A Year in the Life of a Rose: A Guide to Growing Roses from Coast to Coast
Reading Reddell is like being herded through the garden by an avuncular neighbor with a passion for the rose, our official (since 1986) national flower. Gardening columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle, author The Rose Bible and the owner/operator of a commercial rose nursery, Reddell delivers an irresistible blend of opinionated exuberance and practical advice. Crafted with dry wit and a disarmingly chatty style, this eminently readable guide lays out a season-by-season plan for rose culture and care and deals admirably with such potentially paralyzing topics as pruning and disbudding, discussing, along the way, the future of rose growing and the merits of some of the author's favorite cultivars. As a self-proclaimed "rose dietitian," Reddell offers tips on when and what to feed roses (Epsom salts are one of the tricks of the trade). He extends the reach of his own wide experience by drawing on that of a baker's dozen of "zonal gurus" whom he consulted for specific advice on geographic climates coast-to-coast. A glossary is included. Experts and novices alike will cheer the arrival of this handy little volume.Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.