Customer Reviews

Growing Roses Organically: Your Guide to Creating an Easy-Care Garden Full of Fragrance and Beauty (Rodale Organic Gardening Book)

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I am a big fan of organic gardening, but I just can't agree with the other posters here who've raved about this book. I'm glad it's not the first one I've read on organic gardening or on roses. If it had been, I think I would have given up! Wilde makes it sound entirely too complicated, especially for the typical home gardener. Also, not that many roses are featured, and information on them (fragrance,etc differs from what I've read elsewhere and/or experienced in my own garden. An OK book, but be sure you read others and go to the excellent site help me find dot com to get some perspective. Visit local gardens to see what does well. And don't be afraid to experiment in your own garden, keeping it simple as much as possible. If you 1.) choose roses known to do well in your area, 2.) plant them properly making sure they have plenty of sun, food and water, and 3.) cultivate them cleanly, keeping their bases free of fallen leaves and debris - the job is mostly done. ENJOY YOUR ROSES!

Growing Roses Organically: Your Guide To Creating An Easy-Care Garden Full Of Fragrance And Beauty by garden designer and horticulturalist expert Barbara Wilde is a fabulous, full-color guide to creating a beautiful organic garden tailored to the rose-lover's tastes. Direct, simple instructions and details on a wide variety of roses enhance this superb reference which is ideal for gardeners of all skill levels. From the basics of getting started; through issues such as watering, fertilizing, pruning, disease and insect infestation; to the details of designing rose gardens (included the Mixed Border; Wild Gardens, Hedging, and Wildlife Gardens), Barbara Wilde writes with an accessibility that is as informative as it is easy-to-apply. Of special note is chapter ten, "A Gallery of Roses". If you aspiring to growing a garden of roses, begin your preparations by giving Barbara Wilde's Growing Roses Organically a careful reading!

This is a practical, pretty, and highly useful book for anyone who wants to smell the roses, especially in climates less temperate than the west coast.

The number of roses included is far from encyclopaedic, but for the roses Ms Wilde does include, she reports thoroughly on on their disease susceptibility, growth habit, hardiness, fragrance, and more. In nearly all cases, a gorgeous color photo accompanies. In fact, stripped of its useful information, this book would still be a fine buy for its large color photos. Before the gallery of roses, you'll find clear and helpful instructions about how to prepare for planting and how to accomplish the actual planting. Although the emphasis obviously centers on organic methods, this is a fine general reference on growing roses.

The book itself seems reasonably well put together. I haven't spent months poring over it yet, but I do not have the early feeling of dread when a poorly glued book seems ready to fall apart in my hands. Probably part of the reason is that the book is large enough to be helpful, but not so large that its very size works to break it apart. The format, in other words, allows for some large and luscious eye candy, but it is not as big as many modern illustrated gardening books which should really come with their own stands.

Photographs, clear drawings, and lucid instructions and descriptions make this book a pleasure to own and and treasure to use.

This book is an outstanding resource not only for rose gardeners, but also for gardeners in general. I learned all sorts of useful facts about growing plants organically. The book is beautifully written and easy to understand. The illustrations are excellent.
This book is attractive enough to be given as a gift.
Wilde has given us a treasure:
her vast experience and great love of gardening.

I have next to no experience with roses (unless you count the half a dozen or so that I've bought and killed :)). I was fed up with that, and wanted to get roses that didn't require chemicals and fertilizers. I know this book received a negative review (and everyone has a right to their opinion), but, personally, I really like it. I didn't find the directions complicated - quite the opposite in fact. I found it well organized, easy to understand, and comprehensive. Basically, it told me what kind of roses to pick, how to plant them, how to care for them, and what to do if something goes wrong (disease, pest, etc). Just what I wanted. I agree that the selection of roses recommended isn't exactly what I was looking for. However, the reality is that information will change annually anyway. What it gave me was the information that I needed to look online and be able to figure out how to choose a hardy, healthy plant that will last a very long time. I don't know if Amazon will let me post this information :), but check out Heirloom Roses online - they have a great selection of own root plants that are hardy and disease resistant. If they have to block out that name, just Google Buy Rose Plants for a selection of sites (you want the one that starts with H :). Hope this helps you choose.

This is the most thorough information I've ever seen on growing roses and why diseases happen! A must-have for all gardeners with roses or who want to grow roses.