BOOK REVIEWS

Trees for the Small Garden

Simon Toomer
Timber Press
Distributed by Reed
$NZ49.99
Reviewed by Gordon Roberts

HAVING just reluctantly felled a rampant ginkgo that threatened to overwhelm my garden, I thought this book would lead to the choice of a "small" replacement. But "small garden" here doesn't necessarily mean "small" tree - some species in this book can grow to 12 metres.

However, there's enough variety discussed and detail given in this American publication to ensure the tree-buyer makes a suitable choice.

The 80 trees selected are well illustrated and their features, such as leaf, form, foliage, colour, bark and flowers, highlighted.

At the back of the book there's a tree selector that helps to pick the right exotic for your garden's conditions.

Before you plant that ginkgo on a pocket-handkerchief, this book might be a useful investment.

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