cover image Trees, Shrubs, and Vines

Trees, Shrubs, and Vines

Bonnie Lee Appleton, Alfred F. Scheider. Rodale Press, $24.95 (160pp) ISBN 978-0-87596-561-1

Like Rodale's organic view of perennials, this one on trees, shrubs and vines should find a permanent place on bookshelves devoted to green things. It's an single-minded reference that still accommodates variety and plenty in our yards, our gardens and our converted wilds. Appleton ( Container Nursery Design ), an associate professor of horticulture and an extension nursery specialist at Virginia Polytechnic Institute, and Scheider ( Success With Bulbs ) show how trees, shrubs and vines can add structure, stability and beauty to the landscape surrounding nearly any home. Impeccably well-organized and informed, the book is written clearly and authoritatively, with Rodale's characteristically friendly yet no-nonsense approach. And, as with the volume on perennials, in this one the plant lists excel: they are wonderfully wide-ranging and complete. You'll find elms, hemlocks and willows here, but also witch hazel, crape myrtle and burning bush. Entries are carefully detailed, with a small but edifying photograph of the specimen in question followed by its vital statistics, varieties, uses, care requirements and possible problems. Organic Gardening Book Club and Practical Homeowner Book Club main selection . (Aug.)