Manual of Woody Landscape Plants: Their Identification, Ornamental Characteristics, Culture, Propogation and Uses [Paperback]

Michael A. Dirr (Author), Bonnie Dirr (Illustrator), Margaret Stephan (Illustrator), Asta Sadauskas (Illustrator), Nancy Snyder (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 2009 | ISBN-10: 1588748685 | ISBN-13: 978-1588748683 | Edition: 6 Revised

Their identification, Ornamental Characteristics, Culture, Propagation and Uses.

Product Details

• Paperback: 1325 pages
• Publisher: Stipes Pub Llc; 6 Revised edition (August 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1588748685
• ISBN-13: 978-1588748683
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 11 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #103,292 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #12 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Gardening & Landscape Design > Shrubs
  • #24 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Gardening & Landscape Design > Trees
  • #35 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Gardening & Landscape Design > Ornamental Plants

More About the Author

Michael A. Dirr is a professor of horticulture at the University of Georgia. He is the author of twelve books, including Dirr's Hardy Trees and Shrubs: An Illustrated Encyclopedia and the text and reference book, Manual of Woody Landscape Plants, and has published more than 300 scientific and popular papers and articles. His teaching, lectures, seminars, garden study tours, and plant introduction programs have contributed enormously to greater horticultural awareness. He has received the highest teaching and gardening awards from the University of Georgia, American Society of Horticultural Science, American Horticultural Society, American Nursery & Landscape Association, Massachusetts Horticultural Society, Southern Nursery Association, and Garden Club of America.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars It's the bible for the gardeners of the world!!!! February 12, 2010

By Marie Groombridge

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I am a Master Gardener, and Certified Michigan Nurseryman, We (At our place of business) use this book as a reference manual for 90% of information in regards to trees and shrubs suitability for whatever the customers needs. It is very informative and a good investment.

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Best book for anyone in Horticulture August 5, 2010

By Marc Meijer

Format:Hardcover

I have every edition of this book, including the 6th edition, which I got today at the IL. Landscaping & Contractor Association (ILAC). Dr. Dirr was the main speaker and I got it signed by him as well. Did pay one third of the price Amazon is selling it for.
Anyway, if you are serious about horticulture, this is "the" book to have. I used it in the 80's in grad school and it helped me tremendously in learning the details about many plants species. Every nursery I have worked at either had the book or I had the boss buy it. I use this as my main reference guide. Detailed enough to get to know a particular species of plants. This book is excellent for the home owner who wants to know more about plants and for the expert plant user who needs detailed information of a species.

I like the way Dr. Dirr describes what he likes about certain plants. He has his own opinion.
So to all you people that work with plants........ best book you will ever buy, worth every penny.

Marc. B. Meijer
Nursery Manager

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Must Have Reference for Serious Gardeners March 28, 2010

By LikeToRead

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book must be on the bookshelves of serious gardeners. It kept me alive during the long winter as I read about my trees and enjoyed Michael Dirr's editorial comments about the woody plants. His expertise is astonding and I enjoyed learning about his opinions, as they are very relevant to gardeners who want to have lovely and healthy landscape plants.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The platinum-iridium standard September 13, 2010

By Robert A. Mauceli

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I purchased this as a donation to our local Master Gardener Garden HelpLine. This book is THE standard for information about trees and shrubs for the U.S -- it is one of the main references we use to advise people in the community about tree and shrub identification and care. A new one was needed not just as an update, but because we just plain wore the previous edition out. If Master Gardeners use a book like this you know it has to be authoritative -- there's nothing else like it.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Required College Text for HRT211 at MSU September 5, 2010

By PanickedSerenity

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I bought it for my Landscaping Plants I class at MSU. It's very thick, but so far very informational. I was assured by my instructors that if I finish my program and stay within this career path, it will become my consant companion. I plan to get every penny I paid for it back out of it in the future. I bought the hardcover. It would be a pain trying not to bend the pages of a paperback that was as big as this book.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Best horticulture book gets better May 13, 2010

By Alan Grossberg

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I've been reading/buying Dirr's books since 1982 when I first got into the nursery business. Obviously you can find better books for photos (and he has written those as well), but for an in-depth, comprehensive guide to woody plants, well, any serious search begins and ends right here.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing reference guide August 8, 2012

By Roonil Wazlib

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book is invaluable for researching woody plants and also for woody plant ID. It details virtually every woody plant along with the various cultivars of each. Each entry describes various plant parts such as leaves, bark, flowers, fruit, size, hardiness, diseases and insects, propagation, (and more) in an easy to read format, and then Dirr gives his opinion on the landscape value of each plant and any other thoughts or experiences he has had with that plant. There are also sketches (B&W) of most plants, usually the leaf and bud. This book is infinitely useful and definitely worth the money. I can't even imagine how much work went into the writing of this text; it's incredible. Dirr's knowledge of woody plants is unbelievable.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Manual of Woody landscape plant review February 2, 2012

By Landscape Designs

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

The Manual of Woody Landscape Plants is the most complete book I now own. Some of the most important characteristics are the inclusion of the root type (tap root, fibrous root, etc...) and the conditions they grow in, the bark habit when young and when mature. These are important characteristics when telling someone about a tree to go in their yard. The flower, and culture are also important when seeking information about unknown trees or unknown parents to hybrids. These are a few things that some books don't have. I readily use it for root type classification so I know if the tree can be used in tight places (concrete, pavers, etc), or if it can be grown in a lawn area.