Native Trees, Shrubs, & Vines: A Guide to Using, Growing, and Propagating North American Woody Plants

by William Cullina

Book Overview

The Essential Source for Working with Native Tree Species This Echo Point book is available in two styles: an economical color paperback edition (search ISBN 1635618959) for the budget-conscious and a... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0618098585
• ISBN13: 9780618098583
• Release Date: June 2002
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
• Length: 356 Pages
• Weight: 3.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 8.6" x 11.2"

Customer Reviews

Great for all kinds of plant lovers

I highly recommend this beautiful book to anyone interested in native plants! I bought it to find out how to propagate a few native plants in my area. Cullina's writing is so exceptionally vivid, entertaining, and enthusiastic that I soon found myself just reading it for enjoyment. That's saying a lot, as I generally use books of this sort for reference, not sit-down reading. Cullina covers quite a diversity of species: obscure genuses like Elliottia and Franklinia, boreal and high-elevation species, and well-known forest and landscape standards. He speaks so much from personal experience that it's hard not to envy his knowledge and drive. Fortunately, his passion is contagious and you will learn a lot from this wonderful book.

THE resource for native plant info!

This is the 'bible' of native plant info when it comes to the woody species. His native wildflower guide is equally impressive for that category of plants. This book is stuffed cover to cover with detailed info about each plant. If you want to know how to plant it, where to put it (light and soil needs), what kinds of wildlife you can expect it to feed or draw in, etc. this is the book for you.

Excellent - it's a great read and a reference.

William Cullina has struck a great balance in this book. Every time I pick it up I'm amazed at how it is both an informative reference and a very enjoyable read. Bill (can I call him that?) understands there are just as many amateur gardeners as there horticulturalist. In this book, he struck a balance with both audiences. For instance, I'm not a big fan of Latin plant names: I prefer to know the background of a plant, what it needs to thrive, its purpose, etc... When I look up a plant in this book, I get so much more. This makes the informative process extremely enjoyable as well as educational. Bill also gives phonetic spelling of the plants. It helps when you go to the nursery you'll feel less intimated by those who seem to speak Latin. For instance, I just bought 5 Artemisia plants to go with purple coneflower, Salvia, Russian Sage, etc... Looking Artemisia up in Native Trees Shrubs and Vines, I found out it is actually sagebrush (tumbleweed) from the wild west as well as the extreme hardiness of the plant, its background, how to cultivate it, use it, etc... The style of the writing made the process extraordinarily enjoyable. PS: I've been meaning to write a review of this book for 2 years now. When I read about Artemisia a few minutes ago, it compelled me to leave the garden to write this review. I can't say enough about this book other then it's one of my top 3 favorites on gardening. I actually took 10 minutes out of a beautiful Sunday morning to write this review. Now, it's back to the garden & Bill's book for me :-)

A Must Have

William Cullina, of the New England Wild Flower society, is a highly regarded expert in Native plants. This book is the woody counterpart to his Wildflower book. Included are tips on using, growing and propagating these native wonders in North America. The photography and information provided are a source like none other. This is a must have for anyone interested in restoring the ecology of the landscape through the use of natives - beginners and experts alike - an excellent reference.

Finally-woody natives described by an expert

Even though a hard cover reference book isn't usual bedtime reading for me-I couldn't put this down. Each plant is described so personally yet so expertly. Gardening with woody plants is a commitment, and this book provided the insight and knowledge I needed to make choices confidently. The language of the book is wonderful-it is as if the author is chatting with his latest native plant buddy-you. The lists and organization of information is very helpful.