Synopses & Reviews
SMITH and HAWKEN
THE HANDS-ON GARDENER
A STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE FOR SIMPLE TO ADVANCED PRUNING.
Espousing a new philosophy of pruning that's based on plant anatomy and growth, this fully illustrated handbook offers a simple, practical approach for succeeding at one of the most unnecessarily intimidating garden tasks. Including:
A Pruner's Lexicon
Stems and trunks, shoots and laterals. Tip buds, dormant buds, leaf vs. flower buds. Suckers, watersprouts, and sports.
When to Prune
Year-round schedule for the modern gardener. Deducing the age of a shoot, branch, or limb. Fall pruning of herbaceous perennials.
The Tools of the Craft and How to Use Them
Clippers, loppers, and the folding handsaw. Orchard ladders. Sharpening and maintenance.
The Methods of Pruning
Simple techniques: pinching back, shearing, disbudding, deadheading. The anatomy of a proper cut. The danger of flush cuts. Notching and ringing.
Robert Kourik is the author of Bob's Honest-to-Goodness Newsletter, devoted to environmentally responsible practices. He has also written on gardening for a range of magazines, and has authored or co-authored seven books on gardening.
Synopsis
Long considered one of the most daunting tasks in the garden, pruning is first and foremost a simple caretaking craft. And armed with the information in this book plus a rudimentary set of tools, it is a skill that any gardener can easily learn.
From the fundamentals of plant structure and the dynamics of growth through a specimen-by-specimen illustrated guide to 50 plants, trees, and shrubs, Pruning is a complete tutorial.
It shows how to make a cut that protects the plant from invasive diseases and promotes natural healing; how to cut and shape during a plant's infancy to minimize pruning in its maturity; when to prune, and why to prune during seasons once considered off-limits.
Synopsis
Pruning takes a two-part approach to demystifying a task that fills many gardeners with trepidation. Part one covers the fundamentals of how plants grow and how to apply that knowledge to pruning; part two is a plant guide that covers the art of pruning and shaping, featuring profuse step-by-step illustrations.
About the Author
Robert Kourik has authored or co-authored seven books on gardening and publishes his own gardening newsletter. He lives in California.
Table of Contents
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
A PRUNER'S LEXICON to HOW PLANTS WORK
Plant Basics
Buds
Flowering
Tree Shapes
WHEN to PRUNE
Deducing Age
The "Seasons" of Flowering
Spring Pruning
Summer Pruning
Fall Pruning of Herbaceous Perennials
Winter Pruning
THE TOOLS of the CRAFT and HOW to USE THEM
Basic Tools
Extra Tools for Special Jobs
THE METHODS of PRUNING
Simple Techniques
The Anatomy of a Proper Cut
How to Cut
Special Measures to Encourage Growth
METHODS for SHAPING
Arching
Spreading
PLANT-by-PLANT PRUNING
Roses
Perennials
Vines
Hedges
Shrubs
Trees
Fruit and Nut Trees
Espalier