Product Description
• Detailed information to select, plant, propagate, water, fertilize, and protect roses from pests and disease

• Eye-popping color photographs and profiles feature the 500 best rose varieties for North America-selected for bloom power, disease resistance, and performance

• Tips and techniques to successfully landscape and design gardens with roses

• Easy-to-follow information for beginners as well as in-depth answers for experts on arranging, preserving, and exhibiting roses ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Complete Guide to Roses
This book is a great tool for anything you want to know about roses.To planting,diseases, care and all the different types and there qualities.

Book looks informative, but book quality was poor
The book iteslf on a quick glance looks like it would be a good reference for everything I need to know about tending to my 5 rose bushes and picking out future rose bushes, such as identifying diseases and pests.

My only complaint was the actual physical quality of the book, the cover was dirty and there was green marker along the side of the binding and it looked like it had been used or in a dirty storeroom for a long time prior to shipping.

great general reference
Plenty of pictures and drawings.I got this to try to diagnose what was wrong with my roses.What I thought was a virus appears to be a lack of iron in the ground.Very helpful, more information than I need in regards to other rose types, but overall a very practical book.

Best rosebook I have purchased
This book contains both beautiful pictures and detailed information about growing roses.I purchased a new copy to replace the original one that I left out in the rain! I have referred to this book many times over the last few years in tending to over 100 roses in my garden...

Rose Garden
I purchased this book, along with several rose bushes, for my Mother for Mother's Day.She has always wanted to build a rose garden and said that this book would definitely help her get there. ... Read more

Product Description
Roses are the quintessential garden flower, but many people think they’re difficult to grow. Right Rose, Right Place by rose expert Peter Schneider puts that fear to rest by showing gardeners that when it comes to roses, it’s all about location, location, location. The right rose will thrive when planted in the perfect spot. Weeks of bountiful blooms are the gardener's reward.

Right Rose, Right Place is an inspiring yet practical book that encourages both new and experienced gardeners to make the most of these lovely, versatile plants in hedges and privacy screens, on trellises, integrated into flower beds, as container plants, and in many more ordinary yard settings. Rose gardeners in colder climates will find ample information on hardy shrub and heritage roses, the backbone plants of the author's own garden in Ohio, where he grows 1,200 different roses. Easy to follow step-by-step instructions and more than 400 beautiful full-color photographs make Right Rose, Right Place a joy to read and implement.

Budding rosarians will find everything they need to successfully plant and grow a host of different cultivars. In addition, an extensive section on pruning and general maintenance, including how to deal with pests and diseases, equips rose gardeners with the know-how and skills to keep their new roses in tip-top shape. Right Rose, Right Place is the right book for growing and maintaining beautiful roses. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Very useful book for any northern rose gardener
A very useful book for any northern, cold winters, rose gardener. Especially useful to me, because I live so close by to the author. I know then that his info will better pertain to me as a rose grower. I am a somewhat novice at rose gardening, as I only have 6 rose plants, but this book spells out all the useful info that you need. Good info on fertilizing, planting not only bare root roses but also on own root roses too, watering, and even protecting your rose for the winter.

Great reference for northern/midwestern rose growers
As a midwestern dweller interested in growing roses, I can say that many rose books assume that most growers live on the West coast, in the South, or even in England, so much of the advice is not applicable to those of us living in the colder and more negligible "flyover" states.

But Peter Schneider gardens and grows over 1200 roses in Ohio (Zone 5). Just about every rose he recommends in this book is hardy in his growing zone, and many to colder ones yet. He very helpfully indicates just how tall the roses actually get in his zone -- so the climber rose, Zephirine Drouhin, for example, which is usually listed as reaching 10 ft in height, only gets to be a 4-ft bush in his garden because it is only marginally hardy. And he also tells us how well each variety repeats bloom for him. This is very useful information for those planning gardens.

Much of the book reads like a series of informal chats with an experienced rose grower who shares all kinds of useful, "insider" tips, information and amusing stories with us. Lucky us!

There are many beautiful photographs of the roses, although not every variety is pictured, which would have been helpful to those of us who are not already familiar with hundreds of varieties. But his advice concerning rose care is some of the most helpful I have read to date, particularly concerning mulching, winter care and pests/diseases.

Altogether a very useful book for rose growers, and particularly recommended for northern and midwestern would-be rosarians.

Packed with photos and practical advice
RIGHT ROSE RIGHT PLACE: 359 PERFECT CHOICES comes from a rose expert who understands what roses like and do not like and what makes them successful. From roses that thrive in specific regional conditions to how best to adapt garden designs to suit them, RIGHT ROSE RIGHT PLACE is packed with photos and practical advice that takes the guesswork out of selecting the right variety.
... Read more

Product Description
Twice a year America's rose lovers cut the prettiest blossoms off their best plants and travel to the national rose show, where they lovingly groom their precious blooms for hours in a frigid hall in order to contend for the highest honor: the Queen of Show. Doctors. Teachers. Sheet metal mechanics. Lawyers. Truck drivers. Men and women. These are type A gardeners, and for them this is a blood sport. They grow tender roses in the frigid North and disease prone roses in the humid South simply for the challenge. They decorate otherwise lovely yards with paper bags and panty hose to isolate their choice specimens. They traipse through overgrown fields in the worst weather to save antique roses from extinction.

