Tales of the Rose Tree: Ravishing Rhododendrons And Their Travels Around the World (Hardcover)

by Jane Brown (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist
Brown's entertaining homage to the majestic rhododendron provides a voluminous exploration of the development and significance of this lusciously romantic and elegantly exotic garden gem. With a color palette ranging from dramatic purples to ethereal pastels, these denizens of American swamps and African jungles are equally at home clinging to remote Himalayan mountaintops and craggy Asian coastlines. Encompassing more than a thousand species, rhododendrons exude an undeniable mystique that has historically captivated both commoners and kings, whose desire for increasingly impressive examples initiated voyages of plant discovery that provided the foundation for some of the world's most renowned arboretums. In many ways, the evolution of the rhododendron from alien specimen to garden center staple mirrors the arc of Western civilization itself. Brimming with lively anecdotes involving many of horticulture's most revered individuals and institutions, Brown's history of the genus rhododendron is ecumenical in approach yet accessible in style. Carol Haggas
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
A quick dash through Jane Brown's chatty book will make you feel like royalty. --Laurence A. Marschall, Natural History Magazine

A superbly researched and narrated celebration of this ravishing species. . . . A book that every lover of gardens needs to own. -- Miranda Seymour, Literary Review

Brown's entertaining homage to the majestic rhododendron provides a voluminous exploration of the development and significance of this luciously romantic and elegantly exotic garden gem. --Booklist

Painstakingly, she tracks the rhododendron through history, myth, art, literature. --Dana Goodyear, New York Times Book Review

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 308 pages
• Publisher: David R Godine; 1 edition (May 30, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1567923127
• ISBN-13: 978-1567923124
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,128,243 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You may find other rhododendron specialty books on the market; but none as lively and packed with human history as this., October 14, 2006

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

TALES OF THE ROSE TREE: RAVISHING RHODODENDRONS AND THEIR TRAVELS AROUND THE WORLD goes beyond competing gardener's guides which focus on cultivation and natural history to provide a lively historical survey of the history of rhododendrons and their movements around the world. The plant's discovery, early cultivation and collection, and its fascination to botanists makes for a lively set of vignettes and reflections which pairs natural history with human endeavors. You may find other rhododendron specialty books on the market; but none as lively and packed with human history as this.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Learn about what's in your back yard, June 9, 2007

By	Flower lover (Washington, D.C.) - See all my reviews

Considering how many of us have rhododendrons in our back yards, it is amazing how little we know about them. This book fills the gap in our knowledge. It is a first-class history of the plant and the early efforts to bring it to and publicize it in England. It then traces the efforts to propogate the plant around the world. If you like learning about your plants , you will like this book. Well-researched and very well written I unreservedly give it five stars.