Customer Reviews

The Ultimate Rose Book

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Lately, I've been on a rose book collection spree, and a gift certificate for Valentine's Day allowed me to purchase two new and relatively expensive rose books, THE ULTIMATE ROSE BOOK and BOTANICA'S ROSES. Reading the reviews, I wondered which one would turn out to be "the best" however, both are excellent, and both have qualities that will make them more or less appealing to a reader and/or gardener.

THE ULTIMATE ROSE BOOK is much larger (taller, not thicker), but both books are very heavy. The quality of the photos in both books is excellent. The paper stock is fine and thick, but BOTANICA's is slick and glossy, while ULTIMATE ROSE is less reflective of light making it easier to read. Both contain additional information rose lovers will enjoy.

ULTIMATE ROSE contains fewer entries per page, but the type is much larger, making reading a bit easier for the sight impaired. Entries are in alphabetical order within three categories: "Wild Roses", "Old and Modern Roses" and "Miniature Roses." For example, in the main section, "Old and Modern Roses", Stirling Macoboy lists 'Honorine de Brabant' a bourbon rose with 'Honor' a large-flowered rose (modern hybrid) and 'Hot Chocolate' a cluster-flowered rose (i.e., floribunda). The subtitle of Macoboy's book is "1,500 roses...selected for their beauty, fragrance and enduring popularity." His entries include some information about parentage, blooming pattern, and a bit of history. For example, I just purchased a 'Comte de Chambord' rose and ULTIMATE ROSE is the first of a dozen books to tell me the rose is named for the sad son of Charles X who refused the crown of France and died in exile.

BOTANICA'S also follows an alphabetical scheme, grouping roses into "Wild Roses" and everything else A-Z. BOTANICA'S lists 'Honorine de Brabant' with 'Honore de Balzac' and 'Hoot Owl', but also lists 'Honor' and 'Hot Chocolate' which ULTIMATE ROSE does not. BOTANICA'S also lists Growing Zones in addition to growing conditions and information about parentage and blooming.

In summary, if you can afford it, buy both books as they both contain useful and interesting information that surprisingly does not overlap. If you are more concerned with the nitty-gritty growing information, BOTANICA'S is the better buy. If you want an easy to read book with a bit of history and mythical lore, and a book that contians a select list of choices recommended by an expert rosarian, Macoboy's ULTIMATE ROSE is the better buy.

I purchased this book in 1994 for $50 I didn't really have and never regretted doing so. If you adore roses of any sort, want to know floribunda from grandiflora, or just want your two bushes to survive; you must have it. I am cheap and passionate about horticulture. If you need to know about roses, buy only this book! Anything else is about as useful as a government pamphlet.

I'm sorry but this book just didn't do it for me! It is too large and heavy, not to mention expensive. The photgraphs aren't as clear as other books (namely Botanica's Roses)and it doesn't included many of the most popular roses.

Yes, it does describe each rose, if fragrant, how often it blooms and any known diseases, but then so do other books!

My advice is to buy Botanica's Roses. It is paperback, much smaller and lightweight (ideal for taking to the nursery).
So save the [price] and get the better book!

For sometime I have been searching for a rose encyclopedia which not only reviews roses but also provides PHOTOS FOR EACH VARIETY REVIEWED. Alas, this book is the closest I am ever going to get!

In this book more than 1,500 roses around the world are discussed in detail. For each entry a description containing plant history, appearance, (e.g. flower color) and growing tips is accompanied with a COLOR (quite astonishing and beautiful!) photograph. In addition to these reviews, there are articles featuring the history and cultural significance of roses. Furthermore, the author includes several quick lists for roses with special qualities (e.g. fragrance). I find these lists very useful and rather handy during my plant and garden theme selection process.

I do have one complaint about the arrangement of the non-climbing roses. The author places the non-clmbing roses in the same category with climbing varieties. For someone who just wants to look for a climbing rose, there is no quick way of identifying one but to read through the entries within each category. Unfortunately, I can not find a quick list on that subject either. Oh, well, no one (in this case, no book) is perfect.

Nevertheless, I highly recommend this book to any reader. In fact, this book will no doubt take one's breath away. If you have ever wondered how a person could get "hooked" on roses, just take a look at the book cover (a floral arrangement of roses). Time to order!

This is the first Rose Book in my collection; it is responsible for my interest in roses. It is the biggest book of my rose book collection; in height, thickness or weight. Its production qualities are high and more than a decade after purchasing it, it is a book I still hold dear.

Over 1500 roses are presented, and for each there is a photo. The writing is clear and concise. And more than any other reference, we hear the writer's voice. When Macoboy particularly likes a rose, we know it. If he were writing a scientific reference, this may not be quite appropriate, but this personal voice brings us a step closer to viewing the roses as he does. And this draws us in.