Aurelia Scott trails these self-professed Roseaholics as they plan, prepare, and compete, battling high winds, Japanese beetles, and the finicky demands of their precious charges. With all the appeal of Word Freak, Otherwise Normal People celebrates the singular satisfaction of cultivating beauty—and, of course, the thrill of victory. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

A big let down....
I had read a boat load of advertising about this book before it came out. So naturally "Had to Have It". Now I would gladly give it away so no one else spends the money on it. There are some just plain terrible tales in it and perhaps they needed to be told to show how really crazy some folks get about showing roses. Some of the stories of what people do, how they act, give the beautiful rose a black eye. Sorry to say but this book was a huge let down for me. I cannot recommend it to anyone. There are other books, such as A Rose By Any Name out that are so far above this book that it might as well not exist.

Rose Madness?!
I truly enjoyed this book! Regardless if you show roses or not, this is a very informative book. I don't show my roses but as rose lover I really enjoy looking at "healthy looking roses" and learning so I really had a good time reading this book.Too bad it doesn't have pictures!!!!
It's a very easy and pleasurable reading! It makes me want to see the rose gardens she mention!

Otherwise Normal Review
If you're into roses, you'll read this book with a smile and also with a notepad to record new tricks of the trade.
The personalities of the featured rosarians definitely "come through."
The style, subject matter, and the rosarians are a delight.
This is a must read for any serious rosarian.

The other side of growing roses
The innocent reader who knows nothing of roses will believe that extraordinary measures are necessary to grow them properly. Fortunately, that's completely untrue *unless* one plans to exhibit. The majority of people who love and grow roses have no interest in exhibition--but rather in the beauty of these plants.

The book is entertaining, certainly, but modern hybrid teas interest me not at all, so I was disappointed by Scott's lack of attention to old-garden roses.

A technical reader familiar with roses should have assisted in the production of this book. It is, unfortunately, rife with factual errors. Just an example from memory: Scott discusses 'New Dawn' and claims it was "bred" by a particular nursery. No, it wasn't. The most cursory research would have revealed that 'New Dawn' is a repeat-blooming sport of 'Dr. W. Van Fleet'. A sport is a spontaneous genetic mutation, thus 'New Dawn' arose from 'Dr. W. Van Fleet' and was not itself "bred" (hybridized).

A copy editor would have been useful as well. Somewhere near the beginning of the book Scott refers to someone "pouring over" reading material. Please.

Captures the envrionment and the people
It was fun reading about people that I have actually met at some of the conventions. ... Read more

Product Description
Which roses grow best in a small garden?What companion plants complement a rose border? How do you 'modernize' a rose garden? All these and more are answered in the new edition of Sunset's Roses. Everything for the novice or experienced rose devotee is here-the latest advice on shopping for roses, growing techniques, planning a rose garden, maintaining healthy roses, regional tips, and yes, detailed pruning instructions (no more 'ouch.') With its lush photography showcasing over 350 roses, plus a gallery of choices hand-picked by Sunset experts, this is the resource book rose fanciers will reach for time and time again. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

eyeloveroses
This is a fantastic book!It is reasonably priced,but most of all, it is packed with helpful information and step by step instructions for many elements of growing roses. I love it and would recommend it to anyone interested in growing roses!

Interesting
Ideas for small gardens, containers, and pruning practices.

It comes with most technical terms and knowledge, which is surprising to the reader.

a good guide to help our roses

Great guide to roses
I checked this book out of the library along with about 25 other rose books, and although it's a smaller book than most, it's better. It's easy to find the information I want, which makes it a good reference book, and it's also easy to read through, which I've done. It starts off like a magazine, with lovely pictures to whet one's appetite and captions (as a former newspaper editor, I know that captions are some of the most read pieces of text on any page). Then the book moves into technical information (in the form of body copy) about selecting, planting, pruning, disease and pest control, recommended varieties, etc. I especially like the illustrations of pests, diseases, and nutrient deficiencies. It's important to diagnose rose problems correctly, and this book is the only one I've seen that has the right illustrations for doing that. It's obvious that this book was created by people who know how to explain things thoroughly, and know the value of good illustrations.

The only problem I have with this book is the same problem I have with most rose books: there's not enough discussion of disease resistance in the description of each variety. I imagine that's difficult in a book that covers the whole country (I live in Seattle, where black spot is the biggest problem.) So to find out if a particular rose I want is susceptible to certain diseases in the Northwest, I go online. Doing this, I learned that a Northwest-recommended variety, Iceberg, is particularly prone to black spot here, so I took it off my list, and added other white roses that appear to be more bullet proof.

All in all, I think very highly of this book, and it has passed the test, and I'll buy my own copy.

Most beautiful pictures
This book was so well put together, pictures and illistrations were wonderful.would recomend to all.

Roses by Sunset Magazine
I must say, this book was well worth the money.The information provided was very descriptive and the up-to-date pictures and reviews on the most current quality roses out there were beautiful!I highly recommend this book for any new rose growers out there and for the more hardened, the gallery of roses is a must! ... Read more

Product Description
“American Beauty,” “Dublin Bay,” “Rocketeer,” “Betty Boop,” “High Noon,” “Pearly Gates”…with a distinctive name for each of hundreds of varieties, the array of roses that could adorn your garden is both dazzling and daunting. So which ones survive hardily on their own for weeks on end, and which ones wither and die without constant attention? How do you tell a climber from a shrub, and how does each thrive? And don’t even start with pruning!

