Table of Contents Introduction to Conifers Introduction Growing Conifers Tips before Choosing Your Conifers The Scots Pine [Pinus species] Growing a Scots Pine Successfully Silver [white] Firs The Douglas Fir Spruce [Picea] Cypress – Cupressus Junipers Cedars Planting Your Conifers Conclusion Author Bio Publisher Introduction The moment I talk about conifers, your immediate visualization of this genus is going to be of a stately fir tree in the winter, or a pine tree. For a majority of us, conifers, start and stop at fir trees. However, the term “conifer”means the wife’s army of large, medium, small and large cone producing plants. These include the Cedars, the Pines, the Larches, the Junipers, the Cypress, the Spruce and the Silver Firs. Only a full-fledged botanist could do justice to the wide range of variety of all these plants, but this book is going to give you an understanding of conifers in general and how they can be stately additions to your garden. Most of these plants are evergreens, and that is the reason why if you were living in the 19th century, your garden would have been overflowing with a surfeit of these plants.

Evergreen your landscape with the beauty and benefits of conifers Growing Conifers is a beautifully photographed, comprehensive gardening guide for selecting and cultivating conifers. Coverage includes: Conifer taxonomy, classification, and geographic distribution Selecting conifers for size, shape, color, and texture Best practices for placement and planting of trees, shrubs, and groundcovers in urban and rural gardens Growing needs and low-input maintenance Building healthy soil, minimizing water stress, and integrated pest management Benefits of conifers including habitat, water and air quality, carbon sequestration, aesthetics, and food. Conifers are often overlooked in gardening and landscaping in favor of deciduous trees and shrubs. Yet conifers come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and colors and offer tremendous aesthetic and ecological benefits for any garden. Growing Conifers is an essential, comprehensive resource for gardeners and landscape professionals looking to develop beautiful, sustainable landscapes. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- New Society Publishers is an activist, solutions-oriented publisher focused on publishing books to build a more just and sustainable future. They pride themselves on holding the highest environmental standards of any publisher in North America. In 2002, they committed to printing all their books (including their full color books) on uncoated 100% post-consumer recycled paper, processed chlorine-free, with low-VOC vegetable-based inks. In doing so, the Growing Conifers' print run alone saved 66 fully grown trees, 5300 gallons of water, and 28,000 lbs of greenhouse gases. When you buy New Society Publishers' books, you are part of the solution!

Comprehensive in scope and lavishly illustrated, this book offers expert advice on: size and growth rates; Canada/USA hardiness ratings; site and soil preferences; planting, maintenance and propagation; pruning, pests and diseases; dwarf conifers and ground covers; conifers in containers, moving conifers, and more. Stunning color photographs show conifers young and old in a variety of environments illustrating how they create structure and balance for year-round visual interest and color.

“A Way to Garden prods us toward that ineffable place where we feel we belong; it’s a guide to living both in and out of the garden.” —The New York Times Book Review For Margaret Roach, gardening is more than a hobby, it’s a calling. Her unique approach, which she calls “horticultural how-to and woo-woo,” is a blend of vital information you need to memorize and intuitive steps you must simply feel and surrender to. In A Way to Garden, Roach imparts decades of garden wisdom on seasonal gardening, ornamental plants, vegetable gardening, design, gardening for wildlife, organic practices, and much more. She also challenges gardeners to think beyond their garden borders and to consider the ways gardening can enrich the world. Brimming with beautiful photographs of Roach’s own garden, A Way to Garden is practical, inspiring, and a must-have for every passionate gardener.

CLICK HERE to download sample native plants from Real Gardens Grow Natives For many people, the most tangible and beneficial impact they can have on the environment is right in their own yard. Aimed at beginning and veteran gardeners alike, Real Gardens Grow Natives is a stunningly photographed guide that helps readers plan, implement, and sustain a retreat at home that reflects the natural world. Gardening with native plants that naturally belong and thrive in the Pacific Northwest’s climate and soil not only nurtures biodiversity, but provides a quintessential Northwest character and beauty to yard and neighborhood! For gardeners and conservationists who lack the time to read through lengthy design books and plant lists or can’t afford a landscape designer, Real Gardens Grow Natives is accessible yet comprehensive and provides the inspiration and clear instruction needed to create and sustain beautiful, functional, and undemanding gardens. With expert knowledge from professional landscape designer Eileen M. Stark, Real Gardens Grow Natives includes: * Detailed profiles of 100 select native plants for the Pacific Northwest west of the Cascades, plus related species, helping make plant choice and placement. * Straightfoward methods to enhance or restore habitat and increase biodiversity * Landscape design guidance for various-sized yards, including sample plans * Ways to integrate natives, edibles, and nonnative ornamentals within your garden * Specific planting procedures and secrets to healthy soil * Techniques for propagating your own native plants * Advice for easy, maintenance using organic methods

