BOOK REVIEWS

Trees for Your
Garden

Allen Paterson
Frances Lincoln, distributed by Bookwise International
$NZ102.95, $AUS79.95

GARDENERS seem to be scared of trees. They worry that they'll grow too big, that they'll invade the drains, fill the spouting with leaves - and rip up the pavement with their roots. But even if your garden is small, there's always room for at least one tree. The trick is simply to choose wisely - and Trees for Your Garden is here to help.

Although written for a British audience, this comprehensive book sets out to demystify the world of trees, from the scientific - leaf types and function, growth habits and soil preferences - to the aesthetic, with a chapter on choosing the best trees for flowers, foliage or bark.

Tree guides can generally make for dull, catalogue-style writing, but Allen Paterson's thoughtful and well-researched text makes this book stand out.

The second half of the book includes a directory divided into broad-leaved trees, conifers and trees with special attributes.

Trees for Your Garden is well worth adding to your library.

Weekend Gardener, Issue 131, 2003, Page 29

Reproduced with permission from the former Weekend Gardener magazine. The views expressed here are not necessarily those of the RNZIH