Despite all the (ahem) thorny particulars, gardeners still love to grow these beautiful flowers that would by any other name still smell as sweet. Roses for Dummies does away with the myth that roses have to be high maintenance, instead showing how to choose a type that will blossom in your care. Inside, rosarians of all levels will find useful information on:

• Shopping for roses
• Planting
• Watering and mulching
• Fertilizing
• Pruning
• Protecting roses from weather and pests
• And more

Roses for Dummies contains everything you need to know to get started, or, if you’re more advanced, refine your knowledge of roses. Now in a new Second Edition with more than 100 new varieties described, as well as new information on insect and disease control, this helpful guide also covers:

• Landscaping with roses
• What makes a rose fragrant
• Roses and their partners in the garden
• Growing in containers
• Drying roses and making potpourri
• Rose societies and other places to see roses
• Ten roses to avoid if you’re not an expert

Whether looking for nothing more than a sweet-smelling decoration to brighten your doorstep, or looking to enter a major rose competition, discoveries about this much-loved flower await you. Full of pointers, resources, pitfalls, vocabulary, and an eye-popping full color insert, this book will help you grow the roses of your dreams.Amazon.com Review
Is there any flower more sensuous and romantic than the rose? Roses aren't just fragrant and beautiful; they're also easy to grow and come in hundreds of varieties and colors. Roses for Dummies covers the various types of roses--hybrid teas, grandifloras, floribundas, miniatures, climbers, shrub roses, and antique roses--helping would-be rose gardeners select the best variety for their conditions and pocketbooks. Planting, watering, mulching, and pruning are covered in enough detail to suit any arboretum and, speaking of arboretums, the book's appendix gives the locations of the best public rose gardens in the U.S. Roses for Dummies is a friendly guide to what may become a blooming passion. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (22)

Roses! I knew nothing.
Still don't know much but this publication gave me the confidence to feed and prune my roses as well as to help me make the rose selections that would best suit my needs.

Love this book
This book is just full of information and I am really enjoying reading it.This book was recommended by a local rosarian

Keep On Going
I have to admit that I was slight disapointed with this book. I was expecting great things as a novis rose gardener. I was expecing a more informative, colorful book. The material seemed to lack something. I didn't get very much out of the book and the mostly black and white pictures / drawings didn't help me much visually either. If you're wondering if you should purchase this book, keep going and find something better. I recommend the Miracle Grow book on roses - it is full of color photographs and more useful information.

Simple to understand, full of information
This book is for the beginning rose gardener.It is stocked full of information and guides you through every step from what you need to know before purchsing your roses to care after the roses are planted.I would recommend this book if you are thinking about growing any kind of rose.

For even the most amatuer gardener
I love roses, only I thought that they were hard to grow.Not with this book!I have two rose bushes that came with the house I bought last year, and they looked like they were dead.After learning about pruning, and various other aspects of rose growing, they are blooming like crazy!!

This book has a great deal of information and will get you started in the right direction.I am so happy that I am going to plant a few a year in various places in my yard.As a person who needs detailed instructions on doing things, this book is 5 stars for my money!! ... Read more

Product Description
Fresh ideas for selecting and growing the latest roses.

Gardeners are always searching for new roses and better ways to grow them. Best Rose Guide is an up-to-date reference with a wealth of new ideas for selecting and planting the ideal roses.

This authoritative guide covers 850 roses and bridges the divide between scientific texts and everyday horticultural books. The book explains how to identify and understand every type of rose.

Best Rose Guide features:- Detailed introductions to twenty-four categories of rose including Old Roses, Climbers, Shrubs and Modern Roses- Expert advice on selecting and growing- Planting ideas, companion plants and care- Cross-references, hardiness zones.

Vivid photographs show every rose in exquisite detail. The authoritative text also explains how roses have been cultivated from ancient Roman times to today with fascinating information and the most up-to-date DNA studies.

Featuring the newest rose varieties and the latest techniques and ideas for selecting and growing them, Best Rose Guide is a definitive reference on roses. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

"A Rose By Any Other Name Would Smell As Sweet"
"From the earliest civilizations, roses have occupied a unique place in man's appreciation and love of flowers. References to roses have been found in Assyrian tablets and Homer wrote that Hector's body was anointed with rose-scented oil. In the 6th century BC, the Ionian poet Anacreon praised the rose as perfume of the gods, joy of men, and flower of Venus." ~ Introduction ~

Roger Phillips and Martyn Rix "Best Rose Guide: A Comprehensive Selection" is one of the most attractive, interesting, fascinating and informative books I've ever read about roses. This book is not only designed for gardeners, but also to anyone who simply loves roses. It is an all-embracing guide to choosing roses and a perfect approach to rose growing. The stunningly gorgeous photography is a work of art by Roger Phillips, an award-winning photographer who has thirty books to his credit. His collaborator, Martyn Rix, is a botanist, gardener and plant collector. Their collaboration has produced twenty-five books.

There are 850 major species of roses and their historical classes in this book. The roses are classified into groups in accordance with their "history and parentage." Each group has different characteristics. Every rose has been beautifully photographed in color, their origins are described in great detail, their given names are indicated as well as their alternate names. And I'm amazed to learn that some species were named after musical compositions, famous names of royalties, composers, presidents, places, songs, poets, authors, and others.These are the ones that caught my fancy and the most attractive rose species I've ever seen.

