[.ca] Smith and Hawken: 100 English Roses for the American Garden (ISBN 0761101853)

From Amazon.com:
The rose has always been a popular flower; ancient Romans, Egyptians, Greeks, and Chinese cultivated rose gardens and used the blooms in festivals and funerals. Yet the roses we grow today have generally been in existence for less than a century, and English roses--in spite of the traditional-sounding name--have all been developed since the 1950s by rosarian David Austin in an effort to combine the fragrance and beauty of old roses and the frequent blooming habit of modern hybrids. 100 English Roses for the American Garden presents those English roses best suited to the diverse North American climate. As the curator of rose collections at the Huntington Botanical Gardens, author Clair G. Martin knows his roses. With a large section devoted to general rose care (mulching, composting, container growing, and cutting) and individual pages (each, of course, depicting a single perfect rose) detailing the availability, stature and habit, usage, and disease susceptibility of each variety in various climates, this is an enjoyable and useful introduction to a fragrant subject.

very good and realistic intro to David Austin's roses:
This is a great and detailed book about David Austin's roses. It is especially helpful since it gives realistic descriptions of the roses including disease resistance or lack thereof, how long it takes for a plant to establish itself and produce blooms, and what pitfalls exist for each rose. I think these are really important things to know since rose catalogs often only tell good things about roses and are a bit misleading. This book has great photos that are realistic, simple and beautiful, which also make you want to grow each and every variety. The companion to this book, 100 Old Roses for the American Garden is also excellent and features more disease resistant roses. The review below is actually about the 100 Old Roses book (with the cover photo of Austrian Copper) and was mistakenly put under this book about Austin's English Roses.

my first counsel:
This is the book I check first when I have a question about an English Rose. The organization is great, the photography is beautiful, and the plants are described by someone who has grown them in the US. This book is therefore best for those growers who live in Southern California, but still, it's better than if it was written by an English grower. This book also describes the negative aspects of varieties, which is one of the most helpful things. One thing that would improve this book is a photo or description of the plant habit so to provide information on where to plant in the garden. E.g. is Abraham Darby staunchly upright, graceful, floppy? This book isn't all-inclusive, and of course there are new roses being released every year, but if you've got to have the latest, does it matter? Check out also 100 Old Roses for the American Garden, by the same author. Also a great book.

Nice book...:
I stumbled onto this book because it was featured in the Washington Post in a column written by Adrian Higgins (Henry Mitchell's sucessor). A photograph of the Austrian Copper rose accompanied the article (the cover), and I'm a sucker for burnt-orange, so I followed up on the book. I am very pleased with it. Although the cover is paper, it's a plasticized paper and a sturdy book. I mention this first, because I will refer to the book often, it feels pleasant to hold in the hand, it's easy to carry, and it can get a little moisture on the outside and not crumble. I'm tired of having my roses eaten alive every spring, so I decided to pull out all the hybrids and fall back and regroup. This book takes me back to the old roses that are a little more hardy and can put up with Washington DC weather patterns. The book is nicely laid out. A front section entitled, "What Makes an Old Rose" describes how old roses came to be. The next section is a "field guide" to help you distinguish roses at the nursery. This is followed by 168 pages of roses and text from 'Alba Semi-Plena' to 'Zephrine Drouhin.' What makes this book unique as well as useful is the layout. Each rose is covered in a two-page section. A text description is on the right-hand page, and a closeup photograph of a specimin of the rose showing the bloom, buds, and leaf and branch structure is on the left-hand side. Because it's an actual photo, one can identify the rose in question more easily. The text is useful. Not only are you provided a nice historical write-up on the rose, you are given the 'demographics' including the uses, fragrance, and suseptibility to diseases. Many of the roses appear to be relatively disease free and fragrant--and I found all of them except the "green" rose beautiful. The back of the book contains a list of mail-order houses and gardens where the specimins can be viewed. Since I live in the DC area, I have acces to the U.S. National Arboretum and Woodlawn Plantation, but locations for viewing old roses are located in most states.

Beautiful introduction to nature's classiest roses:
If you ever wanted an approachable guide to English roses, this is it! Each variety includes a wonderful full page closeup photo that makes you want to order more and more Austin roses! Interesting history of each variety and great practical tips on how they'll perform. Handy size makes it an easy companion on shopping trips too. Good ideas on rose care but could use a few more illustrations on pruning, for example. Overall, very well done....and a visual treat too.

A NEW DIRECTION FOR GARDEN INFORMATION BOOKS.:
The day has finally come when an ergonomic, comfortable yet informative, easy-to-read garden information book has hit the bookshelves, and my workbench! For the first time, I don't feel like I need a botanical dictionary or Harvard degree to get some down and dirty tips on how to make my rose garden shine. Mr. Martin brings himself into my garden when I take the book with me along with my gloves. I'm able to learn more than just latin botanical names as I go through the histories and anecdotes Martin shares from his years of experience. Makes me feel like I have a little deeper connection with the plants in my border when that happens. His insight and humor make this field guide the tops for everyday use. I had to buy a second copy just so that I wouldn't have to worry about the rips and soil smudges on the original one. Can't wait for the next in the series; hear it's supposed to be coming out soon. Thank you Mr. Martin!