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The Encyclopedia of Ornamental Grasses - How to Grow and Use Over 250 Beautiful and Versatile Plants Text by John Greenley, Photography by Derek Fell
As the title indicates, the book is presented as an encyclopedia of over 250 grasses and similar plants. Each entry in the encyclopedia includes the botanical name, pronunciation guide, common names, USDA hardiness zone, origin and preferred planting sites. Mr. Greenley provides detailed descriptions of the plant in layman's terms that make easy and enjoyable reading. He also has included a large number of native North American grasses and takes pains to mention not just the popular varieties and cultivars but identifies many of the less frequently encountered types (there are 13 full entries for Miscanthus varieties with an additional 30 varieties identified in sidebar boxes, each with a brief description or comment). In addition to the encyclopedia, the book also has an excellent Introduction to Grasses section. Here the author describes the botany of grasses, their use in the landscape, and provides tips on selecting, growing, maintaining and propagating these fascinating plants. This section also features beautiful photography of grasses used the garden and landscape. My success rate and satisfaction with growing grasses has increased dramatically since reading this book. I'm so encouraged by how well my Silver Feather miscanthus and lemon grass did this year that I think I'll try the red sugarcane "Pele's Smoke" next season (the author includes a list of mail order sources for plants and seeds on page 180!) If you can afford only one book on the subject of grasses- make it this one! Jack Scheper 5/26/00
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