"What's in a name?
That which we call a rose by any other name
Would smell as sweet" ~ William Shakespeare ~

1. "Handel" (pg 139) Ireland - the large flowers are strikingly bi-colored with each creamy-white petal edged with crimson.
2. "Calypso" (pg 142) Denmark - the flowers are semi-double, striped crimson and pink.
3. "Pheasant" (pg 162) Germany - the double pink roses are around two inches and they have a very good scent.
4. "Heavenly Pink" (pg 179) Belgium -the strong pink, fully double flowers have an excellent old rose scent.
5. "Sarah Van Fleet" (pg 185) USA - the flowers are cupped and loosely double, of mid-pink shade. The flowering is continuous.
6. "Starry Night" (pg 192) France - Single, pure white roses produced in clusters.
7. "Carefree Beauty" (pg 193) USA - light rose pink shrub roses with moderate scent.
8. "Blue Skies" (pg 211) USA - long pointed buds open to large, pink blossoms that fade with age and are moderately scented.
9. "Blue Moon" (pg 210) Germany - large, double flowers on long stems, comes in pale lilac to lavender, intensely fragrant.
10. "Claude Monet" (pg 220) USA - the petals are striped red, white, orange and pink. This is so unique. I've never seen a rose as beautiful as this. It's a Hybrid Tea Rose.
11. "French Lace" (pg 229) USA - the well-formed flowers are pale ivory-white with a hint of apricot.
12. "Scentimental" (pg 247) USA - the double cupped flowers are swirled with red and white or cream, it has an intense scent.
13. "Jubilee Celebration" (pg 254) England - large flowers, salmon pink with gold on the back of the petals. The scent is fruity and rich with overtones of lemon and raspberry.
14. "Guy de Maupassant" (pg 258) France - also known as "Romantic Fragrance" for its delicious delicate fragrant. The double flowers are flesh-pink.
15. "Rhapsody In Blue" (pg 242) England - the semi-double roses are dark purplish-blue.

I could go and on listing all the beautiful roses here but suffice it to say that this is one of the most elegant books about roses. It is also a perfect gift to any rose aficionado and a charming gem of a book to accessorize your coffee table.

Wholeheartedly recommended.

Good rose selection guide with some limitations
The books by the team of Phillips and Rix are always a treat and this one is no exception. However, it doesn't compare with some of their earlier books (notably, "Quest for the Rose," which is one of the best books of its kind ever published). This one profiles over 850 roses from over 20 classes including the recent David Austin English roses, Romantica roses and Generosa roses. Each rose is given a description and "garden notes" which discusses hardiness and growth characteristics in the garden. Most all are illustrated with nice color photos (typically, many are close-ups - what is so wonderful about "Quest for the Rose" is how the photographs show their complete size so you can get an indea of how they grow in the garden). Most of the roses are photographed in their natural habitat but about half are photographed against white backgrounds. A concluding section, "Roses in the Garden" showcases ten pages of mouth-watering photos of roses growing among other plants, on garden walls, etc.) A glossary and brief tips on rose care are included as well.

I think the book is very nice and I can't think of better qualified experts on the rose. That said, I do think the book has some limitations. First of all, I don't like the way the roses are arranged. Each chapter covers a specific type of rose (i.e. "Hybrid Musk," "Floribunda," "Bourbon," etc.) and about 10 roses are profiled on a two-page facing spread alphabetically. When you turn the page, the roses on the next two pages are presented alphabetically starting over again at "A". The roses seem to be arranged by color but by not presenting the entire chapter alphabetically, it makes it harder to locate a specific rose. Of course, there is an index, but I still don't care for the layout. A few photos also seem to be mislabeled ("Georgetown Tea" for example).

The major limitation of the this book is that it doesn't discuss how the roses grow in various climates. Since the authors are British, I'm sure they selected roses that do fine in England, so gardeners in other climates might need a better selection guide (like the American Rose Society Encyclopedia for example).

A pretty good rose guide or a guide to pretty good roses
Hyperbolic titles generally put me off, especially when it is not clear to what the hyperbole aspires. In this case, one can work out from the introduction that the authors meant to put together a wide catalog of roses they "love or have found memorable or striking for one reason or another". The result might be a comprehensive selection of roses they like, but do not expect a comprehensive guide to roses.

The strengths of this book are its simple overview of rose history and parentage, its multitude of color photos, and concise but informative historical and horticultural notes about each rose. For these reasons alone, the book earns a place on the shelves of rose aficionados.

The Phillips and Rix approach, familiar to readers from their vast number of titles, is what it is: many listings, mostly accurate statements, and a layout that emphasizes quantity rather than quality of photos. Such an approach offers lots of data, but it wants interpreting. This is where I hesitate to recommend this book as a starting place for absolute beginners, who would probably do better with the narrower focus of Philip Harkness in "Reliable Roses". The photos, too, remind one of a rose's appearance, but other references are far better at showing a rose's visual attributes of color, form, and habit.

One of the charms of roses is that a single plant may carry several different monikers. Not here: Phillips and Rix have elected to display only the current name accepted by the rose canon, which I think is a pity. There is no cross-reference, as is included in many rose books, and this will stop some from finding information about a rose they know by another name.

