Customer Reviews

American Rose Society Encyclopedia of Roses : The Definitive A-Z Guide

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have quite a large library of books on roses and I think that this is one of the best I've ever seen and one that I will refer to again and again. 2,000 roses are listed here in an A-Z format and it includes all classes of roses, including the recent David Austin and Romantica introductions. Unlike many rose reference books, this one seems to include roses familiar to us here in the U.S. (although I must note that the authors are British). Each entry includes basic info, like parentage, flower size, flowering habits, height/spread and hardiness. This is followed by a description of the rose and the type of climate it excels in. And, I'm happy to see that the authors have indentified individuals who have roses named after them and explains who they were! This information has always been rather difficult to locate. A photo of the rose is included and, for the most part, they are very good (there are a few that are so-so).

Other notable features are articles and sidebars that deal with the history of the rose, notable hybridizers in the profession and famous nurseries and rose gardens. A brief concluding section covers planting and caring for roses with good demonstration photos.

This is a big book, 448 pages, and one that will be very helpful to refer to when considering a rose.

I consider myself an avid rosarian with a large library of rose books. This is the one I refer to again and again. One thing I particularly like about this book is that they will tell you if a rose has a known weakness, not all books will.

This is a very comprehensive and detailed listings for every type or variety. It eliminated my having to cross reference several books to decide whether a particular rose will work in my garden. This is definitely not for the novice but the experienced rosarian. Not for the generalist either.

I bought three books on roses and rose growing and this is my favorite of the three. It's a bit too big to carry to the nursery but it has loads of pictures and details on specific roses. Wish it had an index at the back by name but other than that, a good resource book that I end up reading at night before falling off to sleep to dream of my rose garden < :

It would be difficult to over praise this excellent encyclopedia. The photography is outstanding; the descriptions of roses intense yet easily understood, and the added features on various rose breeders and their histories are so helpful. The introduction directs the reader on how to use the book to best advantage. Yes, a marvelous book, this first edition of The American Rose Society.

This book is the greatest reference book you can have. There are over 2000 roses described, each with pictures, with everyting you would need to know such as average height and width (and height range based on climate), blooming period, fragrance, any drawbacks the flower has or any disaes susceptibility, and other names the rose is known by.

This is the book to go to if you read about a rose or go to a website with no picture and need to look up the color and size characteristics.

This is THE rose encyclopedia!

I realized when I purchased this book that each year they come out with new roses and some of the ones that I just purchased would not be in the book. But, a lot of my old favorites are there and this book is a real fountain of information for me. Hope they update this book in a couple of years.

Good book!

What a terrific reference. The book is well organized, the pictures are beautiful, and it will be a book that I will depend on constantly in the years to come while building my collection of garden roses.

though not our only guide,it is the first off the shelf when researching a new rose or history of favorites.living in california,we have to add a foot or two to heights,but otherwise this book is most accurate.this last volumne was purchased as a gift;we know it will be very appreciated.

Without a doubt this is my favorite book on Roses. There are numerous wonderful books on Roses - but I NOW could not live without this book. Simply great information such as the size of the rose bloom, whether the particular rose is once-blooming or a repeat-bloomer, strengths and defects, year introduced, etc., such useful and interesting details. From me, a big "Thank You" to Charles and Brigid Quest-Ritson for writing and putting this book together!