A few bits of crucial information are listed in tabular form, the rose's breeder, its class, and how fragrant the rose is. Entries are listed alphabetically in three main sections: Species Roses, Miniature Roses, All other roses.

The book was published just after the commercial success of Austin's first remontant English roses and a handful of these roses are included.

But almost twenty years after its first release (the edition I write about was printed in the late 1980's), the book is beginning to look and feel dated. There has been a huge amount of work in the area of minis and this section seems quite dated. A significant portion of the Hybrid Tea roses and floribundas are not in commerce - not even at specialty nurseries. And many of the most popular of these classes do not appear. To make matters worse, a noticable portion of the roses Macoboy treasures were distributed only in Australia, so European and American gardeners never would have had a crack at them.

The photos are a mixed bag. On one hand almost every rose about which he writes is photographed. This is a monumental achievement. Few rose books come so close to complete photographic coverage as this one, and any that acheive full photographic coverage are less encyclopedic in scope and/ or present smaller photos. This may be the most photographically generous rose book in print.

Most of the rose photos are pretty good. Many are excellent. And some of the excellent ones fill a whole large page. The layout is large and the feeling it creates is lush and luxurious. But a few of the photos are seriously flawed. One photo, for instance, is of a rose that is waving back and forth madly in the wind and all we can see about the rose is that the flower is reddish - the whole photo is a big smudge. And there are a few cases in which we have serious questions about color reproduction.

So who should buy such a book? Well, if you are a rose-lover and wish to draw someone else into the field, this may be the best book to do it. The lavish illustration and infectious writing will do the trick better than just about any other book. And if you are a rose-lover and you want a coffee table book on roses, this may be the best choice. Or, if you know someone who is a little interested in gardening but knows nothing of roses and is afraid to take the plunge, this would be a good introductory gift.

If you just want a reference, get Botanica's Roses it is more up-to-date and it presents more roses. And visit RoseFile.com for other info on roses and to get help finding more books about roses at Amazon.com.

This book has a picture for every single rose it lists. And it tells you about the certain aspects of every rose listed like: Is it fragrant?, Does it bloom more than once a season?, and is it known to get black spot?, mildew? or any other diseases roses can get? And it also includes a little history/backround of each rose. The book in addition to listing roses has a small section in the back that tells you how to grow roses from clippings and it tells you how to graft buds onto different bushes. Intersperced throughout the book there are also articals on stuff like the history of the rose in america and the search for the legondary blue rose which has still yet to be found. The only cons I found in this book were that it is hard to find some of the roses listed (I still can't find acouple of the roses shown in this book anywhere for sale)and the two other cons are that this book is HUGE so it is unlikely that you could take it with you for rose shopping and this book only covers roses that were avaliable up to about 1989 so newer roses like Black Magic from jackson & perkins are not listed.

I checked this out from my local library. It is simply amazing. Each rose is intensly described, has pictures, and has entertaining sections about roses in other cultures, histories, and uses. This is a very (okay, not too very) useful book if you are a hybridizer as it provides info about each rose about its parentage, etc,.,. Modern Rose 10 is more apt for the rose hybridizer, but this is a book to browse and gaze at some of the incredibly photographed pictures.

Enrique

This is an incredible book. I identified my old garden roses in it, ones that were not in any other book. It's not only a beautifully illustrated book, it's chock full of information. I think it's a great book for anyone who grows roses, from a novice to a seasoned gardener. A good book to complement it is the Illustrated Encyclopedia of roses. One couldn't ask for two better books.

This is a very thourough book, with a photo of every rose that is profiled (don't you hate those gardening books that profile a plant and don't include a photo or illustration?!).

The section on cultivation is a little breif, I was looking for some information on transplanting and it wasn't there. Also, this book is very big and heavy, it's probably not something you're going to tote around your garden to use to identify your plants (better to cut a stem and bring it to the book).

Still, I LOVE looking at this book. It would be a very good book to have when planning a rose garden because the author gives candid information on the hardiness and general requirements of each rose, which I appreciate.

If you love roses, or need a gift for someone who does, this book makes a wonderful addition to the garden library.

I love this book. I have been wanting to buy it for 2 years now and finally found it on amazon.com for much cheaper. At some stores this book goes for $100!

I love it because it is HISTORIC and GOOD FOR GARDENERS! I like how the author talks about the rose in a mythical and realistic point of view. He gives history and information for scientists.

I have never loved a book as much as I love this one. I treasure it. I am never going to let go of it. I especially love the front cover. The roses are all huddled together in different colors, and they almost appear as if they are people. The photography is magic!

Simply said, if you love romantic style books with also some useful information about gardening this the one for you.