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Gardening with Conifers [Paperback]

Adrian Bloom , Richard Bloom
4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)

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Book Description

January 19, 2007

A complete and highly acclaimed reference.

"Magnificently highlighted by more than 250 striking color photographs."
-Booklist

"I strongly recommend Adrian and Richard Bloom's book to anyone looking for a useful guide to planting and using conifers in their garden."
-American Gardener

This is the complete guide to coniferous trees and shrubs that are available to the North American gardener. Stunning color photographs show conifers used in a variety of environments, from small gardens to magnificent estates.

Gardening with Conifers 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 color. Comprehensive in scope and lavishly illustrated, the book includes a directory of more than 600 conifers and offers 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, and more.

Gardeners everywhere will find this to be a valuable and inspiring reference.


Frequently Bought Together

Gardening with Conifers + Designing with Conifers: The Best Choices for Year-Round Interest in Your Garden + Conifers for Gardens: An Illustrated Encyclopedia
Price for all three: $93.51

Buy the selected items together


Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

It would seem that in the realm of garden literature, relatively few books are devoted to conifer gardening; a shame, since few plants rival their variety and versatility. Whether used as companions for other garden plants, massed as privacy screens, or positioned alone for dramatic accent, conifers impart a rich and lustrous element, turning any garden into a veritable tapestry of color and texture. Bloom, a conifer expert with some 35 years experience to his credit, covers virtually every aspect of conifer use and culture in a format accessible to horticulture students and home gardeners alike. In a comprehensive encyclopedia listing more than 600 of the best garden conifers, Bloom concisely analyzes unique features, and offers care tips and critical data on growth dimensions, an important factor in determining proper design and landscape usage. Magnificently highlighted by more than 250 striking color photographs taken by Bloom's son, Richard, including vivid and fascinating close-ups, conifers are showcased in their full glory as richly textured, brilliantly colored, and subtly structured plants deserving of a spot in every garden. Carol Haggas
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

Useful information on combining conifers with other plants in the garden and using them as topidary, as well as ... illustrated descriptions of some of the best conifers make this a valuable addition to a gardening library. A comprehensive guide to the coniferous trees and shrubs available to North American gardeners.

Adrian Bloom is well known for extraordinary knowledge and use of conifers in the landscape ... The photography is awe-inspiring and shows what can be done with careful planning. (Joanne S. Carpender National Gardeners Magazine 2002)

A labor of obsessive love on the part of Adrian Bloom ... It offers useful advice on the care and propagation of this wide family of evergreens. Describes [conifers] color, 10-year height and width, ultimate size, hardiness and more. Use the 250 color photos to help picture conifers in your landscape and Bloom's expert cultural information to grow them successfully.

The photos in this book prove that evergreens don't have to be green or boring. (Marianne Binetti Seattle Post-Intelligencer 2002)

Competently written, sensibly organized, and exquisitely photographed book. (Carol Bishop Miller Horticulture, Gardening at its Best 2002)

Every serious garden book collection should include Gardening with Conifers by Adrian Bloom. The author's fully shared expertise is superbly depicted with hundreds of mesmerizing full-color photos. (Oedipus King California Garden 2002)

I strongly recommend Adrian and Richard Bloom's book to anyone looking for a useful guide to planting and using conifers in their garden. (Bill Thomas American Gardener 2002)

This is a beautiful, detail-rich guide to the uses of conifers in horticulture, produced by a renowned expert on the subject. (Carol Noll American Reference Books Annual, Volume 35 2004)

Manage[s] the delicate task of encouraging gardeners without stupefying them, though it's hard to avoid the feeling that it would take two or three lifetimes to grow all the conifers you want. (Verlyn Klinkenborg New York Times Book Review 2002)

Covers virtually every aspect of conifer use and culture in a format accessible to horticultural students and home gardeners alike ... Magnificently highlighted by more than 250 striking color photographs ... Conifers are showcased in their full glory as richly textured, brilliantly colored, and subtly structured plants deserving of a spot in every garden. (Carol Haggas Booklist 2002)

A first-rate introduction to 650 of the best cultivars .. a work of quality deserving a place in the library of any serious gardener. (Steve Whysall Southam Newspapers 2002)

One of the very few gardening books devoted to conifers in the garden, and it proves quite inspiring.