Perhaps if I were to labor at length over the text, I might be able to infer why some roses made the cut and others did not. That Abbaye de Cluny was left out of the little section on Romanticas, for example, stuns me. Likewise, Cupcake (deemed by John Clements to be "one of the most beautiful of all pink miniatures") is shunned. The lovely single, Golden Wings, is ignored. Why? "Too many beautiful roses" might be the answer -- but these are beauties: tough and hardly overplanted. Nevertheless, this pretty book will keep its place, for now, on my shelf as a guide to the roses Phillips and Rix like best.

As you'll notice from the listing, this is a heavy tome: four pounds. I am already becoming mildly concerned about the durability of the sewn binding. Even with careful use and storage, the pages seem to be loosening somewhat.

For the Passionate Rose Lover
Anyone who is passionate about roses can relate to the newest rose encyclopedia out there, Best Rose Guide-A Comprehensive Selection. Authors Roger Phillips and Martyn Rix bring out their love for roses in this new book.
With descriptions of over 850 roses and fantastic photography to go with them, this book is sure not to disappoint.
Phillips and Rix give explanations of each rose group. From where they originated from, to the geneticists who studied them. They then give detailed descriptions of the dozens of different species in each group.There is also separate sections on information concerning rose gardens, hardiness and zones.
Don't be mistaken, you don't have to learn how to grow roses to enjoy this book. This is just the next big book full of information. Whether you are just a rose lover or a long time rose grower, this book is sure to accommodate you in some way. ... Read more

Product Description
The English Rose is a gorgeous distillation of David Austin's English Roses, which has sold 150,000 copies in four years. Showcasing seventy varieties of the "English Rose" he has spent his life hybridizing from traditional and modern roses, Austin reveals the secrets of its development. These garden favorites combine the full-flowered look and intense fragrance of old roses with the hardiness, disease resistance, and repeat-bloom performance of hybrid teas and other modern varieties. Included are a brief history of roses through the centuries, practical growing tips and garden-planning advice, and a resource list for English Roses. Color photographs evoke the beauty of each bloom, with captions summarizing characteristics such as size, growing habits, and the height and width of the rose bush.

Ardent gardeners will snap this up for themselves or as a small and sumptuous gift. Where else could one find so much beauty in such a petite, affordable package? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Beautiful little rose book
This is a beautiful little rose book.I'm a watercolor artist and the photos of the roses will give me inspiration for my own paintings.I am amazed at he number of petals of some of the roses.Just facinating and beautiful photos.

In the Garden with a Professional
The concise, authoritative guide to the English rose by one of the world's foremost experts.David Austin has distilled 40 years' experience in developing beautiful, healthy hybrids into an accessible, informativevolume.Lavishly illustrated with strikingly detailed photos of roses inthe garden and in still-life arrangements, The English Rose offers handydescriptions of dozens of varieties, isolating distinctive qualities ofeach one.Austin's professional introduction and list of supplierscomplement the text.In sum, The English Rose is an essential resource fornovice and experienced gardener alike and a wonderful companion to DavidAustin's English Roses. ... Read more

Product Description
If you are interested in growing roses, then "The Ultimate Introduction to Roses" is the perfect book to get you started in this amazing hobby!By growing roses, you will experience immense satisfaction, create something of true beauty, and become part of a world-wide community that loves this elegant and beautiful plant.

In "The Ultimate Introduction to Roses", Holly Lukerman takes you step-by-step through the process of rose gardening.All of the advice is simple and practical, and covers all the major areas of this wonderful pursuit, including...

- How to pick the right roses for your geographical location
- How to fertilize roses for best results
- How to transplant roses
- How to avoid common rose gardening problems and pitfalls

...and much more!

If you've always loved roses and want to finally learn how to grow your own, then "The Ultimate Introduction to Roses" is the perfect book to introduce you to the beautiful world of roses! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Really good book
My wife and I got this book recently to help us start our own little rose garden, and so far we've found it very useful.It's covered all of the areas that we've had questions about, and is written in a very accessible style (which is nice for me since I'm not nearly as much of a gardener as my wife is).As a beginner, I would say that this is a very good choice for anyone who is new to the field and looking for a guidebook to get them started.

Very, very helpful book on rose gardening
As someone who has never cultivated roses before, I found this book to be an absolutely lovely and wonderfully helpful introduction to the topic.

The advice in the book is all very practical and straight-forward, and I've already started putting things "into action", as it were (although of course I'm not done yet: you obviously aren't going to get roses overnight).I also really appreciated the fact the book is written in such an accessible, down-to-earth style.

For my tastes, there's just the right amount of content and depth: there's plenty of information on all the various aspects of the whole process, while at the same time there isn't a bunch of useless information and filler (which I know authors sometimes add to their books in order to puff up the page count).

Although it's neither here nor there, I also really enjoyed the section on the history of roses!Very interesting.

