Customer Reviews

Invasive Plants: Weeds of the Global Garden (Brooklyn Botanic Garden Publication)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I got this book for my school's Enivornmental Club (Hartford Union High School; Hartford, WI) and used it a bunch of times to determine which plants are "good" and which plants are "bad". Our group was hired to remove Purple Loosestrife from the marsh of a nearby lake. This book was an important tool in our removal project of this noxious plant. It showed us different ways of removing this plant and showed us the pros and cons of using different chemicals. This book is a great tool for anyone interested in the outdoors and the protection of it.

I work for the Department of Conservation in New Zealand. This book is refreshingly simple. Excellent pictures of around 50 species of invasive plants. The text explains weed environmental impacts, origins and distribution within the USA, and how to control the problem. It is designed to be understood by all, layman and professional alike. It probably has wider application than the authors intended, although the title hints at their broad understanding of environmental weeds as an international problem. They knew we are needing simple on the ground solutions for identification and control of these species that threaten natural ecosystems everywhere. It is applicable in New Zealand with many of the species being recognised as a problem here and in Australia. The other plants in this book may well become a problem here in future and I will be looking out for them here as I go about my business. The section on control methods was balanced covering both mechanical and chemical methods. As we say down under "Good on you" to the authors

I will go a long way in agreeing with the other reviewers. This is a simple, accessible book, that gives a lot of practical information on a problem that is worse than I thought and certainly deserves attention.

However, some minor quibles with the other reviews: this is a modest book with photographs that are only modest in size. It falls short of being an attractive book for browsing (a coffee-table book) as well as short of being a field guide (used to ID plants). Also it showcases only a modest selection of plants

Nevertheless: a useful introduction to plants invading the US.

This is a fine book, but I think it is more of an introduction to the concepts of invasive plants and the need for management of them than a thorough guide to identification and management practices. There are 112 pages, most of which contain full page spreads about individual examples of invasives. All of my "old friends" (multiflora rose, autumn olive, bush honeysuckle) are there, but kudzu, mile a minute weed, and obviously lots of other problem plants, are absent. So, pretty good for identifying many/most of the big players, good introduction, and highly motivational.

Another fine volume in the Brooklyn Botanical Garden's handbook series, Invasive Plants is a handy and informative guide to what not to plant, and why not to plant it. It not only lists invasive plants, and, more importantly, where they are considered invasive (one gardener's hedging plant is another's stubbornly invasive volunteer shrub). This book is a must-have for avoiding introducing invasives, which are frequently offered for sale in plant catalogues and nurseries. Every time I pass a wetland area choked with lovely but thuggish purple loosetrife or a tree that's been smothered to death by oriental bittersweet, I wish more folks had access to the information in this book.
The photos are very good, and the book is well-organized. It includes sections on removal and selective elimination of invasive plants. Highly recommended for anyone wanting to avoid introduction or to rid an area of harmful plant material.