Customer Reviews

Taylor's Weekend Gardening Guide to Topiaries and Espaliers: Plus Other Designs for Shaping Plants (Taylor's Weekend Gardening Guides (Houghton Mifflin))

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This is the first negative review I've written, and I feel badly about it. I was so anticipating the arrival of this book.

The instructions, which I was eager to get, were only the most general, basic things I already knew even though I'm a raw beginner. I was particularly interested in espalier and pleached allee directions and was hoping for a book with lot of focus on these. A couple of short articles available on the Net were much more informative and illustrated each step very clearly.

The list of recommended plant materials was limited. With a little research on the Internet, I obtained a much more extensive list suited to my area.

The photos were the best part, although they could have been improved, too.

The most positive statement I can make is that the price was most reasonable, and perhaps that is why this book was so lightweight, more for browsing than using for instruction.

I'm ordering another book from Amazon, hoping for better instructions--and hopefully, I'll be able to write a glowing review!

This is a great beginner's book on how to create topiaries & espaliers. The book is in full color with lots of photos. Instructions are clear and easy to follow. In each section appropriate plant types are discussed.

First, frameless topiaries are described. Designs included are lollipop, poodle, spiral, & corkscrew trees. The book then shows how to make empty frame topiaries. Included are circles, hoops and spirals.

Then it shows you how to make a moss-filled bunny. Following this method you can make almost any shape imaginable. Several kinds of espalier shapes, and how to make them are then show.

Finally, knots, mazes, pleaching, pollarding & coppicing are covered. Proper tools and shaping hedges are explained as well. Be aware that most plants used are for warmer climates (zone 6 or above).

This book provides very clear basic instructions for creating a variety of topiaries and other trained plant shapes. The diagrams are very easy to follow. It is a fantastic starting point.