist Michael Dirr. What can I say, but that the book is impressive and the work is impressive. An absolute must for the gardener, garden designer, landscape architect, horticulturist, and plant enthusiast. This lavishly illustrated encyclopedia describes 500 species and 700 cultivars of the best woody plants. Each entry has a color photo of habit and details, bark, flower, fruit, and fall color, and text that describes habit, foliage, leaf characteristics, flower, fruit, bark, culture, potential landscape use, size, and zones of adaptability. This encyclopedia also includes a very useful section that the reader can use to select a plant: "Selecting Plants for Specific Characteristics or Purposes"
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Summary: From a tree fanatic!!
Review: This is an excellent reference with photographs unsurpassed in quality and definition. Dirr's dialog is right on target and he takes enough effort to get you a real sense of the tree/plant prior to your purchase. My only criticism is that he does not always do a great job on available cultivars and their traits. I've also noticed a lack of some of the more exotic plants that will also thrive in the colder climates. If you must only have one reference to go out and purchase trees - THIS IS IT. Provides a great foundation for my tree/bush reference library.
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Summary: Thank God for Michael Dirr
Review: This is possibly the most useful book on trees for the non-specialist in existence (though any arborist or landscape designer worth their salt should, and probably does, have it). Here's why. Alone among books on trees, Dirr provides not only descriptions of the trees, but he offers landscaping assessments. And he is not faint of heart. If he doesn't like a tree, he'll tell you. For example, of the Poplar, he famously wrote, "I have never recommended a Poplar to anyone, at least while conscious." Of the Common Ninebark he comments, "an extremely adaptable plant, perhaps even to nuclear attacks, and once established, requires a bulldozer for removal." But it is when Dirr waxes lyrical about a tree that he loves that he achieves his apotheosis. He introduces one tree with this simple sentence: "I love this tree." He describes a beech forest as "one of the most awe inspiring sight in nature." The Silver Linden is the "Beauty Queen" among Lindens. Of the Maackii Amurensis he writes, "Unheralded and unknown, except in the gardens of the fortunate few." Based on THAT comment, and the pictures of this extraordinary tree, I set out to find one. It took some doing. Now I have an allee of them that was planted 5 years ago. Every time I stroll past them, I thank god for Michael Dirr. I also discovered the Metasequoia Glyptostroboides (Dawn Redwood) here. If anyone reading this can lay their hands on this tree and has room for it - GET IT. Among other extremely useful features are the tree lists included in the back. He has listed trees by size, fruit, flower - you name it. The index lists trees both by their botanical name and their common name. I can not begin to tell you how useful his evaluations are. I have a farm -- 150 acres. And bit by bit I am filling it with trees -- with Dirr's help. Without him I would be lost.
Rating:
Summary: Thank God for Michael Dirr
Review: This is possibly the most useful book on trees for the non-specialist in existence (though any arborist or landscape designer worth their salt should, and probably does, have it). Here's why. Alone among books on trees, Dirr provides not only descriptions of the trees, but he offers landscaping assessments. And he is not faint of heart. If he doesn't like a tree, he'll tell you. For example, of the Poplar, he famously wrote, "I have never recommended a Poplar to anyone, at least while conscious." Of the Common Ninebark he comments, "an extremely adaptable plant, perhaps even to nuclear attacks, and once established, requires a bulldozer for removal." But it is when Dirr waxes lyrical about a tree that he loves that he achieves his apotheosis. He introduces one tree with this simple sentence: "I love this tree." He describes a beech forest as "one of the most awe inspiring sight in nature." The Silver Linden is the "Beauty Queen" among Lindens. Of the Maackii Amurensis he writes, "Unheralded and unknown, except in the gardens of the fortunate few." Based on THAT comment, and the pictures of this extraordinary tree, I set out to find one. It took some doing. Now I have an allee of them that was planted 5 years ago. Every time I stroll past them, I thank god for Michael Dirr. I also discovered the Metasequoia Glyptostroboides (Dawn Redwood) here. If anyone reading this can lay their hands on this tree and has room for it - GET IT. Among other extremely useful features are the tree lists included in the back. He has listed trees by size, fruit, flower - you name it. The index lists trees both by their botanical name and their common name. I can not begin to tell you how useful his evaluations are. I have a farm -- 150 acres. And bit by bit I am filling it with trees -- with Dirr's help. Without him I would be lost.
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Summary: a wonderful guide for home landscapers
Review: This is the guide to hardy trees and shrubs I've been waiting for. I have been collecting and planting very young trees and shrubs on my property for a couple of years now and have been looking for an encyclopedia that lists and illustrates them all. The pictures featured in the book show leaf formation, overall structure and fruits and berries. I have seen the author on television and His passion for the subject seems limitless. I would love to see Him publish a book with instruction on care and propagation of hardy trees and shrubs.
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