Saturday, January 19, 2013

Garden Book Reviews January 2013

49 cents.  I couldn't pass up buying this book at only 49 cents!  With shipping and handling, it was still under $5.  That's a bargain!

Of course, buying books online, where you can't thumb through the pages, does have its pitfalls, too.  I have bought books that were disappointing.  But the treasures I find usually outweigh the disappointments.

So, what book did I get for such a bargain?

Beautiful American Rose Gardens


by Mary Tonetti Dorra

Just the name alone was enticing.  If you are interested in having a rose garden, I would recommend this book.  It has gorgeous pictures of real gardens.  Some of these gardens are designed, and some maintained, by professionals.  Some are not.  Either way, there are lots of ideas and inspiration in this book.

No matter what kind of rose garden you wish to have, there is a rose garden design in this book for you.  Roses grown formally in rows.  Roses grown informally mixed in with other plants, cottage style. Roses behind boxwoods.  Roses grown over arches.  Miniature roses, shrub roses, climbing roses, old garden roses, hybrid tea roses.


What I really liked about this book is that it is divided into five different sections of the country: New England, South, Center, California, and Northwest.  Anyone that grows roses knows that climate makes a big difference in the type of rose that's best for your garden.

What I didn't like so well was that each garden was only given a few pages.  As beautiful as the pictures were, I wanted to see more.  I also wanted to know more than what the author presented.  I wanted to know more specifics about the roses, and their companion plantings.  I would have loved to have each garden given twice as many pages each, possibly more.  This book was much like an hors d'oeuvre - it whetted my appetite for more.


Still, I definitely got more than my money's worth!  If you love roses, want to put in a new rose garden, or just love looking at beautiful photos of rose gardens, I recommend you snatch it up.  Especially if you can get it at a bargain.
______________________________________________________________

Now it's your turn!  Please join us on the 20th of every month with your own garden book review.
Any book with a gardening influence qualifies!   And please take the time to visit each of the other participants, too.   

41 comments:

  1. Hi Holley, I have this book myself and like it quite a bit for the beautiful and inspiring photos. I always had seen it as a coffee table book containing mainly lovely photos, but not written to be informative other than on a superficial level. I was OK with that ;-)! Thanks for another nice book review!
    Christina

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You are right - the writing is quite superficial, and I wish there were even more photos of these gardens in it. Still, I got quite a few ideas out of it, so it was quite useful to me. I'm glad you have this book, and that you like it.

      Delete
  2. Holley,you got a real treasure for 49 cents.
    You can read and re-read this book: if you have any questions or doubts you can open the book and clarify variety of roses, the soil and climate.
    I'm glad you have such a good helper in the garden

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, that's why I love books - you can read and re-read them as often as you want! Plus, I love just thumbing through books I've already read when I want a new idea for my garden.

      Delete
  3. Holley ~ What a wonderful book and at such a great price too. I love books like that and know what you mean about wanting to see more and read more about what's being protrayed.

    Have a lovely Sunday ~ FlowerLady

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I fell in love with one of the gardens in this book, and would have really loved to have seen more of it, and read more about the plants in it. There were several of the gardens that I wished this about in this book, actually!

      Delete
  4. I love wonderful book finds like this...sounds like a fab book...i will link in tomorrow.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Donna, for always linking in. I appreciate you. :)

      Delete
  5. That sounds like a nice book to have, and the picture on the cover is very enticing, such a great price too. I don't like ordering books off the internet simply because you can't thumb through them.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The picture is very enticing - as is all the photos of the gardens in this book. I guess that's why it left me panting for more! I always order books off the internet (I can always find a good price), but you are right - sometimes you never know what you're really going to get!

      Delete
  6. I love books....in general...I am needing some guidance..will look into that one.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have tons of books, Janie! I think you would like this one, but it will not give you a lot of guidance, only inspiration. :)

      Delete
  7. Sounds a lovely book, and at 49c too good to pass up on!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for joining in, too! :) I would buy just about any book for 49 cents! I wish I could find more bargains like that!