Table of Contents Introduction to Evergreen Trees and Shrubs Introduction Planning Your Garden – Evergreens for Screens Evergreens – Planting Tips Recognizing the “Right” Evergreen Why Would Not I Choose a Conifer Tips for Planting Evergreens Choice of Evergreens Arbutus – The Strawberry Tree –Arbutus menziesii Camellia Heath Plants – Erica Gorse– Ulex Bottlebrush – Callistemon Magnolias Daphne – the Spurge Laurel Family Box [Buxus] Mimosa Lavender – Lavandula Holly – [Ilex] “Gold” and “Silver” Hollies – Rhododendrons Conclusion Author Bio Publisher Introduction The moment you say the words “shrub” to a gardener his immediate reaction is going to be a visualization of Evergreen plants, which you do not shed their leaves in the autumn and in the winter. For all those people who intend to retire to the country, and are dreaming of their quiet little place with a white picket fence, the dream is definitely going to consist of a little garden in the backyard. It is going to have plenty of privacy, with a lavish use of Evergreen plants. Most of us associate the word “Evergreen” with conifers. However, there are still a number of trees and shrubs which, though not conifers can add style and distinction to your garden.

Conifers are the perfect choice for groundcovers, shrubs, or trees in almost any garden. Evergreen and always architecturally interesting, they’re also drought, pest-, and disease-resistant, and rarely have any demanding cultivation needs. The Timber Press Pocket Guide to Conifers is the perfect companion for anyone who needs a portable guide to conifer choices. With everything you need to know to choose and grow just the right conifer, this book also provides stunning photos of conifers in gardens so you can pick the plant you truly love.

A compelling account of the extraordinary relatives of ordinary garden conifers. Leading expert Aljos Farjon provides a compelling narrative that observes conifers from the standpoint of the curious naturalist. It starts with the basic question of what conifers are and continues to explore their evolution, taxonomy, ecology, distribution, human uses, and issues of conservation. As the story unfolds many popular misconceptions are dispelled, such as the false notion that all conifers have cones. The extraordinary diversity of conifers begins to dawn as Farjon describes the diminutive creeping shrub Microcachrys tetragona, whose strange seed cones resemble raspberries, and the prehistoric-looking Araucaria meulleri. The taxonomic diversity of conifers is huge and Farjon goes on to relate how, over the course of 300 million years, these trees and shrubs have adapted to survive geological upheavals, climatic extremes, and formidable competition from flowering plants. All who seek to learn more about the early history of life on our planet will cherish this book.

Mike Sullivan loves his adopted city of San Francisco, and he loves trees. In The Trees of San Francisco he has combined his passions, offering a striking and handy compendium of botanical information, historical tidbits, cultivation hints, and more. Sullivan's introduction details the history of trees in the city, a fairly recent phenomenon. The text then piques the reader's interest with discussions of 71 city trees. Each tree is illustrated with a photograph--with its common and scientific names prominently displayed--and its specific location within San Francisco, along with other sites; frequently a close-up shot of the tree is included. Sprinkled throughout are 13 sidelights relating to trees; among the topics are the city's wild parrots and the trees they love; an overview of the objectives of the Friends of the Urban Forest; and discussions about the link between Australia's trees and those in the city, such as the eucalyptus. The second part of the book gets the reader up and about, walking the city to see its trees. Full-page color maps accompany the seven detailed tours, outlining the routes; interesting factoids are interspersed throughout the directions. A two-page color map of San Francisco then highlights 25 selected neighborhoods ideal for viewing trees, leading into a checklist of the neighborhoods and their trees.