Product Description

Trees and shrubs bring permanence and structure to home landscapes, adding character and beauty to the entire property. They can impart an immediate sense of geography; act as background staging for flower gardens, outdoor living spaces, and children’s play areas; and provide cool shadows and privacy from neighbors and passers-by. They are essential to every beautiful yard, yet many homeowners do not give them the attention that flowers and lawns traditionally receive.

Penny O’Sullivan gives trees and shrubs the respect they deserve in her lively, comprehensive book, The Homeowner’s Complete Tree & Shrub Handbook. Woody plants, she maintains, can be the heart and soul of the home landscape plan. Their contribution to the yard might include a springtime canopy of blossoms; colorful, delicious summer fruit; a regal year-round silhouette; rough and rugged bark; or seasonally changing foliage. Their presence is a soothing anchor in the ever-changing environment of a typical yard.

In three sections — design, plant profiles, and care — this handbook covers every essential consideration of tree and shrub gardening. After an introduction to the principles of garden design, O’Sullivan guides readers through tree and shrub selection, with special considerations for owner expectations and growing conditions.

The heart of the book is the extensive encyclopedia of hundreds of tree and shrub portraits. Each profile covers ease of cultivation, availability, history, hardiness, size, growth rate, and special characteristics. O’Sullivan also includes warnings about plants not to grow, such as invasive exotics and disease-prone trees and shrubs.

The final section covers care and maintenance, with thorough advice on buying and planting; siting; pruning; fertilizing; and coping with diseases, pests, and environmental problems.

Adding trees and shrubs to a home landscape can be an expensive proposition. To make their purchases and protect their investment, homeowners will constantly refer to this book for O'Sullivan’s wise advice.

---

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #126752 in Books
• Published on: 2007-10-31
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 408 pages

Review

“A LANDSCAPER'S ENCYCLOPEDIA.  Here's the big, thick book on everything you want to know about trees and shrubs.”

St. Petersburg Times

 

“Most gardeners are practical people who need a lot of information on a lot of issues.  That’s why I really like this down-to-earth 416-page rundown on the ambitious topic of trees and shrubs.”

Harrisburg Patriot-News

 

“The real jewel of this volume is the extensive A-Z directory of nearly 350 trees and shrubs, many offering more than on season of interest.  There is even a handy pronunciation guide for every plant name.”

Library Journal

 

“This book looks great, a true encyclopedia on trees and shrubs and how to select and care for them.”

The Journal-News

 

“…an all-inclusive guide to choosing, planting, and caring for these wonderful woody plants.”

The Journal Inquirer (Manchester, Conn.)

 

“This handbook is a source of inspiration and seasoned advice for making sound choices from the start and maintaining your plants as they develop and grow.”

Lexington Herald-Leader

 

“One problem with garden books that try to say too much about everything is that they often end up saying too little about anything. Happily, this is not the case with The Homeowner’s Complete Tree & Shrub Handbook by garden designer and author Penelope O’Sullivan.”

The American Gardener

 

“A LANDSCAPER'S ENCYCLOPEDIA.  Here's the big, thick book on everything you want to know about trees and shrubs.”

St. Petersburg Times

 

“Most gardeners are practical people who need a lot of information on a lot of issues.  That’s why I really like this down-to-earth 416-page rundown on the ambitious topic of trees and shrubs.”

Harrisburg Patriot-News

 

“The real jewel of this volume is the extensive A-Z directory of nearly 350 trees and shrubs, many offering more than on season of interest.  There is even a handy pronunciation guide for every plant name.”

Library Journal

 

“This book looks great, a true encyclopedia on trees and shrubs and how to select and care for them.”

The Journal-News

 

“…an all-inclusive guide to choosing, planting, and caring for these wonderful woody plants.”

The Journal Inquirer (Manchester, Conn.)

 

“This handbook is a source of inspiration and seasoned advice for making sound choices from the start and maintaining your plants as they develop and grow.”

Lexington Herald-Leader

From the Back Cover
Four-Season Drama for Every Yard

Trees and shrubs frame your property and add a sense of structure to the ever-changing environment of your yard. This comprehensive guide explains the principles and practicalities of bringing magnificent woody plants to every landscape.

• Learn to use basic landscape design theories to select trees and shrubs that complement your property.
• Answer a detailed questionnaire to identify trees and shrubs that suit your needs and preferences.
• Enjoy spring flowers, summer fruits, fall foliage, and winter's bare branches with four-season design suggestions.
• Shop and plant with assurance, choosing woodies from nurseries, home and garden centers, and mail-order sources.
• Find everything you need to know—from planting tips to maintenance advice—to keep plants healthy and happy.
• Browse profiles of 357 reliable trees and shrubs. Each entry features how best to use the plant in your landscape, along with complete growing information.

About the Author
Penny O’Sullivan is the author of numerous gardening books and contributor to many magazines, including Country Gardens, Country Home, Traditional Home, and several Better Homes and Gardens special interest publications. She has a garden design business in New Hampshire.

---

Customer Reviews

The Homeowner's Complete Tree and Shrub Handbook is garden writing at its best. Reserve a spot on your bookshelf.
I am an experienced gardener. This new book by Penelope O'Sullivan is a must have for gardeners. She writes in an easy to read style with lots of information on trees and shrubs that I find very useful. Many of the trees and shrubs discussed are newer selections not found in more typical gardening books, which I find particularly interesting. I love the personal notes and opinions sprinkled throughout the book based on her own experiences with many of the trees and shrubs discussed. She also provides lots of information on use, care and designing which I find informative and I am sure will be especially helpful for people starting their gardens. The photography by Karen Bussolini is superb. If I could only have a small number of gardening books, this book would definitely be one. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in gardens.

Wonderful Reference Book
I checked The Homeowner's Complete Tree and Shrub Handbook out of the library and fifteen minutes into reading it, purchased a copy online. I am a moderately experienced gardener, but have been looking for a guide like this.

The book is huge and is filled with gorgeous photographs by Karen Bussolini.

The author, Penelope O'Sullivan, writes with authority and a passion for trees and shrubs. For example, in "All about Magnolia" she writes: "Beauty and decay dance an endless tango in the garden. What's more poignant than watching magnolia petals unfold soft, smooth, and pure as a baby's cheek, then rot in a late spring frost? I love everything about these trees..."

Part I is about design and was very well done. For example, a photograph depicting form is shown and is further illustrated with lines over the trees and shrubs to make the discussion crystal clear.

The next section is a guide to help choose the best plants for specific landscape conditions. Shrubs and trees are listed for the different conditions.

Next, how to buy plants, how to plant them and care for them properly. Each of these steps is illustrated with clear photographs.

The following chapter discusses how to care for landscape plants. It includes diseases and insect pests.

Finally, 348 trees and shrubs are described and O'Sullivan recommends her favorite cultivars.

This is a book to read though to learn everything about trees and shrubs and a guide to pick the best plants. I plan to bring my book to the nursery to help me select the perfect cultivars for my property.

By the author of the award winning book, Harmonious Environment: Beautify, Detoxify and Energize Your Life, Your Home and Your Planet.

A must-have book for all gardeners
Unlike the previous reviewer, I am not an experienced gardener. More the reason to own Penelope O'Sullivan's book, The Homeownwer's Complete Tree and Shrub Handbook. It is very clearly written, demystifying topics such as garden design, plant care and plant selection. An encyclopedic listing of plants, augmented by the beautiful photograghy of Karen Bussolini, is extremely helpful identifying the exisiting plants on my property and will undoubtedly be indispensible selecting plants for future projects. This is a must have book for anyone interested in gardening.