BOOK REVIEWS

Roses Made Easy

Olivier de Vleeschouwer
Photography Caroline Mayer/Gilles Le Scanff
Published by Hachette Illustrated
Distributed by Bookwise
$NZ41.95
Reviewed by Mike Gowing

ARE roses ever easy? The emphasis of this clear and stylishly produced hardback is on the perplexing task of choosing the right rose. To this end, Roses Made Easy is largely a back-to-basics, encapsulating knowledge that will be second nature for the experienced rosarian.

There's the mandatory brief history, followed by a short discussion of rose shapes and suitable planting positions. Ten growing tips preface the lengthy section "Useful Information", which deals with tools, buying, planting, feeding, step-by-step pruning and so on.

The appeal of the book will be its comprehensive stylish outlines of various rose types, particularly a colour-by-colour catalogue. Excellent photographs of each type are accompanied by a description, the preferred position and bullet points on their characteristics. A bonus is the final section on plant combinations sympathetic to various roses.

Shame to see the word "resilient" spelt wrongly in a section heading - you have to trust the names of the many varieties discussed had a more thorough proof-reading.

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