It sounds simple enough, but pruning can confound even the most competent gardener. This new edition of Taunton’s award-winning book explains the do’s and don’ts of cutting back; from humble houseplants to the most amazing exotics, readers learn how to make the right cut the first time, every time. With straightforward prose, over 250 photographs, and 135 drawings, this essential reference walks gardeners through the process of pruning everything from ornamental trees and bushes to topiaries and bonsai. The author, Lee Reich, is a respected horticulturist who writes frequently on gardening subjects. Here, he demystifies the timing and techniques that result in the most successful pruning for healthy growth and good form. Updated with the latest information and enhanced illustrations, this book belongs in every gardener’s library, whether he or she is a professional, a landscaping veteran, or is pruning for the very first time.
Lee Reich, PhD started out pursuing an academic career, a trajectory that came to an abrupt halt during his second year in graduate school while studying quantum chemistry. He dropped out, moved to Vermont to ponder his next move, and, after a year, immersed himself in the study and practice of agriculture: reading popular and academic works, returning to academia by entering graduate school in agriculture, and gardening like a madman.
Three graduate degrees, work with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Cornell University, and much dirt under his fingernails later, he went off on his own as a freelance horticultural writer, consultant, and lecturer.
Out in the backyard, the garden developed and garnered awards ("Prettiest Vegetable Garden: from Organic Gardening magazine, "Best Vegetable Garden" from National Gardening magazine), and was featured in the New York Times and Martha Stewart Living. The garden also grew: Lee now considers himself a farmdener (more than a gardener, less than a farmer), tending his farmden in a small river valley in New York's beautiful Hudson River Valley. His farmden provides inspiration for his writing, a testing and observation ground for new plants, especially fruits, and, of course, plenty of delicious, healthful fruits and vegetables.
