Best Rose Guide: A Comprehensive Selection [Hardcover]

Roger Phillips (Author), Martyn Rix (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2, 2004

Fresh ideas for selecting and growing the latest roses.

Gardeners are always searching for new roses and better ways to grow them. Best Rose Guide is an up-to-date reference with a wealth of new ideas for selecting and planting the ideal roses.

This authoritative guide covers 850 roses and bridges the divide between scientific texts and everyday horticultural books. The book explains how to identify and understand every type of rose.

Best Rose Guide features:

• Detailed introductions to twenty-four categories of rose including Old Roses, Climbers, Shrubs and Modern Roses
• Expert advice on selecting and growing
• Planting ideas, companion plants and care
• Cross-references, hardiness zones.

Vivid photographs show every rose in exquisite detail. The authoritative text also explains how roses have been cultivated from ancient Roman times to today with fascinating information and the most up-to-date DNA studies.

Featuring the newest rose varieties and the latest techniques and ideas for selecting and growing them, Best Rose Guide is a definitive reference on roses.

(200501)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Phillips and Rix are the coauthors of 25 other books. In this one, 850 of their favorite roses are described and are divided into 25 categories--wild roses, tea roses, climbing roses, floribundas, ramblers, miniatures, and shrub roses, for example. Within each category, the authors offer information on their history and number of species and give a general description of the flowers. Each entry includes the flower's scientific and common name, country of origin, a detailed description of its flowers and leaves, hardiness, flowering times, color, height, and the conditions in which it will perform best. Companion planting is also discussed. The book's "Visual Key" show the characteristics of each group, and a typical example of each is illustrated. The book, with more than 1,000 color photographs, will appeal to any gardeners interested in growing these popular flowers. George Cohen
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

The authors are to be commended for providing a splendid entryway to a vast realm! (HortIdeas 20041222)

Expert information and stunning photography to provide rose-growers with the ultimate guide for understanding, choosing and eventually growing great roses. (John Bagnasco Garden Compass 200411)

Their enthusiasm for the subject shows in the chatty yet informative text... user-friendly. (Mary Jane Smetanka Minneapolis Star Tribune 20050306)

Any flower lover would accumulate knowledge and new respect for this favorite of all flowers... The rose photography is outstanding. (Joanne S. Carpender Newsletter of National Garden Clubs 20041127)

So beautiful and so full of information... 1,300 stunning color photos... the best plants for color, scent, health and vigor. (Mary Cameron Frey Chicago Sun-Times 200510)

Beautiful and definitive... this is a showcase worth having. (Ken Smith London Free Press 20041203)

Erudite and exquisitely beautiful volume... These portraits make fascinating reading. (Carol Bishop Miller Horticulture 200505)

The book, with more than 1000 color photographs, will appeal to any gardeners interested in growing these popular flowers. (George Cohen Booklist 20050123)

Every page... is drenched in the sensuality of this quintessential summer flower (minus the perfume), with gorgeous color photos. (Valerie Easton Seattle Times 200505)

The sort of honest information that gardeners crave. (Peter Sleight Hartford Courant 200506)

A must-read for garenistas with a prejudice against the skinny, no-scent, hybrid tea roses. Read on and dream of spring. (Globe and Mail 20051217)

A thorough guide for rose selection and growing success. (Phoenix Home and Garden 2005)

Gloriously detailed book... vivid color photographs and fascinating anecdotal detail. (Beth Powning Canadian Gardening )

Excellent information on the origins and natural history of the roses as well as their culture, and lavish photographs. (Beth Botts Chicago Tribune )

The illustrations of these varieties are remarkable... Recommended. (D.H. Psister Choice )

Every page has photographs so clear that you can almost sense the scent of roses. (Nancy Burford E-Streams )

Hundreds of sparkling color photos... page after page of colorful enjoyment and entertainment. (Dale Langford Rocky Mountain News )

This authoritative guide covers 850 roses and bridges the divide between scientific texts and everyday horticultural books. (I Can Garden.com )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Firefly Books (October 2, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1552978443
• ISBN-13: 978-1552978443
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #664,716 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good rose selection guide with some limitations, August 29, 2005

By 

W. Oliver (Alabama) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Best Rose Guide: A Comprehensive Selection (Hardcover)

The books by the team of Phillips and Rix are always a treat and this one is no exception. However, it doesn't compare with some of their earlier books (notably, "Quest for the Rose," which is one of the best books of its kind ever published). This one profiles over 850 roses from over 20 classes including the recent David Austin English roses, Romantica roses and Generosa roses. Each rose is given a description and "garden notes" which discusses hardiness and growth characteristics in the garden. Most all are illustrated with nice color photos (typically, many are close-ups - what is so wonderful about "Quest for the Rose" is how the photographs show their complete size so you can get an indea of how they grow in the garden). Most of the roses are photographed in their natural habitat but about half are photographed against white backgrounds. A concluding section, "Roses in the Garden" showcases ten pages of mouth-watering photos of roses growing among other plants, on garden walls, etc.) A glossary and brief tips on rose care are included as well.