      Delete
  8. Now that is a splendid idea and I will make a note for February 20th to join in.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I am the dog blogger reincarnated and loving the books idea.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Catherine, for letting me know your alter ego. :) I hope you will join in next month. The more the merrier! Plus, I love to hear about great gardening books!

      Delete
  10. What a fantastic buy. I love garden books with great photos, that alone can be worth the price.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So true! I love to thumb through books with lovely pictures. Sometimes just one element in a photo can spark an idea for a whole new bed!

      Delete
  11. Definitely a bargain. I do enjoy your book review meme, Holley, thanks for it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm glad you enjoy it, Lyn! I love finding new books, too! :)

      Delete
  12. Hi Holley, I enjoyed your review of this rose book. I am missing my roses, but spring will soon be here. I like the idea that they show what roses grow best in the various regions of our country. But I know that even within California there are roses that will do well in my area but not so well on the coast. It's a big state and a big country we live in!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You are so right - and she has more gardens in California than any of the other areas, perhaps that's why. It's hard to know which rose will do well in one's own particular garden sometimes, until you just give it a try!

      Delete
  13. Thats actually really exciting to find a good book for .49 cents. I'm going to look it up on amazon! Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's where I got it. I hope they still have some more for that price! :)

      Delete
  14. I love gardening books and cook books. I don't read them cover to cover. I peruse and stop when something looks interesting. All that skimming seems to create an idea in my head that I then implement whether it be a plant combination or dinner.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I do "scan" a lot of my books, but eventually, I always read them cover to cover. The gardening books, that is. Cook books, no. :) I agree that just looking at photos can generate a lot of ideas!

      Delete
  15. I tried entering my link and it seemed to go through but is not showing...

    ReplyDelete
  16. At that price you cannot go wrong! And when it comes to roses, I have to settle for admiring them in other people's gardens or in the pages of a book. They are just to finicky for my own garden. Books like this are visual vacations for gardeners, enjoy!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Visual vacations - I love the way you said that. And winter is a wonderful time to take a visual vacation! I don't know, but I suspect you have been growing the wrong type of rose. I wonder if the once-bloomers (very hardy and disease resistant) would do better in your climate. I do agree with you, though - any finicky rose in my garden gets the boot!

      Delete
  17. And I love how the pink of the roses on the book echo your header...it brings a smile to my face everytime I see it.

    What a bargain.

    Jen

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. How sweet of you! And, yes, It was a real bargain to a rose lover! :)

      Delete
  18. A taster menu for 49 cents? Surely that can't be beaten? I like the idea of breaking the book into geographical sections. I suspect that were this book to show more photos of all the gardens, it might become a series and that would suit you very well!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't think it can be beaten! And yes, I would have loved an entire series. Can't get too much of beautiful rose gardens! :)

      Delete
  19. I agree, I have bought some great used books online and the prices are great! Recently I found a book on California mansion gardens at a store for $50 and then went on Amazon and bought it for less than $5. So worth it! Some books are good for my electronic reader but beautiful garden books are so much better old school! And even better at a bargain price. Jeannine

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wow - that was a great price on your book! I don't have an electronic reader. I prefer to be able to touch the pages. Now, if they ever create a device where you can actually walk into the book - and into the garden - I'm in! :)

      Delete
  20. Great bargain! I too have discovered one can get books online for terrific prices. Now I just have to find room for all the great garden book buys!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I do wish I could thumb through the books, but the prices can't be beat! And I have found some real treasures that I otherwise wouldn't have.

      Delete
  21. 49 cents! Who could pass up such a bargain! Great books don't need to be pricy. Sorry, I didn't get a review together in time this month Holley. Next month, I will for sure.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I surely couldn't pass up a 49cent garden book! I love finding bargains like that! And I understand about not getting a review in this month - it's been a crazy month here, too! :)

      Delete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...