Ortho's All about Roses

This book is excellent for beginners; it covers all aspects of growing roses, from selection and planting to pruning and disease control. It doesn't assume the reader has any prior knowledge, so it doesn't use obscure phrases or terms, and it explains things in a clear, east-to-understand way. The best "basics" book on roses I've seen.

Although this is primarily a beginner's book, it is also a useful book for more experienced rose growers, in that it's a good review of general growing techniques. It is well illustrated with pictures of how to plant, prune, and care for roses, as well as having many color photographs of rose varieties. A rose grower must always keep in mind the area where he lives and especially the climate. Many roses grow well in some climates or some areas and not in others. Keeping that in mind, the list and photos of rose varieties are highly useful. Most of the "How To" information applies to all areas. This book is a great asset when combined with talking to local people and noticing roses that grow well in one's own area.

Well organized and easy to read guide for the novice rose gardner. Excellent information on rose forms, landscaping ideas, soil/site selection, feeding, pruning, etc. Especially enjoyed the beautiful illustrations of various rose types/species and landscaping.

This book is essential as the foundation for any collection of rose books. The novice will have the mystery of growing good roses finally revealed. I use it as a text in rose classes I teach.Jack M. Bilson Jr. Consulting Rosarian

If you have only one rose book in your collection, ORTHO's All About Roses by Dr. Tommy Cairns is the book to have. It is a great book for novices as well as the more experience rosarians. I am exceptionally impressed with the diagrams detailing: soil and site preparations, disease and pest identification, nutrient deficiency, pruning techniques and pruning problems. These are the clearest and most understandable diagrams that I have found. The diagrams alone make this book invaluable for every rose grower. All About Roses also provides a good overview of rose forms with helpful suggestions on incorporating roses into your landscape. Planning a rose garden? You will find insightful suggestions on designing the rose garden that best fits your needs. The book also contains a better than average rose selection guide which should be valuable to less experience rosarians. This is a book that I will never loan out of my library.