I think the book is very nice and I can't think of better qualified experts on the rose. That said, I do think the book has some limitations. First of all, I don't like the way the roses are arranged. Each chapter covers a specific type of rose (i.e. "Hybrid Musk," "Floribunda," "Bourbon," etc.) and about 10 roses are profiled on a two-page facing spread alphabetically. When you turn the page, the roses on the next two pages are presented alphabetically starting over again at "A". The roses seem to be arranged by color but by not presenting the entire chapter alphabetically, it makes it harder to locate a specific rose. Of course, there is an index, but I still don't care for the layout. A few photos also seem to be mislabeled ("Georgetown Tea" for example).

The major limitation of the this book is that it doesn't discuss how the roses grow in various climates. Since the authors are British, I'm sure they selected roses that do fine in England, so gardeners in other climates might need a better selection guide (like the American Rose Society Encyclopedia for example).

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A pretty good rose guide or a guide to pretty good roses, March 7, 2005

By 

Patricia Tryon (Longmont, CO United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Best Rose Guide: A Comprehensive Selection (Hardcover)

Hyperbolic titles generally put me off, especially when it is not clear to what the hyperbole aspires. In this case, one can work out from the introduction that the authors meant to put together a wide catalog of roses they "love or have found memorable or striking for one reason or another". The result might be a comprehensive selection of roses they like, but do not expect a comprehensive guide to roses.

The strengths of this book are its simple overview of rose history and parentage, its multitude of color photos, and concise but informative historical and horticultural notes about each rose. For these reasons alone, the book earns a place on the shelves of rose aficionados.

The Phillips and Rix approach, familiar to readers from their vast number of titles, is what it is: many listings, mostly accurate statements, and a layout that emphasizes quantity rather than quality of photos. Such an approach offers lots of data, but it wants interpreting. This is where I hesitate to recommend this book as a starting place for absolute beginners, who would probably do better with the narrower focus of Philip Harkness in "Reliable Roses". The photos, too, remind one of a rose's appearance, but other references are far better at showing a rose's visual attributes of color, form, and habit.

One of the charms of roses is that a single plant may carry several different monikers. Not here: Phillips and Rix have elected to display only the current name accepted by the rose canon, which I think is a pity. There is no cross-reference, as is included in many rose books, and this will stop some from finding information about a rose they know by another name.

Perhaps if I were to labor at length over the text, I might be able to infer why some roses made the cut and others did not. That Abbaye de Cluny was left out of the little section on Romanticas, for example, stuns me. Likewise, Cupcake (deemed by John Clements to be "one of the most beautiful of all pink miniatures") is shunned. The lovely single, Golden Wings, is ignored. Why? "Too many beautiful roses" might be the answer -- but these are beauties: tough and hardly overplanted. Nevertheless, this pretty book will keep its place, for now, on my shelf as a guide to the roses Phillips and Rix like best.

As you'll notice from the listing, this is a heavy tome: four pounds. I am already becoming mildly concerned about the durability of the sewn binding. Even with careful use and storage, the pages seem to be loosening somewhat.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For the Passionate Rose Lover, November 24, 2004

By 

Greg Speichert "garden guy" (Cedar Lake, IN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Best Rose Guide: A Comprehensive Selection (Hardcover)

Anyone who is passionate about roses can relate to the newest rose encyclopedia out there, Best Rose Guide-A Comprehensive Selection. Authors Roger Phillips and Martyn Rix bring out their love for roses in this new book.
With descriptions of over 850 roses and fantastic photography to go with them, this book is sure not to disappoint.
Phillips and Rix give explanations of each rose group. From where they originated from, to the geneticists who studied them. They then give detailed descriptions of the dozens of different species in each group. There is also separate sections on information concerning rose gardens, hardiness and zones.
Don't be mistaken, you don't have to learn how to grow roses to enjoy this book. This is just the next big book full of information. Whether you are just a rose lover or a long time rose grower, this book is sure to accommodate you in some way.