Customer Reviews

Manual of Woody Landscape Plants : Their Identification, Ornamental Characteristics, Culture, Propagation and Uses

5 star:		(52)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

About nine years ago I coughed up the (considerable) sum for the 1990 edition of this book (Dirr puts out a new edition every few years) because, upon casually perusing it, I saw that it covered some plants that I was interested in, and no other book in the store did.

Well. It languished for a while, but when I started getting interested in horticultural plantings (my own and those I encountered on my walks) I started delving into it. Before too long I found a strange thing: this book seems to know everything about horticultural trees and bushes--certainly everything that I was interested in, living first in southern Wisconsin, then northern Kentucky, and finally northern Illinois.

It finally dawned on me that this was the reference work I had always wanted. Even when I (very rarely!) thought it didn't cover a plant, it usually did anyway (perhaps making short shrift of it in a slightly different spot). As with any other great tool, learning to use it is an iterative process: the more you learn, the better you use it, and so learn yet more.

So if you are a plant person, just buy this book, rather than half-a-dozen half-baked horticultural "theme" books. You get a great reference, and as a real bonus, you get Michael Dirr's enthusiasm and planterly asides enlivening the text. (And the paperback version is also sturdy and usable.) Put it next to your dictionary, so it's within easy reach. You'll need it.

Regardless if you live in Key West, San Diego, Seattle, International Falls or New York City, Dirr's Manual of Woody Landscape Plants will help you select, culture and successfully grow the correct plants for your area. It is the single-greatest source of information on landscape materials I have ever seen. Thousands of varieties are also listed. For pictures, check out Dirr's Hardy Trees & Shrubs, but to get educated, you've GOT to get your hands on this one!

I have a lot of reference books covering landscaping, plant propagation, identification, and disease problems. Dr. Dirr has done a fantastic job of compiling all of this information (and a few welcome opinions) for a couple thousand landscape plants into one consise work.

When I have a question, this book is usually my first stop. Information on common species is very comprehensive. However lesser used landscape plants are covered in an abbreviated manner, which sometimes forces me to find other resources (which are not difficult to locate thanks to the large number of cited references).

The indexes of both common and scientific names make this sizable volume easy to navigate and usable. The glossary and sections on morphology and identification are handy, espically for beginners or those of us who have been out of college for a while! Additionally, the thoughtful layout and readable type size make this manual more usable than other similar books I have encountered.

Dr. Dirr has created an excellent volume which is on my short list of horticultural reference works.

I have been an avid gardner since I was a child. My garden library has grown to several hundred volumes by now, but "The Manual" is heads above all the rest. I purchased my first copy of Dr. Dirr's Manual about 10 years ago. It quickly became my favorite reference and was rarely on the bookshelf, most often it lives on my bedside table.

When the lastest edition came out I bought a hardback copy. Quite and investment, but well worth it. I had literally worn my old paperback copy out.

Dr. Dirr offers by far the most complete description of the largest number of shrubs, trees, and vines that I have ever seen in a single volume. The advice on culture and propagtion are particularly detailed and helpful, but his writing style is what really makes this book unique. At first glance The Manual appears to be a whopping and potentially dry tome, (there are no photos, but it is filled with excellent line drawings by Bonnie Dirr. I understand that a photo CD is available to accompany the Manual, but have not seen one) - but read just a few pages and you will be hooked by Dirr's style. This book reads more like a collection of humorous essays than a standard reference manual. Michael Dirr puts much of himself and his personal experience with many of these plants into every page.

Perhaps the most amazing aspect of the Manual is the number of cultivars Dr. Dirr lists and provides descriptions for under each species. You are almost sure to find a description of any variety that your local garden center carries. With each new edition Dr. Dirr does a masterful job of keeping up with all the new cultivars cropping up in our catalogs and garden centers.

The result is not only the most informative book of it's kind on the market, but a delightful read for cold winter nights. It has become the benchmark by which I judge other garden books, and probably will be for many years to come.

Don't confuse this text with a light weight treatise on the author's favorite plants. Dr. Dirr's work give insightful knowledge on those he dislikes to those he favors with equal depth of detail. I have been referring to this work for over ten years and have not found a serious error in that time. The Manual of Woody Landscape Plants has become the Bible at my place of work. From botanical classification to the plant's landscape value, I have not found a book that is its equal. My sole reservation is the quality of the binding. I've owned both the hard and soft covered books and both bindings have been inferior. They deteriorate not from abuse but from constant use far too quickly for a reference source of this level.