I don't know if this is necessarily the "ultimate" introduction to the topic of roses (since I'm certainly not an expert), but personally I found this book to be wonderfully helpful at getting me started, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anyone interested in exploring this subject. ... Read more

Product Description
The rose brings beauty and joy to those who grow and admire them. Often a rose will bear a person's name, for the breeding of roses is an art and, like all artists, the raisers of roses enjoy dedicating their creations to people they love or admire.But who was Madame Hardy? Bettina? Lorraine Lee or Henri Martin? Vita Sackville-West asked this question many years ago and rose-lovers are still asking. Here, at last, in an elegant, timeless and beautifully illustrated edition, is the answer.Anyone who loves these delightful flowers will find this collection of stories as beautiful as the bloom itself. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Practical and Inspiring
This book offers more than the usual information about individual roses.There are seven garden designs which are invaluable as guidelines for both experienced and novice rose gardeners.The information is very detailed about the habits and disease resistance of each of the roses listed, and the author goes one step further to suggest landscape uses for each cultivar and attractive companion plants.Probably the best rose book to come along in this decade! ... Read more

Product Description

Exquisite photographs of classic favorites and new selections of David Austin's collection of beloved blooms grace every page of this book. Austin revolutionized rose gardening by restoring the viability and popularity of the old roses, and in The English Roses he describes in detail 40 recently developed varieties in addition to 40 of his best-loved and time-tested favorites.

He presents his entirely new classification and recounts how he set out to create the English roses. In eloquent prose he clearly reveals his passion for these roses and his lifelong dedication to their improvement. The authoritative text describes:

Customer Reviews (9)

Sent me right to the computer to order roses
I'm a dedicated rosarian, and love pouring over catalogs and books about roses.This book allowed me to indulge my senses, but unfortunately, also empty my wallet.How can you not linger over these lucious David Austin roses, and not yearn to have more.Also, liked reading David Austin's overview of rose history and his attempts to develop a rose with all of the "charm" of the old fashioned roses, along with the better qualities in the newer roses.

Wonderful pictures, beautiful book
I love this book! It is almost as if I can smell the roses. There are beautiful pictures and suggestions how to apply roses in your own garden.

I went on a holiday to the UK last year and visited the David Austin nursery. This book brings me back there. I love it!

Pretty flowers, pretty book
My wife picked this book up when she got on a rose kick earlier this year. Although I'm more into jazz than flowers, I have to say this is a very impressive, beautiful book. For the most part, this book is pretty much a catalog of Mr. Austin's roses, but the layout of the book is especially user-friendly and approachable. Most of it has text on the left hand page and a full page picture on the right hand page accompanying the text. You always know what you're looking at and what the author is talking about. The nuggets about caring for roses and laying out a garden are embedded in the text; there's no comprehensive "how to" section for the beginner, which might be a negative point for some. And although the book is a little pricey, it really is pleasant to look at. This book will be revisited often not only throughout the rose growing season, but especially in anticipation of spring, when your eyes want to dwell on flowers and there's nothing but stems in the garden.

austin's roses
a beautiful book with full explanatory notes on the roses. just a "gorgeous" book to hold and read. a real treasure by a master grower and developer of english roses.

Love the roses...why didn't they show pictures of the bushes?
With all this talk (by David Austin) of breeding a more attractive flower on a more attractive shrub, why didn't he include a picture of a mature shrub of each rose he was talking about?
The book does have beautiful closeups of many, many, (I think 71) of his roses. And... there are pictures in the other sections of some of the rose bushes... but it could have been much more helpful if there were also a picture of each shrub, not just the close-up of the flower.
But not to be forgotton, other than the beautiful flowers and the missing shrubs, David Austin's history of the English roses, etc, makes for interesting and educational reading. ... Read more

Product Description
Great ideas and down-to-earth wisdom on rose gardening from Better Homes and Gardens and the American Rose Society

Better Homes and Gardens presents Rose Gardening, a comprehensive guide to growing great roses recommended by the American Rose Society. Roses are hardy, beautiful plants that grow easily and survive cold weather, so they continually remain popular for home gardeners. This practical guide combines the artistry of rose gardening with the green-thumb wisdom it takes to succeed.

For gardeners of every skill level-whether they've grown roses before or hardly know what one should look like-this book offers inspiration, beautiful photography, artistic and creative garden plans, and historical information that rose enthusiasts will love.

• Includes colorful diagrams, helpful checklists that make planning a breeze, easy-to-understand planting and caring directions, and much more
• Features more than 600 stunning full-color photographs, including a gallery of roses that showcases hundreds of varieties
• Offers advice on selecting the right roses for your geographical region, combining roses with other plants in your design, up-to-date information on pest control, and general garden maintenance

For anyone who loves roses and rose gardens, Rose Gardening is the ultimate resource for the home gardener. ... Read more

Product Description
Whether you're eyeing a hybrid tea you remember from your mother's garden, or one of the new easy-care landscaping varieties, this book makes it easy to add the unmatched beauty of roses to your garden. Inside you'll find:

 • Expert advice on choosing the right rose for your space and nurturing it for years of beauty.

• Detailed descriptions of more than 200 varieties of perennials in the illustrated plant encyclopedia. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Good book
This book is really good and has all kinds of information.This book was recommended by a local rosarian.

Good collection of roses to review
I found this book to be very helpful.in fact I found just what I wanted.It tells you what types of roses are fragrant, dissease resistant, everything you would need to know about each rose.It also had beautifulpictures and was very easy to follow.

