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Title: Howard Garrett's Texas Trees by Howard Garrett ISBN: 0-89123-076-9 Publisher: Taylor Trade Publishing Pub. Date: November, 2002 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $29.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.5 (2 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: Excellent starting point!
Comment: According to his web site, "Garrett received his Bachelor of Science degree in Park Administration and Landscape Architecture from Texas Tech University in 1969. He is a registered landscape architect, I.S.A. certified arborist, horticulturist, broadcaster and writer."
Howard's observations and preferences have not been developed casually, but are the result of a lifetime of experience. He maintains a firm committment to organic horticulture, and explains his reasons for this more thoroughly in other books.
I would like to see more information crucial to the small city lot (which is after all the realm of most beginning home gardeners), such as appropriate trees for the front of the lot that won't eat the sidewalk. However, it is a fact that a book which covers every issue in tree gardening would be huge and quite costly. For instance, the appearance of oak leaves can vary greatly, even from the same tree. Howard has merely presented pictures covering some of the varying appearances, rather than delving deeply into this subject. He has hit the highlights on most of the important issues, giving us a manageable and affordable book.
Someone who wants an extensive education on this subject will of course want to consult additional books and additional authors. But the beginning gardener (or someone who is new to Texas) would do well to follow Howard's advice, because it does provide an excellent starting point. Many gardening issues are of course a matter of opinion, but Howard's opinions are built on a firm foundation.
Rating: 3
Summary: Nice pictures, short on info
Comment: I read the book from front to back. Nice pictures, glad to have a listing of the different tree groups in the back (flowering, shade trees, ...) and for the insight into some of the tree's uses (medicinal, neem properties, etc.). I was a bit disappointed on the lack of information that I would have liked to have seen - for instance - up close pictures/sketches of tree leaves and fruit for reader's use in identifying a tree. Was glad to see pictures of entire tree along with up close shots, it helps me determine what the mature tree will look like in the landscape.
I also would have liked to see a more expansive description on the leaves (ie this tree can be distinguished from look alikes by it's 7 points and fuzzy underside). There were two pictures of Shumard Red Oak leaves and the leaves were shaped differently on the two pictures, so now I am unsure if I actually have a Shumard Red Oak. A drawing of the leaves would have helped.
I felt like the author was too harsh when comparing his way of doing things (like not pruning newly transplanted trees) with the advice of other gardening gurus. I would have been more accepting of that advice if he had conducted some controlled experiments of his own and published those results rather than to just say "this is the way it should be because this has been my observation." As an amature gardener, its a big risk of time, effort and money for me to follow this type of advice without something concrete to back it up. Also felt like the author was really pushing his home remedies for ailments without offering alternatives for folks who can't/don't want to brew those treatments up.
As an urban gardener, I was also interested in knowing which trees are more likely to damage sidewalks, pipes, etc with aggressive roots. I saw some information on that in the book but it was not comprehensive as I am aware that some of the trees listed are known to have agressive roots and this was not indicated.
Would have also liked to have known what parts of the state are considered alkaline versus neutral versus acid soil (even though this might be common knowledge to native Texans).
Overall, I'd say that this is a good book to read if you are worried about planting the wrong tree, but don't look for this book to be an end all of information on the tree species listed.
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Title: Howard Garrett's Plants for Texas by Howard Garrett ISBN: 0292727887 Publisher: University of Texas Press Pub. Date: 01 November, 1996 List Price(USD): $21.95 |
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Title: Texas Trees: A Friendly Guide by Patty Leslie, Paul W. Cox ISBN: 0931722675 Publisher: Corona Publishing Co. Pub. Date: 01 August, 1988 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
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Title: Howard Garrett's Texas Organic Gardening by J. Howard Garrett ISBN: 0884155056 Publisher: Butterworth-Heinemann Pub. Date: 27 November, 2002 List Price(USD): $21.95 |
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Title: Texas Bug Book: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly by Malcolm Beck, Howard Garrett ISBN: 0292708696 Publisher: University of Texas Press Pub. Date: 01 June, 1999 List Price(USD): $26.95 |
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Title: Plants of the Metroplex by John Howard Garrett, Howard Garrett ISBN: 0292728158 Publisher: University of Texas Press Pub. Date: 01 May, 1998 List Price(USD): $17.09 |
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