Graceful in habit and lush in bloom, with a sumptuous variety of color and scent, roses are perhaps the most pleasing element in any garden. In Designing with Roses, the remarkable versatility of these plants is at last fully explored. Whether in a mixed border or a pot, a flower garden or kitchen plot, an urban terrace or a rural expanse, Tony Lord dramatically illustrates the rose's potential as an elegant climber, screen, enclosure, and container plant. Offering a careful explanation of the cultural requirements of roses in every situation, he provides expert advice on the optimum methods of planting, feeding, pruning, and spraying. Completing the book are a detailed directory of the best rose varieties for each purpose and site as well as a list of suitable companion plants. A welcome, long-overdue contribution to gardening literature. Tony Lord is an award-winning photographer and horticultural consultant; his previous books include Best Borders and Gardening at Sissinghurst.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
Already known and appreciated for his books on borders and Sissinghurst, Tony Lord reveals yet another area of expertise here in Designing with Roses. A homage to "the queen of flowers," this is also a plea for an end to its misuse, with Lord demonstrating its versatility in borders or pots, on walls and fences, alone or in main or supporting roles. These sweeping concepts are then fleshed out with detailed information on shape, color, scent, foliage, immunity levels, form, and flowering times. He writes for a worldwide audience, taking into account local climates and native plants, and his attention to detail continues beyond the plants themselves. When he looks at pergolas, for instance, he is informative about possible sites, materials, proportions, and construction.
Designing with Roses's well-researched, flowing prose is interspersed with the author's own stunning photographs. It will captivate readers of all levels of expertise, to whom Lord throws out a general challenge to develop a practical aesthetic of roses that balances design with nature. Finally, the bibliography, international list of nurseries, explanation of zones, and invaluable list of strain characteristics leave the reader full of inspiration and equipped with the tools for pursuing the dream. --Fiona Murphy
From Library Journal
The English have always been way ahead of Americans when it comes to using roses in the garden. Granted, not many of us are lucky enough to have as much space as the English for gardening. However, roses, especially the antique varieties, have recently regained great popularity here, and a book on how to integrate them into our gardens is badly needed. Lord (Gardening at Sissinghurst) has written a worthy treatment if readers can take their eyes away from the sumptuous photos accompanying the text. He begins by describing how roses have been used in gardensAfrom the old method of growing roses alone in individual beds to the current practice of using them in mixed borders. He continues with chapters that illustrate a specific use of roses in the garden. The last chapter discusses how roses should be used in wild gardens. Lord concludes with a very helpful list of rose varieties that can be used for specific situations (e.g., fences, walls) and a short list of international rose nurseries. For all gardening collections.APhillip Oliver, Univ. of North Alabama Lib., Florence
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
35 of 35 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
If you love rose-gardening...this is a must-have publication,
By A Customer
This review is from: Designing With Roses (Hardcover)
I received an advance copy of Tony Lord's new book, "Designing with Roses". Besides being a wonderful rose feast for the eyes this 185 page book has some great ideas for various types of gardens and gardening techniques. This versatile offering has chapters lovingly decorated with lush photography of 'Roses for Structure', 'Roses as Punctuation', 'Roses in Mixed Borders' and 'Roses for Wild Gardens'. At the very end of the book is a wonderful listing of roses for special purposes that Mr. Lord describes as Pick of the Bunch. Here is a marvelous grouping of roses for ground covers, bush roses (short & tall), shrub roses, climbing, roses for arcades, pergolas, and catenaries, roses for autumn color, roses for bedding,roses for colored foliage, roses for conservatories, roses for cutting, roses for fences, roses for fragrance, roses for hedges, roses for pillars, roses for shade, roses for standards, and more. Thirteen pages of detailed information listing color, hardiness zone and class. Roses that have received the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit as plants of excellence and easy culture are also indicated. In 185 pages I counted only about 10 pages that didn't have at least one picture on them. There are many double pages of photography that makes you feel as if your face was pressed against a window looking out into a wonderland of roses. Breathtaking close-up photography makes you think you can actually smell these beauties. The Pick of the Bunch alone makes this book a worthy addition to any roseaholic's library. If you are a Consulting Rosarian, these lists make it a lot easier to suggest roses for special purposes when you are asked by other rose growers.
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Gorgeous, Interesting, Inspiring,,
By mtspace "Reader, Cook, Gardener, Critic" (Somewhere in NJ USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Designing With Roses (Hardcover)
Lord is a consummate garden photographer, and here we will find many of his best rose photos. For roses one would use in the landscape, this may be the best source of photos.
In this book he takes us through a kind of history of the way roses have been used in gardens. The nice thing about a history such as this is that we get introduced to a number of old design ideas which today may be out of favor. In some cases they are out of favor for very good reasons - as Lord explains: After WW1 the cost of labor went up significantly. One could no longer afford to have a gardener spend half a day training a long-caned rose onto an onion shaped frame. Yet even the oddest of the old ideas will frequently suggest some interesting or useful contemporary practice. Of the gardening books I own - about 15 shelf feet of them - this may be the one I have spent most time with just reading through. This is high praise, indeed. Any person who wishes to integrate roses into the design of a garden would do well to read this book. It has a lot to say on garden structure and how various roses occupy the diverse structural niches in a garden. It even explains why Christopher Lloyd eschews the rose at his world famous gardens at Great Dixter. Now that is something that every person planning a rose garden must read and understand. The garden: it's not just a bed or roses. Lord helps us understand this.
14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful book,
By
This review is from: Designing With Roses (Hardcover)
This is a wonderful book with gorgeous color photographs of rose gardens that will make you drool. Although most of the gardens are in England, any gardener can gets ideas from this book. It is basically a "coffee table" type book and is one that you can get lost in on a rainy day. I would highly recommend it!
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