All you need to know about roses
This book is definitely very good. The first time I opened it, I wasdisappointed, as I saw in the first two chapters a history about roses.Then comes the good part: it explains whatever you may need to take care ofyour roses. It has a lot of pictures and photos, it explains what kind ofsoil do roses need, how to choose the right plants, planting the roses,watering, fertilizing, pruning, reproducing, combating pest and diseases,how to protect the roses from freezing, etc. It includes pictures of howroses diseases looks like, gives you an explanation of the symptoms, andthe solutions available for the disease. The last two chapters describe howto enjoy roses indoors, how to make potpourri, and has an"encyclopedia of roses" with photos of a lot of differentspecies. In short: buy this book. Definitely the "American RoseSociety endorsed" logo is well earned. ... Read more

Product Description
A gardener-friendly guide to growing roses.

Old-fashioned roses are cherished by gardeners for their timeless beauty, strong fragrance and fascinating history. Growing these roses -- along with their hybrids -- offers gardeners an opportunity to bring history to life. It is enormously gratifying to know that the roses blooming in one's garden were first cultivated by the Empress Josephine or were originally used to cover Cleopatra's bed.

Old-fashioned and David Austin Roses communicates the pure romance of old fashioned roses while demystifying the process of growing them. Contents include:- History- Once-flowering old roses- Repeat-flowering old roses- David Austin roses- Cultivation- Landscaping with old roses- Diversions: making rose oil, syrup and more

Each section of the book is organized by species and near hybrids. A concise history introduces the cultivars along with a short description that includes date of origin, growing requirements and interesting historical facts. Straightforward advice for planning and growing includes practical tips for feeding, watering, mulching, deadheading, cutting, pruning and minimizing the effects of pests, diseases and cold weather.

There are landscaping instructions for borders and beds, containers, groundcover, rose shrubs, hedges, the woodland garden and climbers. Finally, a rose cookbook includes recipes for creating such ancient concoctions as rose oil/perfume, rose and rhubarb syrup and rose brandy.

Old-fashioned and David Austin Roses is an accessible and essential reference for novice and experienced gardeners. ... Read more

Product Description
The spectacularly successful Ultimate Rose Book is back in a thoroughly updated and revised edition. Rosarian Stirling Macoboy’s book is a classic, not just for its beautiful pictures and comprehensive coverage, but also for its author’s good-humored, opinionated observations and his selection of 1,500 rose varieties to feature out of tens of thousands.

The expanded edition features 300 new varieties, selected for their beauty, fragrance, hardiness, and popularity, as well as new features on the history of the rose, the renaissance of garden roses, climbers, and ramblers, and great rose gardens of the world. There are also updated chapters on the classification of roses, as well as a glossary and bibliography. The 2,000 color photographs include the varieties named in the book.

An indispensable reference that possesses visual beauty and literary wit and soul, The Ultimate Rose Book is for gardeners and rose lovers everywhere. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (15)

Wonderful
I am passionate about the roses, in my country we only have a few varieties of antique roses, but no D. Austin.

However I am happy with this book, because in my garden with roses modern.

This book is very beautiful, with history, with well-defined photos with the description, exact, so I could see, in this book at least four of my roses and exactly matches the description of the book.

!!!!!, It's wonderful to learn, watch and delight the soul

great book
Beautiful book--makes me want to run out to the garden & see what roses I can plant.

A Perfect Valentine Gift
We all know that most women love to receive flowers - especially on Valentine's Day. This year I decided to do something different and give my wife, who loves roses and grows them, the "Ultimate Rose Book" instead of a bouquet that would only last a week. She abasolutely loved it! She has poured over it again and again, and will for years to come. The photography is gorgeous and information very helpful. We highly recommend it to any serious "Rose" person.

Good for older modern roses
This is an excellent book for those gardeners wanting information on many of the older hybrid teas and floribundas plus climbers that are carried by only specialized rose nurseries. This book also tells it like it is and so you get the negative aspects of some roses. Yes the book is VERY large but perfect to raise a small child to the table.

The Ultimate Rose Book
This is such a lovely book, it's worth owning just to look at the beautiful photographs of roses.However, it offers much more.There are full descriptions of each rose, including origin, developer, growth, fragrance, etc.I needed to find a rose developed in Germany.Using this book I created quite a long list of potential roses.When I located a grower of the rose I wanted, it was interesting to see this book prominently displayed among his reference works.Highly recommended. ... Read more

Product Description
No variety of plants can contribute as much beauty to a garden - and as much satisfaction to the gardener who knows how to grow them - as roses. In this guide you'll find

• photographs of almost 400 roses, with a quick reference to fragrance, winter hardiness, and disease resistance
• every important class of rose - Species Roses, Old Garden Roses, Shrubs, Hybrid Teas, Floribundas, Grandifloras, Miniatures, and Climbers
• suggestions for carefree border and ground-cover roses
• an encyclopedia entry for each plant, noting its uses and limitations
• a pest and disease chart that describes the damage, its cause, and ecologically safe controls.

Whether you want to buy a single carefree bush or maintain a whole garden of perfect roses, this Taylor's Guide has everything you need to know to succeed the first time. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Good selection guide for finding roses
Taylor's Guides are popular tools for plant selection and this revised edition is no exception. The size of the new edition is a little larger than the old one but it is still a comfortable size for reading in bed or taking with you to the nursery. 380 roses are covered here, from all rose classes. 200+ pages are glossy and contain a color photograph of each rose. The gallery is followed by an "encyclopedia of roses" which gives basic information about growing the rose and how best to use it in the garden. A brief introduction covers the basics of buying roses, growing and caring for them. A chart is also included which explains pest and diseases and offers ecologically safe controls.

