Product Description

A gardener-friendly guide to growing roses.

Old-fashioned roses are cherished by gardeners for their timeless beauty, strong fragrance and fascinating history. Growing these roses -- along with their hybrids -- offers gardeners an opportunity to bring history to life. It is enormously gratifying to know that the roses blooming in one's garden were first cultivated by the Empress Josephine or were originally used to cover Cleopatra's bed.

Old-fashioned and David Austin Roses communicates the pure romance of old fashioned roses while demystifying the process of growing them. Contents include: - History - Once-flowering old roses - Repeat-flowering old roses - David Austin roses - Cultivation - Landscaping with old roses - Diversions: making rose oil, syrup and more

Each section of the book is organized by species and near hybrids. A concise history introduces the cultivars along with a short description that includes date of origin, growing requirements and interesting historical facts. Straightforward advice for planning and growing includes practical tips for feeding, watering, mulching, deadheading, cutting, pruning and minimizing the effects of pests, diseases and cold weather.

There are landscaping instructions for borders and beds, containers, groundcover, rose shrubs, hedges, the woodland garden and climbers. Finally, a rose cookbook includes recipes for creating such ancient concoctions as rose oil/perfume, rose and rhubarb syrup and rose brandy.

Old-fashioned and David Austin Roses is an accessible and essential reference for novice and experienced gardeners.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #766556 in Books
• Published on: 2004-03-06
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 96 pages

From Booklist
Taylor concentrates on the traditional and ever-popular old-fashioned and David Austin rose families, showcasing single-blooming and repeat-flowering varieties and encouraging gardeners to look beyond roses' inherent mystique. Taylor provides extensive descriptions of suitable cultivars and offer planting ideas and cultural information. A worthy addition to any garden library, exceling with its clear, concise format, detailed descriptions, and superlative color photography. Carol Haggas
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
Entries provide a description of cultivars, and basic historical and growing information. Eye-catching photographs... on every page. -- Kathy Fescemyer, E-Streams 08/2004

Showcasing single-blooming and repeat-flowering varieties... excels with its clear, concise format, detailed descriptions, and superlative color photography. -- Carol Haggas, Booklist / RBB 03/15/2004

Review
A concise and enthusiastic introduction to selecting, cultivating, and landscaping with three broad categories of roses. (Julienne Wood American Reference Books Annual, Volume 36 200408)

Beautiful photographs and an attractive layout render this book appealing to beginners... Recommended for public libraries. (Phillip Oliver Library Journal 20050123)

Entries provide a description of cultivars, and basic historical and growing information. Eye-catching photographs... on every page. (Kathy Fescemyer E-Streams )

Showcasing single-blooming and repeat-flowering varieties... excels with its clear, concise format, detailed descriptions, and superlative color photography. (Carol Haggas Booklist / RBB )

A slim but highly informative and practical guide to the cultivation of rose types. (Beth Botts Chicago Tribune )