Customer Reviews

Native Trees, Shrubs, and Vines: A Guide to Using, Growing, and Propagating North American Woody Plants

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Even though a hard cover reference book isn't usual bedtime reading for me-I couldn't put this down. Each plant is described so personally yet so expertly. Gardening with woody plants is a commitment, and this book provided the insight and knowledge I needed to make choices confidently. The language of the book is wonderful-it is as if the author is chatting with his latest native plant buddy-you. The lists and organization of information is very helpful.

William Cullina has struck a great balance in this book. Every time I pick it up I'm amazed at how it is both an informative reference and a very enjoyable read.

Bill (can I call him that?) understands there are just as many amateur gardeners as there horticulturalist. In this book, he struck a balance with both audiences. For instance, I'm not a big fan of Latin plant names: I prefer to know the background of a plant, what it needs to thrive, its purpose, etc... When I look up a plant in this book, I get so much more. This makes the informative process extremely enjoyable as well as educational. Bill also gives phonetic spelling of the plants. It helps when you go to the nursery you'll feel less intimated by those who seem to speak Latin.

For instance, I just bought 5 Artemisia plants to go with purple coneflower, Salvia, Russian Sage, etc... Looking Artemisia up in Native Trees Shrubs and Vines, I found out it is actually sagebrush (tumbleweed) from the wild west as well as the extreme hardiness of the plant, its background, how to cultivate it, use it, etc... The style of the writing made the process extraordinarily enjoyable.

PS: I've been meaning to write a review of this book for 2 years now. When I read about Artemisia a few minutes ago, it compelled me to leave the garden to write this review. I can't say enough about this book other then it's one of my top 3 favorites on gardening. I actually took 10 minutes out of a beautiful Sunday morning to write this review. Now, it's back to the garden & Bill's book for me :-)

William Cullina, of the New England Wild Flower society, is a highly regarded expert in Native plants. This book is the woody counterpart to his Wildflower book. Included are tips on using, growing and propagating these native wonders in North America. The photography and information provided are a source like none other. This is a must have for anyone interested in restoring the ecology of the landscape through the use of natives - beginners and experts alike - an excellent reference.

This book is a valuable guide to native woody plants. The habits, landscape value, propagation and culture of most( a few are missing) of the important plants are described in a very readable manner. Cullina clearly draws from a deep well, I had the impression that he had much more that he could have included, but what is here is great.

There are a couple of criticisms. The photos are relativly sparse compared to the recent books by Dirr or Darke and are not at all well-reproduced. One picture per genus just ain't enough when there is such wonderful variation within genera. Also, the pronunciation guide for Latin plant names is occasionally bizarre...since when does "Aesculus" have four syllables? (But maybe he is right I couldn't find any native Latin speakers to ask) Finally, the book has a clear East coast bias. Although there are many Western US plants that are mentioned, I suspect that many are missing.

Buy this book for the prose.

This is the 'bible' of native plant info when it comes to the woody species. His native wildflower guide is equally impressive for that category of plants. This book is stuffed cover to cover with detailed info about each plant. If you want to know how to plant it, where to put it (light and soil needs), what kinds of wildlife you can expect it to feed or draw in, etc. this is the book for you.

With a format similar to its companion book, Growing and Propagating Wildflowers, this is an excellent reference on native woody plants. It starts with an excellent introductory section on what is a native plant, how to use the book and a discussion of such environmental factors as light, soils, fertility, and temperature and their effect on native woody plants. There are discussions on transplanting, pruning, wound healing and diseases. There are 229 pages of species descriptions including culture, hardiness zones, soil, where native, size, color and general propagation suggestions for some. One chapter describes basic aspects of plant propagation. Like Cullina's book on wildflowers, there is a section on time of seed ripening and germination requirements. Appendices list plants for various sites and uses, sources of plants and seeds, native plant societies, botanical gardens and arboretums specializing in native plants, a hardiness zone map, bibliography, glossary and index.

Every serious gardener should have this book in their his/her library. Nurserymen, arborists, landscape gardeners, landscape architects, and members of botanic gardens and arboretums will find this book invaluable.

by Norman Pellett, author of Gardener's Quiz Book

I highly recommend this beautiful book to anyone interested in native plants! I bought it to find out how to propagate a few native plants in my area. Cullina's writing is so exceptionally vivid, entertaining, and enthusiastic that I soon found myself just reading it for enjoyment. That's saying a lot, as I generally use books of this sort for reference, not sit-down reading. Cullina covers quite a diversity of species: obscure genuses like Elliottia and Franklinia, boreal and high-elevation species, and well-known forest and landscape standards. He speaks so much from personal experience that it's hard not to envy his knowledge and drive. Fortunately, his passion is contagious and you will learn a lot from this wonderful book.

This is a great reference book, well organized and well written. My first choice for a tree and shrub guide is Dirr's Hardy Trees and Shrubs, but since it is out of my price range I believe that William Cullina's book is by far the next best book on this subject. It's a great guide and also enjoyable to have around to browse through. My only regret with this book is that the illustrations are not always of the whole plant and there aren't enough of them.

William Cullina (Author), writes in a knowledgeable, practical way. He is very understandable, not like a text book, but like a teacher who knows his topic and speaks plain English. I would buy any of William Cullina books on nature and native plants to North America. I bought this book, and all the others by this Author.

Great cultural information. Pronunciation of latin is a nice addition. My boss has a copy of this at work, but it is so helpful (and fun to look through) that I purchased a copy for myself.