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Conifer Reference Books

11 years ago

Would someone recommend their top 3 or 5 reference books on conifers? Even those that are hard to find and may be out of print would be appreciated. I have Dirr, Bitner and just got a two volume by Farjon, but none of them discuss older varieties that my be out of favor. Thank you.

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Comments (7)

pineresin
11 years ago
Conifers by Keith Rushforth. Helm Books 1987. Long out of print but worth tracking down if you can.

Resin
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
11 years ago
but none of them discuss older varieties

==>> if you mean older CULTIVARS ... good luck with that ...

i would suggest the web is the way to go in that regard ...

there are picture books.. like van hoey's 2 volumes ...

but DISCUSSIONS .. other than in the most general terms .... are sorely lacking ...

now.. if you are a green tree nut.. like resin.. then he will know all the books.. about all the species and their multitude of variations ... but dont expect him to give you guidance on those foo foo off-color and variegated trees.. lol ...

am i right michael???

give us an example of what you want historical info on.. so we know precisely.. what you are looking for ....

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: look at it.. its cover has a green tree on it ... took me only 18 google pages to come up with a pic [i didnt say i did it efficiently.. lol] .... but its only 11$ used ... but nearly doubled for shipping and God knows what to ship it from GB .... ..
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Embothrium
11 years ago
Rushforth is quite light on cultivars. Many are in Krussman Conifers Timber press translation, however there may be some problems with the translation. Dirr and Bitner both have inapt/inaccurate/otherwise lacking comments, for instance Bitner shows the common scarecrow habit Himalayan cedar (sold incorrectly as weeping Cedar-of-Lebanon or blue weeping Cedar-of-Lebanon (C. libani 'Glauca Pendula')) as something like C. deodara 'Libani Pendula', without discussion or explanation of this naming combination. Farjon is a botanist.

I've seen a wide-reaching survey of garden conifer books on the Coenosium Gardens web site.
floramakros
11 years ago
I can already hear your grandkids asking "What are books?"...for historical research books are fun (especially reading all the mistakes in their cultivation tips) but for new info the Web is the only way to go I'm afraid, books are already out of date even BEFORE they're printed...plant society publications/newsletters are great for the "what's the newest technique for grafting conifers/newest Picea pungens cultivar available in California etc. local gossip and you can't beat talking to nursery owners or going to meetings/shows. I love books so I'll always have them on my reference shelf, but my goodness the accurate info from people on this forum, some who might be experts living quite close to you and know your conditions like the back of their hand, can't be beat. Not everyone here knows what they're talking about though, lol, so be aware whom the sources of the info are before taking their advice...
barbaraincalif
11 years ago
The oft referenced groupings of Abies by Rushforth on this forum left me wanting more information, so I purchased his 'Conifers' book at Amazon. It has very good written descriptions of many conifer species and lists older cultivars.

However, I need photographs to compare and understand the subtle (and not so subtle) qualities and variations of different species as well as specific information about their native climate.

Can you recommend a good reference book having that?
Mcpotts
Original Author
11 years ago
Floramakros, I agree completely that this forum plus speaking directly to growers is the single best way to gather information on new cultivars. Nonetheless, we collect reference books which always offer some tidbit.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
11 years ago
we collect reference books which always offer some tidbit.

==>> yeah.. 'collectors' .. can never seem to keep it to one collection.. eh?? ... lol ..

as for tidbits.. the bloom book has a lot of great information .. great pix of his garden.. but not quite the be all and end all in cultivar lists and pix ... keeping in mind .. that great britian is NOT z7 VA ... lol ... why do in think VA??? .. anyway.. though they have a wide zones .. they dont have US heat ... so take it all with a grain of salt as to how to apply his knowledge to your garden ... but again.. it was worth it.. especially his chapter on training and pruning .... also.. they are up near the 60th parallel ... so the intensity of the sun is wildly different also ...

ken

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