I HAVE WORKED IN A NURSERY FOR 10 YEARS AND THIS BOOK IS USED EVERY DAY.YOU CANT BEAT IT FOR INFO ON PROPIGATION.AND WHEN A CUSTOMER NEEDS HELP ON GENERAL MANTANANCE OR HARDINESS THIS IS THE BOOK WE TURN TO.IF YOU ARE A SERIOUS GARDENER BUY THIS BOOK! AT HOME OR AT WORK DIRR WILL NEVER FAIL YOU.

This is the book most nurseries have on hand, but apparently don't bother to read. It is an essential book for anyone who plants trees and shrubs. Full, objective information from a professional is provided for most North American trees and shrubs. This is a thick, softcover edition on inexpensive paper - not particularily attractive, but reasonably priced. No photos. Drawings of leaves are provided but I find that of little use - Dirr's new illustrated encyclopedia may provide more interesting and enjoyable photos - for more money. Info on cultivation is provided but of little use to typical gardeners but certainly of value to those intent on propagating their own plants, and for nurserymen. This book, along with an encyclopedia such as Wyman's should be all that most gardeners need for reference - and to know what to purchase for their garden. Relying on local nurseries is not a good idea as they tend to sell for profit, and to sell particularily hardy, albeit often less interesting, plants. Dirr will make you an expert fast.

This is absolutely the best text available for the referencing of woody trees and shrubs grown in North America. This book is not meant as a guide for tree identification, so much as it's a way to look up all the significant horticultural information on almost any given species or cultivar. It's simply too lengthy a tome to incorporate many illustrations, and those present are usually small sketches of leaf characteristics. (For excellent photographs of a number of species see "Dirr's Hardy Trees and Shrubs: An Illustrated Encyclopedia")

This text is very easy to use and alphabetized according to botanical name, with a glossary/index in the back to provide the scientific name when only the common name of a species is known. Dirr himself also provides entertaining blurbs on what he perceives to be the plants best (or . . . less than best) assets for landscape usage, and it's always interesting to see another's opinion regarding plants that you know and love. He also gives a list of stunning specimens and their locales that he's come across in his travels, as well as the "champion" (largest known) specimens for a given species.

I have used this (or previous . . . the text is updated somewhat frequently to keep pace with newer cultivars) edition of Dirr's manual for the last ten years as I worked at a major nursery (Waterloo Gardens, Inc.), and I frequently reccomended it to individuals interested in furthering their own knowledge. This text is an excellent reference for the professional nurseryman as well as the horticultural enthusiast, and the time and effort that Dirr puts into this text is equally evident and impressive.

I have recently moved to Virginia from California and was delighted to discover this book. It identifies my many trees and helps me decide what trees and shrubs will be most appropriate for landscaping. The author's style and wit are refreshing in what initially looks to be a dry, botanical reference work.

But I would not recommend this work for gardeners in the west or southwest. Many of the common trees and shrubs found there are not mentioned or given very short shrift here. Examples are bouganvilla, myoporum, and citrus of all sorts. Many others...eucalyptus in all its variations, rockroses, and the multitude of ceanothus, are given very light treatment compared to their usefulness in the landscape.

It is understandably difficult to include all the woody plants of landscaping value in this country. If somewhere in the introduction or the title Mr. Dirr made it clear that his work focuses on eastern and southeastern species and cultivars, unsuspecting buyers in other parts of the country would be forewarned.

With such a caveat, I would heartily recommend the book.

This is the bible for woody landscape plants which include trees and shrubs. For folks who want to learn more about the plants that make up the "bones", or foundation, of a garden, the book is indispensible. Dirr's approach to writing about the plants he so obviously loves is to let the love, and yes, the dislike, for these plants shine through in his descriptions. In other words, although written by an academician, this is not an academic tome. He tells you what he likes/dislikes about a plant in no uncertain terms. The other great aspect of the book is the descriptions of the numerous cultivars for a given plant. The only thing I find missing is a section on where to find/buy the various plants that he writes about. Be advised there are no photos of the plants. If there were, the book would be a steal.