Dirr's Encyclopedia of Trees and Shrubs - by Michael A Dirr (Hardcover)

About the Book

The text reflects the passions of the author and gives full details of the plants, from the latest changes to revisionist thinking on the ever-expanding limits of cold hardiness. Including more than 3,500 color photographs and indispensable lists for choosing exactly the right plant for the right purpose, this is an unsurpassed resource for tree and shrub identification and selection.

Book Synopsis

3500 photographs. Over 380 genera. More than 3700 species and cultivars.

Dirr's Encyclopedia of Trees and Shrubs is the most comprehensive visual reference to more than 3700 species and cultivars. From majestic evergreens to delicate vines and flowering shrubs, Dirr features thousands of plants and all the essential details for identification, planting, and care. Color photographs show each tree's habit in winter, distinctive bark patterns, fall color, and more. Dirr's Encyclopedia of Trees and Shrubs is a critical addition to any garden library.

From the Back Cover

"Smart, opinionated, comprehensive, wonderful." --Margaret Roach, awaytogarden.com

Review Quotes

"Dirr has guided discerning gardeners for decades--he has made the American landscape a better place." --The Washington Post

"Belongs on every serious gardener's shelf. . . . This is a new, spruced-up edition of the bible of the industry, with a cleaner design, wipeable cover, newly introduced plants and changes in plant names. Just in time for a new generation of gardeners, Dirr's encyclopedia is as charming as it is refined." --The New York Times

"Dirr has added another well-written and slickly produced book to his volumes on plants used in ornamental horticulture. Educational as well as inspirational. . . . this is likely to become a standard reference for including trees and shrubs in gardens of all types." --Booklist starred review

"Dirr has been growing and breeding plants for years and has experience with all the plants in this book. . . . There are 15 special topic listings--by flower color, flowering sequence, fall color, winter interest, salt or shade tolerance, moisture requirements, and plant form--which will help gardeners choose plants, as well as indexes of botanical and common names." --Library Journal

"Michael Dirr's hefty Dirr's Encyclopedia of Trees and Shrubs belongs next to the American Horticultural Society's A to Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants on your shelf of essential garden books. It is packed with information, features more than 3500 photographs for identification, and is written with wit and charm." --MarthaStewart.com

"For any serious gardener, the expense of this book will be repaid many times over in the valuable advice and information it will impart, page by page and pound by pound." --Country Gardens

"Dirr's frank and often witty assessments make his works all the more special, unique, and fun to read." --American Gardener

"Long regarded as the nation's foremost expert on trees and shrubs, Dr. Dirr has published a new book that, like his previous Manual of Woody Landscape Plants, draws on his encyclopedic knowledge and years of personal experience with trees and shrubs. However, the new book, Dirr's Encyclopedia of Trees and Shrubs, adds thousands of photos to the mix, too." --Better Homes and Gardens

"Professor Michael A. Dirr is THE MAN when it comes to woody plants." --Garden Rant

"Sure to be one of the basic books for a serious gardener. It's a user-friendly, photo packed distillation of the knowledge and informed opinion that make Dirr's text packed 'Manual of Woody Landscape Plants' scripture in the landscape profession." --Chicago Tribune

"Meriting the terms classic, authoritative, gold-standard, this reference updates and combines in one binding two previously published books: Dirr's Hardy Trees and Shrubs and Dirr's Trees and Shrubs for Warm Climates. Several thousand photos of excellent quality and consistency support graceful, well-informed text." --Reference and Research Book News

"Whether you're a landscape designer or architect or just a garden enthusiast, you can't do without either of these (Dirr's Encyclopedia of Trees and Shrubs and the Manual of Woody Landscape Plants) books. The new Dirr Encyclopedia is a sheer delight, and way too long in coming!" --Garden Design Online