Creative Propagation: A Grower's Guide [Illustrated] [Paperback]

Peter Thompson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2001

This comprehensive book covers annuals, perennials, bulbs, trees, shrubs, and conifers, and seems to be as popular among plant enthusiasts as among growers. The author stresses that the key to propagating is understanding how plants behave and then providing optimum conditions.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Before you as a beginner or expert even think of propagating plants this is the book to have for use and in your library for reference."— Joanne S. Carpender, National Gardener, April 2005 (Joanne S. Carpender National Gardener )

"Classic ... Thompson details the fundamentals of how plants work."—Jan Hale Barbo, Santa Fe New Mexican, April 3, 2005 (Jan Hale Barbo Santa Fe New Mexican )

"Without a doubt this book will assist all gardeners who find the propagation of plants a mystery."—John E. Bryan, Gardening Newsletter, March 2005 (John E. Bryan Gardening Newsletter ) --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Book Description

This comprehensive book--which had been op for about a year--covers annuals, perennials, bulbs, trees, shrubs, & conifers, & seems to be as popular among plant enthusiasts as among growers.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 220 pages
• Publisher: Timber Press, Incorporated (July 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 088192251X
• ISBN-13: 978-0881922516
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,304,842 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book, don't leave this one out of your collection., May 15, 1998

By 

Nels Melgaard ([e-mail]) (North Bend, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Creative Propagation: A Grower's Guide (Paperback)

Easy to read and complete. Good size to take in to the feild. This book was suggested to me by the Masters at Mt. SI Bonzai, now Eden Gardens (Barton, Ore.) and has proved to be the the only book needed by us as we began to propagate more and more variety at our Puget Sound area nursery.

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Creative Propagation, August 13, 2000

By 

Sharon Rae Cobbold (Marysville, California United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Creative Propagation: A Grower's Guide (Paperback)

I am a gardener of many years who has tried propagating plants with some luck. This book is wonderful. On my first try last August (1999) I took about 30 azalea cuttings and every one of them "took". My problem now is what do I do with all of them. :) The propagation table at the end of the book (that lists plants alphabetically)is one of the best I've ever seen. It tells if a plant can be started by seed, cutting or divisions and what time of the year is best. I also did some hydrangeas (100% success) and some crepe myrtle (75%). I have already recommended this book to all my gardening friends and I recommend it to anyone who likes to be surrounded with lots of "plant babies". :)

26 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars All the info you need to start propagating plants, October 15, 2000

By 

Fernando Beirão (Santos, SP - BRAZIL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Creative Propagation: A Grower's Guide (Paperback)

I rated this book as four-star for this two reasons:

First, because I cannot understand why this book is printed in special glossy paper, if 80% of it is mostly text. And we know how special paper adds to price and that must be the reason why this book is quite expensive for my taste.

The second reason is that for a book with this price tag, I'd expect a lot more illustrations and maybe some real pictures, instead of drawings.

Now into the the good aspects! This book is solidly written and covers all aspects of plant propagation. From trees to flowers and bulbs, etc...

There is a good section on propagation from cuttings and all the info you need to start growing plants from seeds, which were my main objectives when I bought this book.

The stratification process of seeds in the refrigerator is also covered, as well as there are some very useful instructions about how should we properly long-term store our own seeds.

As someone said before, there is a very handy chart by the end of the book, with plenty of useful information on the propagation of most of the plants you'd ever think of propagating.

As I said before, I think this book is a bit expensive and not as illustrated as I wish it was, but overall I think it is a good investment for people interested in propagating plants.

It is the kind of complete book that you will keep in your shelf and go search for answers when more doubts arise, as you get more experienced in this loving art.

If you just want to propagate some plants or maybe grow some seeds, I'd also suggest Alan Toogood's book on growing, which is more simple than this one, but on the other hand has plenty of pictures and may be easier for a beginner to follow.