I've seen numerous posts in this forum regarding personal education in botany in which I too have an iterest. I am always looking for good, comprehensive identification books and manuals to give me a better understanding about plants I run into. Douglas Justice mentioned the Manual of Woody Landscape Plants by Michael Dirr in the thread entitled "Dogwood Trees that aren't bloominig" in Plants/Dogwoods, which looks like an excellent resource. I found two other books by Dirr that also sound good: Dirr's Hardy Trees and Shrubs: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, Dirr's Trees and Shrubs for Warm Climates: An Illustrated Encyclopedia. What other books do you find helpful?
Haunt the nearest college library. Be sure to compare accounts of each topic being researched, certain popular "excellent" references aren't all that, actually. This becomes apparent as you become more intimately acquainted with their subject matter.
I don't know why I didn't think about that earlier... I graduated in May and still have library priviledges. I'll have to see what's in their collection.
You know, thats a great idea, u can pretty much just go into any campus book store and take notes, then goto ur library and they can get it for u, also if the system doesn't have the book the lib will most likely buy the book for their collection. Good call on this u can get the whole agri/botany sylabus from that school. Road trip hehe.
I can't stress enough how helpful L. H. Bailey 'The Nursery Manual' has been for me. Published in 1896, the pictures and drawings are obviously antiquated, but a plant is a plant, and how you start which part and when is as current now as it was then. Truly a wealth of information, and available on EBay fairly frequently. No personal library should be without it.
I agree, timber press is good, I have lots of their books. the rest of mine come from the ISA web store, somewhat more techinical and certainly less economical. https://secure.isa-arbor.com/store/
This may be a bit off-topic, but would anyone like to suggest a really good beginner's book - something along the lines of gardens for dummies, but I detest that series. Prefereably a book with pictures and names for all the tools and how you use them - when to cut things back, how much to cut, how to dig over the soil in different areas of the garden, which tools to use, etc. I've inherited a garden with my house, and want to take care of it, but need some very basic "how-to's". I'm not dim, just uneducated in these matters. -Miranda M, Vancouver
These might be the style of publication Miranda is looking for. http://www.plantamnesty.org/goods_services/gs_book.htm
