Product Description

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #769587 in Books
• Published on: 2006-07-05
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 386 pages

From Booklist
Graham Stuart Thomas' The Old Shrub Roses was first published in 1955, his Shrub Roses of Today appeared in 1962, and his Climbing Roses Old and New came out in 1965. The three books have now been revised and enlarged for this new compiled edition, and new illustrations have been added along with "Notes on the Origin and Evolution of Our Garden Roses," C. C. Hurst's classic essay on the subject written in 1941. Thomas, now 85, is the author of 15 other garden books and garden adviser to Britain's National Trust. In this luxurious book, Thomas lists hundreds of roses, each with the plant's garden forms, varieties, hybrids, the name of the raiser, and the date it was introduced. He describes in detail the plant's leaves, blooms, height, and growing season. But the book is more than just a list of roses; Thomas includes an essay on the appeal of roses, one on old shrub roses, one on wild roses, one on climbers and ramblers, and another on cultivation, pruning, and fragrance. This is truly a comprehensive work on the subject, with 158 color photographs and paintings. Some of the paintings are by the author, as are 21 pencil drawings. George Cohen

Review
"'More than anyone else, Graham Stuart Thomas launched the revival of interest in roses long out of favour.' Henry Mitchell, Washington Post; 'The greatest gardener of our time, perhaps of all time.' Daily Telegraph"

About the Author
Graham Stuart Thomas, who died in April 2003, is revered as one of the greatest gardeners of the twentieth century. His 'unrivalled plantsmanship' brought him the highest horticultural honours and as Gardens Adviser to the National Trust he was directly responsible for the conservation and restoration of many of the finest gardens in England.

Customer Reviews

Excellent Rose Reference Work
This book has turned into my best and most accurate reference on roses, especially historical roses. Graham S. Thomas has given fascinating and thorough information on the development of roses. I have also found his descriptions of many varieties of roses to be supurb and thorough. Gardeners who prefer a more lush and informal style of gardening will also appreciate his information on growing roses as he doesn't carry pruning to the extreme that so many gardening books advise. On the whole, if you are interested in the history of roses and growing Old Garden Roses, you must get this book.

It's Not a Picture Book - But it is Very Good
If you are a rose-lover who lives from show to show, this book is not likely to please. Nor is it likely to be a good book first book for people new to roses. Firstly, it is not a picture book, though it does have some of the best rose photos to be found in books. Secondly it is not about the "hot" roses of today Hybrid Teas, Floribundas, and Miniatures.

Graham Stuart Thomas started out growing such roses, but in his early twenties he was visited by Constance Spry, an Old Rose lover who changed the way he looked at roses. Thomas has spent the rest of his life preserving, promoting, and documenting Old Roses, Shrub Roses, and Climbing Roses. His studies have honed his aesthetic sensibilities. And it is these keen sensibilities that inform this book. We can rely on Thomas to tell us not just the features and history of a rose, but to relate to us how he feels about it. It is this judgement that makes the book extremely valuable.

As we mentioned, the book has a section of one or two hundred photographs and watercolor paintings. These are classic photos, of whole plants. They teach us how the roses will look as garden plants. And as such they are more valuable than a ten thousand photos of single hybrid tea blossoms.

It is easy to recommend this book to anyone who wishes to learn how to choose good, gardenworthy roses that work as landscape plants. Any well-rounded rose grower really should have spent some hours perusing its pages.

Good book for rose historians or other rose gardeners
I love this book, but found it a little daunting when I first unwrapped it. It is not your standard "lots of beautiful pictures" book. There are a few pictures, but they are not particularly good. It is the writing and the information contained that make this book so valuable. I keep it on my bedside table now and browse through it regularly, to read the fascinating histories and yummy descriptions of roses.

One thing that makes this book so excellent is the beautiful writing and the fact that he includes text and information from older rose resources/material that would be difficult to find without going to an extensive library. It is informative and gives detailed histories of old garden roses with descriptions that truly give you a feel for the roses. There is a rich section on propagation and the cultivation of roses, as well, although I found this less interesting than the historical information. I am particularly interested in Moss roses and this book had excellent material relating to the development of this type of rose, as well as all the other categories such as Portlands, Gallicas, Albas, etc. If you are confused by the categories, you cannot find a better source for explaining how these classes are different and how they may have come into being. I highly recommend it for people who are interested in history and development of roses. I have not seen a better book in this category, and I have quite a number of rose books.

If you are fascinated with the history of the rose, you should get this book--I read this time and time again when considering additions to my garden or when I simply want to know more about the old garden roses I grow and get the characterists of the various classes of rose straight in my mind.