The Old Rose Adventurer: The Once-Blooming Old European Roses and More
This encyclopedic reference by garden writer and horticulture historian Dickerson is devoted primarily to once-blooming old roses (and, secondarily, to repeat-blooming old shrub roses). As in his previous book, The Old Rose Advisor, which covered only reblooming old roses, Dickerson provides lengthy historical profiles of cultivars, species, and hybrids. Each entry includes quotes from primary sources, such as nursery catalogs, garden periodicals, and belles lettres. The author also resurrects classes of roses (such as mossy remontants and agathes) that were once described in early rosarian literature but have been long since forgotten. There's scant cultivation information hereAreaders seeking a "how-to" guide will need to turn to other sources, such as Rayford Reddell's The Rose Bible (Harmony, 1994). Still, this book should captivate expert antique rose fanciers and horticultural historians. Essential for all libraries with large gardening collections.ABrian Lym, City Coll. Lib. of San FranciscoCopyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.