Gardening with Conifers
Adrian Bloom explains how to make the best use of conifers in any garden landscape, large or small, and provides a directory of over 200 of the best cultivars.
First looking closely at their attributes - colour and texture, flowers and cones - Bloom reveals their wide diversity. He describes and illustrates how conifers can be used in the garden, to provide balance and structure, and year-round visual interest and colour - in the form of features, hedges or topiary, planted with heathers, other shrubs and ornamental grasses; or as ground cover; and in different situations such as troughs, screen beds, and rock and alpine gardens. All the practical tips needed for success are provided.
A revised and expanded edition of this highly acclaimed reference. Among the changes is the addition of a foreword by Michael A. Dirr, author of such classics as Dirr's Hardy Trees and Shrubs: An Illustrated Encyclopedia. New content and updates are found in the chapters and sections, 'Why Conifers?', 'The Magic of Conifers', 'A Closer Look at Conifers' and in the detailed practical section, 'Growing Conifers in Your Garden'. This edition also features the author's comprehensively revised Directory of 600 conifers, so current that it includes Wollemia nobilis, a two million-year-old species only recently found and genetically identified, and available at a select few nurseries. 'Conifers that Grow on You' is a new feature, as is the chapter, 'The Mauergarten Story', which chronicles the author's design of the garden at one of Germany's premiere nurseries. Comprehensive in scope and lavishly illustrated, the book includes a directory of more than 600 conifers and expert advice on: * Size and growth rates; * Site and soil preferences; * Planting, maintenance and propagation; * Pruning, pests and diseases; * Dwarf conifers and ground covers; * Conifers in containers, moving conifers and more. Gardening with Conifers is a thorough and beautiful guide to coniferous trees and shrubs of the world available to British and European gardeners. Stunning colour photographs show conifers young and old in a variety of environments, from small gardens to magnificent estates. It reveals the unexpected magic that conifers can bring to every garden and the many roles they can play in creating structure and balance for year-round visual interest and colour.
★★★★★
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