Books you may like to hear about

[Tim Ingram]

It is interesting that birds seem to catch the attention so much more than plants when one thinks about conservation. Inevitable, along with animal life in general. It's more difficult to empathise with a plant! But there are not many Gerald Durrell's about, whereas the opportunity to grow and learn about plants in your own garden is so much greater...but there are a couple of books on 'Birds of Paradise' that I have just come across - will I be converted from phytophile to ornithophile? Maybe! I don't think any of my plant books will reach such heights.

[brianw]

If you Google "RHS Encyclopedia Brickell Google books" one link you get is to Google trying presumably to sell you the book/ebook, but if you click on view ebook and then view sample, you seem to get the whole book on screen. Some sample!

http://books.google.co.uk/books/about/RHS_Encyclopedia_of_Plants_and_Flowers.html?id=qyJpSQAACAAJ

[brianw]

Well almost all of it. Seems to miss out odd pages. I don't have the original of this version to know how relevant the missed bits are.

[Tim Ingram]

As someone who likes learning about plants I can't grow (pretty well everything), I have long been fascinated by small ericaceous species like those that Barry Starling is so famed for growing. These seem to be a group that no comprehensive books have been written about, and even dwarf rhododendrons have only been covered by Peter Cox back in the 1970's? Does anyone know of a more recent book? Or if something might be in the pipeline? There must be great interest in these plants in the north and west.

[David Shaw]

I don't know of anything current or in the offing, Tim. I will watch this post with interest to see if anyone can suggest something.

[Paddy Tobin]

Hardy Heathers from the Northern Hemisphere, E. Charles Nelson, Kew Books, HB, £60

From a review of this book:

It may come as a surprise, but heathers seem to be making a comeback in popularity as garden plants. However, Charles Nelson’s book has little to do with these. His interest, as it has been for many years, is in heathers, Calluna, Daboecia and Erica species, growing naturally in the northern hemisphere. This is a monograph for the botanist, ecologist and conservationist though hardly for the general hobby gardener. Distribution, history, conservation, classification and cultivation are covered in detail. Colour photographs, maps and line drawings augment a precisely written and comprehensive text.

[Anthony Darby]

I've met a few hardy Heathers in my time.

[ranunculus]

... And a couple of Erica's, no doubt!!!!!!!!

[Tim Ingram]

One of the first books I bought was Alfred Evans' 'The Peat Garden and its Plants', £2.50 in 1977 from The Landsman's Bookshop' - apparently I still owe 16p for underpayment on postage! This was published in 1974 and perhaps I should still be happy with it - it is really comprehesive and well written. No one today would dare use, or admit to using, peat, apart perhaps from those who still grow these plants well, but this form of gardening is really fascinating especially for those of us who just dream of pyrolas, diapensia, and nomocharis in the garden!

[Paddy Tobin]

Gunter Waldorf's book, "Snowdrops", the English edition,  has arrived in the post. I think it is a very nice addition to snowdrop literature, an excellent introduction to the beginner yet with much of interest for the enthusiast. It has a good selection of the snowdrops we all hold in high regard, those worth their place in any collection and also an extensive selection of the very rare.

[daveyp1970]

Can somebody tell me if there is a book out there that covers the genus muscari?I can't find one in amazon.

[Diane Clement]

Can somebody tell me if there is a book out there that covers the genus muscari?I can't find one in amazon.

not a book, but an excellent on line resource, first published in The Plantfinder: Little Blue Bulbs - a report from the RHS trials on Muscari and related genera.
http://apps.rhs.org.uk/planttrials/TrialReports/Hyacinthaceae%20hardy%202003.pdf

https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/PDFs/Plant-trials-and-awards/Plant-bulletins/hyacinthaceae

[daveyp1970]

not a book, but an excellent on line resource, first published in The Plantfinder: Little Blue Bulbs - a report from the RHS trials on Muscari and related genera.
http://apps.rhs.org.uk/planttrials/TrialReports/Hyacinthaceae%20hardy%202003.pdf

https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/PDFs/Plant-trials-and-awards/Plant-bulletins/hyacinthaceae

Diane thank you so much

[Maggi Young]

A seasonal  offer from Timber Press in the UK: http://www.timberpress.co.uk/

[Maggi Young]

Another Christmas offering:

Dear Sir or Madam,
In the spirit of the Christmas season we offer 15% discount for all orders of  RHS Encyclopedia of Conifers placed during the period from December 10th – January 15th.
Please visit our webpage www.coniferworld.com to order the Encyclopedia.

RHS Encyclopedia of Conifers was published in the fall of 2012 and  has been well accepted by media representatives, conifer and gardening professionals as well as gardening enthusiasts world wide.

Many book reviews were published in different media, like Horticulture Week, The Gardening Times, The Sun as well as many others and we are proud of having so positive feedback.

Please visit our homepage www.coniferworld.com section Reviews&Publications to read some of them.

Wishing Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Sincerely Yours,

Encyclopedia of Conifers