After reading [this book] you will be enthusiastic about using these surprisingly versatile plants. (Kay Hofmeister Lexington Herald-Leader 2003)

A fine introductory primer to evergreens... the lovely photographs are sure to educate and inspire you. (Susan Banks Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 2003)

This book is well-written, a pleasure to read and easy to follow.... An excellent addition to any gardener's library. (Ian Munt The Sudbury Star 2007)

This inspirational, popular book has been reprinted again to met the demands of an admiring public... Gorgeous photographs... capture the full beauty of these evergreens.

This is an excellent book filled with breathtaking photos taken by the author and his son, Richard. It's so inspiring, it almost makes me want to dig up my hostas and daylilies entirely and plant conifers. But by using the many suggestions given for plant combinations, I could simply add conifers instead.... Introductory chapters deal with the history, naming and growth habits of conifers. A wonderful series of photos depicting a single fir cone's development throughout the year was an eye-opener. Using conifers as specimen plants and in mixed plantings in landscapes is described in detail, and good ideas that will easily translate into the home garden, including growing conifers in containers, are shown. Almost half the book is devoted to plant descriptions that include the height and spread at 10 years, along with the "ultimate" height.... The final section is on caring for your conifers, offering advice on planting, pruning, propagation and pest control. (Trevor Cole Canadian Gardening 2010)

Product Details

  • Paperback: 192 pages
  • Publisher: Firefly Books; First Edition edition (January 19, 2007)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1552096335
  • ISBN-13: 978-1552096338
  • Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 9.1 x 0.6 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #557,067 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
(19)
4.8 out of 5 stars
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It is well organized and clearly written. Jim  |  5 reviewers made a similar statement
Then he moves on to my favorite part and a large portion of the book, Using Conifers in the Garden. Gen of North Coast Gardening  |  4 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
40 of 41 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Great for the beginner or the collector March 7, 2002
Format:Hardcover
I'm an experienced gardener without much experience with conifers, but this book is perfect for my needs. First, the photography is excellent. Almost every one of the 182 pages of text includes excellent color photography. There is an nice balance of close-up, step-by-step instructions, with great landscape shots. All of the photos appear to be the original works of Adrian and Richard Bloom, most all including genus, species, and cultivar PLUS age of speciman in photograph (which could not be done without being in the garden). This may be the most "labor intensive" gardening book on any subject I have ever examined. For the collector, there is thorough alphabetical listing by genus forming the heart of the book (over 80 pages). If you're not an experienced conifer grower, you could begin to act like one after immersing yourself in the deep experiences shared by the authors here.
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23 of 23 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars This is THE Conifer book for this landscape designer February 4, 2006
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I do landscape design and landscape maintenance professionally, and this is the number one book I reach for when I have a question about conifers, or simply need some inspiration for how to use one in a garden. This book combines gorgeous pictures of the individual plants and of their use in the garden, with incredibly thorough text.

The first part of the book includes brief but interesting information about the benefits using conifers in the garden, how conifers grow, and the origins and naming of garden conifers. Then he moves on to discuss, in greater depth, the different attributes you find in a lot of the more interesting conifers, like the differences and beauty of their cones, buds and new growth, bark, foliage colors, and the interesting forms and sizes available, to help you know what to look for and help you appreciate the truly unique attributes of garden conifers.

Then he moves on to my favorite part and a large portion of the book, Using Conifers in the Garden. The entire book is filled with gorgeous color photos suggesting plants to use in combination with conifers of every type, but this section outdoes itself with the amazing color photographs of the author's giant estate and the small vignettes he puts together using grasses, heathers, rhodies, and flowering perennials to accent conifers. This is incredibly inspiring and shows the huge number of ways you can combine conifers with other plants.

