Arbor Day

Arbor Day is all about going green and planting trees. But for me, any really important act with long repercussions — like planting a tree — always begins with a book. Before you plant a tree, before you even think about what kind of tree you might plant, you need to get a copy of "Dirr's Hardy Trees and Shrubs."

Years ago, we discovered that summer help at even the best nurseries could not always answer our questions. Rather than waiting for the right person to be free, we bought a copy of Dirr and carried it with us wherever we went. We used it for information, inspiration and cross-referenced woody plant lists. It has been the single most useful book we've probably ever bought. If we have a question or are confused, we always know that Michael Dirr will have the answer.

 

Dirr's book is just one of many "arboriffic" titles published by Timber Press, the go-to folks for great books on any aspect of gardens, horticulture, and landscape design to name a few areas of expertise. Timber Press is also the publisher of Rick Darke's "The American Woodland Garden," a book aimed at those of us who live and garden within the zone of the northern/eastern deciduous forests.

I first heard of Rick Darke — author and photographer of the book — when he was the keynote speaker at one of the UW-Madison Arboretum's annual Native Landscaping Conferences in the mid-1990s. His talk was a revelation: for a start it was beautifully illustrated with his own photos. His images and ideas combined, shifted and re-combined into nuanced concepts that brought the big ideas down to the personal, backyard level. 

I've had the chance to see Darke three times, but even just based on that first presentation, I consider him to be the best speaker I've ever heard on the subject of gardens and landscaping. This book is the next best thing to seeing him in person.

The best deal on trees this Arbor Day is the Timber Press newsletter; an e-publication that keeps you updated with recent releases from the publisher. The link takes you to the April issue. But the big news is that if you sign up for the newsletter you're eligible for monthly special discounts and free shipping deals. If you're not already getting this great newsletter, sign up now as your first official Arbor Day act!

Comments

[Mr. McGregor's Daughter]

I have Dirr's book & wouldn't be without it. Definitely a must have resource. I've checked Darke's book out of the library & really enjoyed it. Of course I love woodland gardens.

[Lisa at Greeenbow]

Oooo that American Woodland garden souonds great to me. Thank you for reviewing it.

[Les]

I have both of these great books and have also had the pleasure to hear Darke speak. I also have two other Dirr books: the companion volume to Hardy Trees and Shurbs - Plants for Warm Climates amd what I consider my bible, The Manual of Woody Landscape Plants.

[LINDA from EACH LITTLE WORLD]

Les — I think I looked at Dirr's Manual before we really began to garden and it seemed over my head, if I recall correctly. I should take a look since that was a long time ago.

[jo]

Inviting cover on that second book. I wonder what the fine white plants below the trees are.

[LINDA from EACH LITTLE WORLD]

Joco — they are Tiarellas (foam flower) but I am not sure of the exact variety. The photo was taken at Longwood Gardens outside of Philadelphia. Really a lovely image.

[jo]

Linda,
the reason I asked is that normally Tiarella looks a 'dirty' white to me. Possibly because the spikes have the florets widely apart, so you don't get a dense blob of white.
On the cover it looks a pure white. Maybe it is T. "Dark star" rather than the more frequently seen 'cordifolia'?

[LINDA from EACH LITTLE WORLD]

Joco — I double checked to see if the book identified the plant more specifically, but it just called it T. cordifolia. It may be how densely it's planted and also the light. In the closeup photos, it looks like there's a pinkish tinge to it.

[Julie Siegel]

I agree about Darke (no debate about Dirr, of course). What I love about his images & approach is that he documents "non=sexy" landscapes...he lovingly renders their changes and details through time and in so doing, sensitizes people to subtle transformation...so un-American!

Maybe some of the economic "changes" will encourage people to refocus.

[LINDA from EACH LITTLE WORLD]

Julie — very nicely put! I recognize that he does that but I had not thought about how unusual that actually is.