This is a good guide but if you are seeking a book that is more comprehensive and includes a larger selection of roses, you might want to check out "Botanica's Roses" by William Grant. This book includes over 2000 roses and is priced similarly. Also, the just released "American Rose Society Encyclopedia of Roses" is also outstanding but much higher in price.

A fine book indeed!
This book has lovely photographs, good descriptions of the plant, and suggestions on how to use particular rose varieties in your landscape. It is written with enthusiasm and is a pleasure to read. ... Read more

Product Description
Belinda's Dream, Katy Road Pink and Georgetown Tea, the names alone evoke images of glorious cottage gardens and arching trellises laden with perfumed blossoms.In this revised edition, rose expert Bill Welch updates the latest information and top sources for antique roses. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

An Enjoyable Book on Roses.....
I do like this book on roses very much; however, Dr. Welch gave way too much attention along with way too many pages to the subjects of arranging roses and rose potpourri. When I saw this was the new edition, I hoped it did not include these two subjects and instead give us more pictures and information on additional roses. Sadly, it does not. Other than arranging roses and making potpourri, the roses and information in this book are excellent, a most very enjoyable read.

Start with this book if you are interested in old roses.
As a horticulturist and landscape designer, I am asked to doseminars on antique and old garden roses. I always recommend this book as an additional source of information. It gives a lot of good information on propagation, care, and recommended varieties. Especially valuable is his list of roses in the back of the book with suggested landscape uses. This book won't disappoint you.

Good News and Bad News
The good news is that this book identifies antique roses that are not seen that often and has some very good pictures of them.There is also some interesting discussion about how some of these roses were found and identified by hobbyists.The bad news is that I was expecting a lot more information on husbandry.For example, there are only two pages in the book dedicated to growing antique roses in containers, but there are no less than 52 pages (about half the narrative of the book, discounting the rose list in the back) dedicated to indoor flower arrangements with roses, drying and preserving roses in displays, etc., which has absolutely no interest to me.I'd recommend this book as a supplemental reference on antiques, relying on other sources for care information.

should be titled Antique Roses for South Texas
I thought the book would address more than the South Texas Area.Rather misleading title- It is difficult to find information on roses that do well in zones 6-9.Too many pages devoted to flower arranging andpotpourrimaking.

Wonderful book for southern gardens.
This was a great book, full of information specifically geared toward the south. It was great to see a book full of roses that can thrive in the southern climate. Though I am a beginner at gardening, and especiallyantique rose gardening, I felt there was lots of information here for theexperienced gardener as well. This book has been a great reference tool, aswell as one that is a joy to just look at. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Wonderful encyclopedia of rose information.
I have both the newer and older versions of this book and enjoy them both.I have noticed that Mr. Beales' experience with certain roses differs from mine.Especially I have noticed this with tender tea roses and species roses.I think this is likely due to big differences in our climate. (I am in a very hot and humid/mild winters climate)I often re-read this book before bed and will probably buy another someday when my copy wears out.

if you enjoy roses
Classic Roses by Peter Beales is a good illustrated book of many roses that you can find and of some that you can't find. It is very helpful with good pictures of most of the roses and has useful tips on growth habits andproblems that the rose may have like thin stems or weak stems. The index ishandy for finding the rose by its common name. The listing of landscaperoses is good and I find the history and evolution of the rose veryinformative. Those who would like to cultivate their own rose will findthis book useful. I Like this book very much and everytime I look it it Ifind something new. ... Read more

Product Description
The rose is one of the most popular and celebrated of flowers, and recent years have seen a revival of interest in old-fashioned varieties. Gardening with Old Roses, enhanced with200 beautiful color photos, shows you how to grow and care for these lush, fragrant, full-petaled beauties. Chapters include: a Directory of Old Roses, profiling130 of the finest old shrub roses, climbers, and ramblers, as well as some modern shrub and species roses; Designing with Old Roses, covering all the elements of planning a rose garden as well using old roses for beds, borders, walls, and arbors; Companion Planting, offering ideas for striking plant associations; and Caring for Old Roses, which has complete information on soil, fertilizers, planting, pruning, and spraying. Inspiring, practical, and one of the most comprehensive books available on old roses. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Gardening with Old Roses by John Scarman
This is one of the best books I have on gardening with old roses, and I have many.It's small enough to carry around, has great pictures, but it's his information that is so wonderful.I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in old roses, beginner or pro.

Gardening With Old Roses
I liked this book on the old roses because Mr. Scarman gives you such detailed information regarding their habits of growth,the type and shape of bush and how to keep it looking it's best. He gives a personality to the different classes of the old roses so you can understand how they want to grow, plus their likes and dislikes pertaining to soil, location and even watering. His chapter on the pruning of the old roses is the best I have ever read .The whole book is very informative. I would definately reccommend Gardening With Old Roses for those who are looking for that little bit of extra information on the older roses.

Beautiful book.
I have several old rose gardening books. This welcomed book is hard to put down.What I have found helpful is the section on care and pruning of old roses.In the past I've had to research several of my books to find outthe information that is in this one consice and beautiful book. ... Read more