The written portions are amazing in this and the other sections as well.
... Read more ›
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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars gorgeous, inspiring, practical, demystifying August 29, 2005
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book has gorgeous photographs of conifers of all sizes in many configurations, nicely complemented with other perennials and shrubs, and shown in different seasons, climates, and light conditions. He explains how conifers work (which seemed a bit mysterious to me-- growth, cones, etc.), provides useful information on pruning, propagation, growth rates, and his son's beautiful photographs help you picture the overall habit of the plants in relation to others you might want to grow. He encourages gardeners to experiment with varieties even if they need to be moved or removed entirely in 10 or 20 or 30 years. And then there is the 85 page guide to some of the best conifers, which provides more gorgeous photos and brief descriptions of habit, growth rates, etc. This book really helps make conifers seem like a much more usable design element in planning my garden, and makes me more comfortable with experimenting with them. While I wish there were more photos and/or plans of moderate-sized suburban-type lots that would help disseminate this beauty to the masses, this is a wonderful book as is and a tremendous value too.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful book April 5, 2007
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book has lots of beautiful photographs which depict conifers in their mature size and shape. The book is inspiring but has an incomplete plant list. The author lists the most common varieties. A common problem with plant book is that it is hard to keep up with the new stock. I bought four new conifers this year that were not listed in the book. I would have liked to have seen some advise or planting designs on which conifers work well together. Overall it is a very inspirational book.
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent photos and descriptions April 8, 2006
By Jim
Format:Paperback
This book is recommended by the American Conifer Society. It is useful for both the beginner and more experienced conifer gardener. It is well organized and clearly written. A handy reference tool for those planning a garden or if you just want to check out a plant you saw in a garden or nursery. A must get for gardeners who take the hobby seriously. Besides a comprehensive list of plants, it goes into related topics such as how to use conifers in the garden, how to prune them, etc.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Conifer book February 22, 2007
By L. Cavo
Format:Paperback
This book is a gorgeous, mouth-watering treatise on gardening with conifers. The photography accompanying the garden descriptions is spectacular with conifers shown in all kinds of light as well as different seasons. It makes you want to begin your gardens all over again using nothing but conifers!
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Money well spent September 22, 2010
Format:Paperback
If you're interested in growing conifers, this is definitely a book you need to have in your collection. The photography is simply gorgeous (and inspiring!) and the text is clearly written. Although the author can't possibly cover every cultivar out there, he does a great job in covering many. It's enough to get almost anyone excited and determined to find places in their garden for these wonderful trees and shrubs! (Personal recommendation if you can grow it and almost anyone will be able to...Pinus thunbergii 'Thunderhead'...he's a beauty.)
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Reference Book
Excellent book. Needed a comprehensive guide to use as a reference in my landscape design business and this has proved to be a valuable tool.
Published 1 month ago by kathleen e. schofield
5.0 out of 5 stars i like tree
book was in good shape i liked reading about it after having a nice session of getting riptarded with my buddies
Published 3 months ago by RMFH
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book to learn about conifers
I personaly think that this book is good for beginner horticulturists or anyone who wants to learn about new verieties of conifers. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Michael Knight
5.0 out of 5 stars For everybody with just a balcony or 5 acres of land
Whether you find gardening with perennials not your cup of tea, or want to crate some privacy for your backyard, or find that your beautiful garden turns boring in winter, whether... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Natasha Petrov
5.0 out of 5 stars Best Conifer Expertise
Just as other reviews had claimed, this is an excellent book and the best on the subject of conifers I have found. Read more
Published 16 months ago by L. L. Luther
5.0 out of 5 stars Great!!
This was a gift so I just glanced through. It looked really good though. Lot's of photos and variety of conifers. Read more
Published 17 months ago by spl1964
4.0 out of 5 stars Gardening with Conifers
I have been looking for a book on Evergreens for sometime now. The book is just what I was expected. It's an easy read. I love it.
Published 22 months ago by Lauren
5.0 out of 5 stars Captivated by Conifers
I have been a passionate Conifer collector now for over 13 years and have over 220 Conifers (110 Cultivars) on just under 2 acres of land in south east Tasmania - Australia. Read more
Published on June 6, 2011 by Mike
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent information
This book gives so much information on all types of conifers. From pruning to selection, it's a great source.
Published on August 22, 2008 by Maryellen Walter
5.0 out of 5 stars Love this book
This book is wonderful. While it cannot possibly list all the cultivars, it gives nice details about cones, bark and how various evergreens can create a beautiful setting. Read more
Published on June 14, 2008 by Gisella Patharkar
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