Tree & Shrub Gardening for Michigan

As a new homeowner, I've found myself with a huge yard. The house was empty for two years. Now that I've cut, pruned, and cleared shrubs, I'm ready to plant new stuff. I saw this book in Borders and was surprised by the detailed descriptions and pictures. By no means do I have a green thumb. This book; however, encourages me to learn more.

The collaborative effort between Tim Wood & Alison Beck is a noteworthy resource for people gardening in the very cold/unreliable weather of Michigan. Many of the comments are very insightful & the practical easy to use lay out simplifies the process of choosing suitable woody ornamentals for one's landscaping project. As a landscape designer not originally from Mi, I've used this book as a very reliable source for recommendations in the design process. Both professionals & homeowners alike will appreciate this books wealth of information & easy reading style. My only issue with the book was that it stuck with most of the very traditional sometimes overused plants here in Michigan. Would have been nice to have seen included a few more plants that are zone hardy to Michigan yet are highly underused and could do with some exposure to the general public. Eg: Asimina, Dianthus, Evodia, Itea, Pseudotsuga & the vast array of Explorer shrub roses that do marvellous in Michigan Overall I think the book has plenty to offer as a crash course that lays a solid foundation to build (a garden) on.