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That prompted me to go on the internet to find out more. I had purchased a shrub at a local nursery having been told by the owner that it was native and non-invasive.
Just received this book and it is clear and very helpful. I am a novice.
I have scoured websites for information on non-invasive, native plants and find that overwhelming. This book is a user friendly guide.
I know little about gardening. But I want to be responsible in our landscaping.
The shrub was not included in this book. Granted, I found out on the internet that the plant I bought is very invasive and non native but it was this book that prompted my concern.I think this a valuable reference.
This book is a must for landscape architects and anyone involved highway beautification. It is also an excellent book for anyone looking to plant more of our beautiful native plants and eliminate non-natives on their land.Nearly every plant description is paired with a full color photo of the plant in it's natural state. Although this book is primarily designed for the Northeast, it also good for the Southeast and parts of the Midwest.I would only make one suggestion to the author if he gets the chance to do a reprint; please include a section on the nuisance plants - poison ivy, poison sumac, stinging nettle, and the like. They may not be of use to many, but there are many of us that would like to find out more about them.
Further, if learning the Latin names is so darned important, then tell readers how to pronounce the Latin name.I wonder how often the author says, "Oh look, the Odocoileus virginianus have been eating my garden." (That would be whitetail deer). When there is a widely-used common name for a plant or animal, that name should be used, with the scientic name referenced afterwards.
All plant description heading are also primarily in Latin, with small type below the Latin name that indicates the common name. This book has some excellent information, but the author has labeled all photos only in Latin.
The purpose is not to replace common names or show off what a smarty pants you are, as this author appears to be doing. This makes the book much more difficult to use for most people - only professional botanists could possibly benefit from this arrangement.
I have a Masters in Environmental Science, so I am quite accustomed to the role of scientific names. I'm sorry, but referring to a plant as Podophyllum peltatum when you could just say Mayapple is unforgivable.
At any rate, I am in the annoying position of having to jot down the common names under the pictures in the book so I can more easily learn the plants.
This is an absolutely wonderful book on native plants of New England. Also useful was the introduction, which describes the different kinds of plant communities. Almost every plant has a photograph.
Every plant has the zones it will grow in, soil preferred (including moisture - very useful). There's a comprehensive index if you don't know the latin name. It has just about every native plant I've ever heard of, with beautiful pictures, detailed descriptions, useful information.
Incredibly useful.I love how the book is organized - by type of plant (fern, grass, shrub, tree, vine, etc), then by latin name. and the light the plant will tolerate. In addition, it describes the plant attributes, how to propagate, the natural range of the plant, and most plants have specific cultivars picked out as superior, and sometimes what roles the plant plays in the ecosystem.
Also incredibly useful is the set of lists in the back - plants that tolerate wet soil, plants for dry soil, plants that tolerate shade, plants for butterflies and hummingbirds, plants with fruits for birds, plants with fruits for mammals - all organized by the light tolerance of the plant and plant type. There are more detailed reference books out there, but as far as a good reference for the ordinary gardener, with COLOR pictures, this is the best.
Very informative and chocked full of valuable material pertaining to specific types of plants you may desire for your garden. I have only one complaint - the pictures of shrubs and trees show only, in most instances, just the branch containing the leave or flower. I wanted to see pictures of the entire shrub or tree since I desired to observe the fullness or lack thereof of specific species for my garden. In other words, to get an idea how the plant would look when it is in place.
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