American Horticultural Society Pruning and Training - Book Review

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These aren't the cheapest books available, but to my mind they're the best. They cover almost everything the average and also the quite-a-long-way-beyond-average gardener will ever need.

The following review refers to the first edition of the book published in 1996

Once you've got your garden started, or if you've moved somewhere with a fairly mature garden, this will help you to make the most of it.

Pruning and training sounds a bit specialized, but what this book actually does is to tell you how and when to carry out maintenance of the trees and shrubs in your garden to keep them looking their best. It's really a book on how to look after your garden and keep it looking good.

You will find out how to to care for your plants, how to reduce them in size, or make them a more pleasing shape while retaining their best characteristics. It could be worth the purchase price if it helps you to resurrect just one large plant that you thought was beyond hope and needed to be felled or uprooted.

The book covers basic techniques of pruning, where to snip smaller branches, how to remove larger branches from trees without them suffering physically or aesthetically.

Special techniques are also covered, how to prune and train various types of plants for particular purposes. How to form a young tree and then maintain the shape. Wall train suitable shrubs, form an espalier, pleached, coppiced or pollarded tree for example. Lists of plants suitable for these particular techniques are also provided.

Typically for this series of books, diagrams and photographs are always clear and logical. Large and plentiful enough to be invaluable, but not so much so as to be simply "space-fillers".

A large part of the book is taken up by a dictionary listing of garden trees, shrubs and climbers. Each is taken in detail with the best time for pruning and the recommended techniques explained clearly.

Separated into seven sections, the major headings are given below.

Introduction How Plants Grow Principles of pruning and training Tools and Equipment Ornamental Trees Tree Forms Basic Techniques Initial Training Pruning Established Trees Renovation Coppicing and Pollarding Pleaching Conifers Hedges Topiary Dictionary of Ornamental Trees Tree Fruits Fruit Tree Forms Basic Techniques Renovation Hardy Fruits Tender Fruits Nuts Ornamental Shrubs Basic Techniques Initial Training Pruning Established Shrubs Renovation Wall Training Special Stem and Foliage Effects Training Shrubs as Standards Bamboos and Grasses Pinch Pruning Dictionary of Ornamental Shrubs

Soft Fruits Basic Techniques Cane Fruits Bush Fruits Climbing Plants Types of Climbing Plants Basic Techniques Initial Training Pruning Established Climbers Renovation Special Training Dictionary of Climbing Plants Fruiting Vines Roses Rose Types and Forms Basic Techniques Renovation Modern Bush Roses Standard Roses Shrub Roses Climbing and Rambler Roses Special Training

American Horticultural Society Pruning and Training Once a garden is started, or if there's a fairly mature garden to deal with, this will help the expert or beginner to make the most of it.   The title gives the impression that this is rather a specialist book, in reality it will be of great use by anyone with a garden that is at least a few growing seasons old. Buy this book now	You may also like
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