Product Description

Beautifully illustrated with over 130 color photographs, this new, revised edition of the classic text on hydrangeas shows the enormous possibilities offered by the plants, describing 20 new cultivars not in the original edition. The first section provides information on natural history, cultivation, and propagation; the second section describes 100 cultivars, including salient characteristics and even leaf and sepal outlines. The information is highly readable, yet full enough to be used as a guide to identification. It’s easy to see why the book is a classic, and no hydrangea enthusiast will want to be without this new, expanded edition.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #204714 in Books
• Published on: 2005-02-01
• Format: Illustrated
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 176 pages

From Booklist
Introductory chapters deal with the plant's long history, natural distribution, and cultivation (planting, feeding, mulching, pruning, pests and diseases, and propagation). The bulk of the text is a descriptive list of 60 cultivars, offering information on each plant's height, flowering time, and flower and leaf, all in meticulous detail. Each listing has a color photograph and an illustration of leaves and sepals. Concluding is a glossary and a list of public gardens worldwide that feature hydrangeas. George Cohen

Review
"First-rate ... definitive and irresistible tribute to one of America's favorite shrubs."
—Publishers Weekly, May 31, 2004 (Publishers Weekly )

"The book is full of great photographs and discusses propagation, hydrangeas as potted plants, drying the flowers, and lists a full description of the cultivars and species."
—Linda Cobb, Spartanburg Herald-Journal, March 15, 2005 (Spartanburg Herald-Journal )

"Valuable."
—Verlyn Klinkenborg, New York Times, June 6, 2004 (The New York Times )

First-rate ... definitive and irresistible tribute to one of America's favorite shrubs. Publishers Weekly, May 31, 2004 (Publishers Weekly )

The book is full of great photographs and discusses propagation, hydrangeas as potted plants, drying the flowers, and lists a full description of the cultivars and species. Linda Cobb, Spartanburg Herald-Journal, March 15, 2005 (Spartanburg Herald-Journal )

Valuable. Verlyn Klinkenborg, New York Times, June 6, 2004 (The New York Times )

About the Author
Toni Lawson-Hall is a hydrangea aficionado who, with Brian Rothera, built up the National Hydrangea Collection in England. Together they wrote the first edition of Hydrangeas, and Toni has fully revised and extended the work in this new edition. It is the result of her continued personal experience as a National Collection curator and her extensive gardening contacts and worldwide travels.

Brian Rothera is a hydrangea aficionado who, with Toni Lawson-Hall, built up the National Hydrangea Collection in England.

Customer Reviews

A valuable reference for hydrangea lovers
This is the most comprehensive source of information on hydrangeas that I have ever seen. There is detailed advice on every aspect of growing hydrangeas, including soil preparation, watering, and the effects of color in hydrangeas due to soil content. Generous illustrations show the different types of leaves on the various types of hydrangeas. The most valuable part of the book is a section devoting a full page to specific varieties and shows a photo, characteristics in chart format and a detailed narrative description. This book is well worth the price!

Most comprehensive authority on Hydrangeas
This is the best book on hydrangeas in print today. Only one other (Hydrangeas, by Millet) even comes close. Because this book is so well organized, it is extemely easy to learning all about hydrangeas - their botanical structure, the different species and how they grow. One can immediately see the differences between hydrangeas - how large they will get, how large their blooms will be, what colors they might become, and the shape of the bloom. The illustrations are beautiful and leave one dreaming of a garden full of these beauties.

Hydrangeas
I like this book, but don't love it. I would have liked to have more information on an extended variety of Hydrangeas. However, not knowing the species names maybe I misunderstood. It is useful in how to care for, plant, and choose the right plant. I would recommend it for a Hydrangea lover.