Product Description

Learn how to prune more than 80 popular plants to get the best display of flowers, foliage, colorful stems, and fruits.

Pruning is probably the area of gardening that causes the most anxiety to the average gardener. Many books add to that anxiety with illustrations that show completely different plants from those in the reader's own garden, or directions that use complex terms without explaining them. In contrast, this plant-by-plant guide demonstrates the correct pruning technique for 80 of the most widely planted trees and shrubs, with photographs and instructions that are so clear they will inspire confidence in even the novice gardener. Read The Pruner's Bible to discover:

o Basic rights and wrongs about making cuts-with information clearly photographed in step-by-step sequence
o What tools to buy and how to look after them-and how to choose the right tool for each job
o What to do with the prunings-the pros and cons of shredding, burning, bagging, and composting
o How to select young trees and shrubs that will grow into well-shaped specimens-with little or no pruning required

Covering shrubs, climbers, roses, and ornamental and fruit trees, with separate sections on hedges, topiary, and special techniques, this outstanding guide will remain a bible of pruning for years to come.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #176244 in Books
• Published on: 2005-04-02
• Released on: 2005-01-27
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

About the Author
STEVE BRADLEY, winner of the 2002 Garden Writers' Guild Award, has been a broadcaster for the BBC and independent television and radio stations, and writes for Garden Monthly, the Royal Horticultural Society's RHS Journal, and the BBC's Gardeners World magazine. He lives in England.

Customer Reviews

How-To Pictures for Each Type of Plant/Tree
This guide to pruning in your home garden is good for beginner and advanced gardener alike. It starts with the basics of why, when, with what tools and how to prune. But the reason I bought it (along with copies for my friends) was that it has for almost every type of plant or tree, a two-page color spread that has a picture of a beautifully pruned specimen (to inspire you toward your goal) and an illustrated diagram of the plant with markings as to where to prune it, along with of course an explanatory but simple narative. I looked at many of the available books on this subject and this is the one to buy. Happy prunning!

A good place to start
I bought this book because I am new to gardening, and the house we bought has a number of shrubs that appear to need some tender loving care. I chose this book because of its clear illustrations and instructions on what time of year to prune different things. I like it, and I like the confidence it's given me to prune in an appropriate manner. But I wish it had a larger basic guidelines section. The book is very specific about types of plants, but of course can't list them all, so I find myself stymied when I have a plant that is not in the book -- they're so specific, so my thinking goes that it must matter how I do this, but there are no easy-to-follow general guidelines for "if your plant is not here" situations. I am happy to have this book in my gardening book collection, but next spring I will look for an additional book that has more information about the plants specifically in my yard.

The only pruning book I need
This is a great book on pruning. It tells you everything you need to know about pruning, by plant, which is a great idea. Look up the plant you want to prune, and it tells you how. Simply, clearly, completely.