Product Description

Roses for Small Gardens contains an extraordinary presentation of close-up photographic portraits of the best roses-all available in America-for restricted space gardens. Seasoned gardeners, beginners about to create a first rose garden, and fans of roses as cut flowers will be inspired by photographs of over eighty choice selections of exquisite, life-size rose portraits by Linda Burgess, internationally renowned as the best garden and still-life flower portraitist today.

Not just a beauty pageant, this book is as practical as it is inspirational. And it is the first book to delineate species and designs for growing roses in confined landscapes. Replete with a wealth of sources, there are comprehensive and up-to-date facts about: recently introduced rose types and hybrids, creative ideas for choosing the most suitable varieties and plant shapes, and designing and making the best use of them.

Exciting, essential and authoritative, this book is sure to appeal to gardeners who value roses for their romantic beauty, their color and their scent but who have smaller plots, a busier lifestyle and a more relaxed approach to planting. Inspirational yet practical, it makes rose growing exciting and seductive but shows how simple it can be. Roses for Small Gardens stands alone in the advice it gives on roses for compact outdoor spaces and in the glamorous allure of rose portraits specially photographed by Linda Burgess and described by horticultural expert, Mark Mattock.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2648821 in Books
• Published on: 2004-04-24
• Released on: 2004-04-24
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 160 pages

Review
The rose - a quintessential part of an English garden. Discovered more than 2000 years ago, it has been highly prized ever since for its floral beauty and scent. No longer are gardeners tied to the old hybrid teas and floribundas once so frequently found growing in isolated beds. Today's modern breeding offers ground covers, patio roses, weeping standards and the new repeat-flowering English roses. Disease resistance too is increasingly common, banishing the days of fortnightly spraying against black spot and rust. From the rampant 'Kiftsgate' to the diminutive miniatures, there are roses for every situation and garden plot. Mixed in herbaceous borders, covering arches, growing in pots on the patio, the rose has yet to lose its position in the popularity stakes. Written by renowned rose breeder Mark Mattock, "Roses for the Smaller Garden" highlights these new developments taking place in the rose industry to accommodate today's limited gardening spaces and gardener's busy lifestyles. Beautifully photographed portraits of 80 specific varieties by Linda Burgess give a clue as to why people fall in love with this flower and regularly vote it Britain's favourite plant. This is a refreshing look at one of civilizations oldest flowering plants, giving a modern slant to their myriad uses. Detailed instructions on buying, planting, pruning and aftercare are given in an easy-to-follow form to enable even those previously daunted by the apparent complexities of a rose's care to understand. From designing with roses to their care and propagation, a clear picture is given in this attractive work aimed at beginners and experienced gardeners alike. Hopefully it will inspire those unfamiliar with this centuries-old favourite to give them a place in their gardens.

About the Author
Mark Mattock was formerly a director of Mattocks Roses, one of the leading introducers of new roses in Great Britain. During Mattock's tenure there, Mattock introduced such enduringly popular varieties as "Queen Mother," "Dreaming Spires," and the County series of ground cover roses. Sometime chairman of the British Rose Growers Association, Mark was recently awarded the Silver Medal of the Royal National Rose Society.