Roger Phillips and Martyn Rix are pioneers in the use of photography in plant illustration. The Botanical Garden I and II, are exciting and thoroughly modern renditions of illustrated botany books. Ten years in the making, this set combines the finest in photography with up-to-date, expert commentary to bridge the gap between gardener-friendly books and scientific texts. In the tradition of the great botanical illustrations, each featured plant has been carefully photographed -- as a whole and in its parts -- against a white background to reveal the plant's physical characteristics in exacting detail.
Plants from more than 1,200 distinct groups are described -- from oaks to violets and water lilies to grasses -- and are presented in evolutionary order, from the most primitive to the most advanced. Each plant listing includes:
- Name: genus, species and common names, date of discovery, and range. Description: detailed and concise in the scientific style. Key Recognition Features. Ecology and Geography. Comment: cultivation needs plus notes about unusual hybrids or developments in the genus.
As a pair, the two volumes are an all-inclusive source of information and photographs of more than 2,000 genera of temperate plants. Thorough introductory text encompasses numerous themes in botany, from the history of plant development to current DNA studies that are revolutionizing plant classification. Each volume includes a detailed index and bibliography.
The Botanical Garden I and II are exciting additions to a gardening bookshelf. They are visually rich and highly accurate references that will remain interesting, useful and current for many years. Offering a discerning insight into the relationship between garden plants and their natural environments and accuracy that is unequalled outside scientific circles, this duo are truly the modern heirs to a long history of botanical references. There are simply no other works of this kind available today.
About Volume I, Trees and Shrubs
Featuring 510 genera of temperate woody garden plants with full details of how they are related, their origins and uses, Volume I covers trees, shrubs and climbers. From plants dating to prehistory -- tree ferns, gingkoes and some conifers - to those more recently evolved, this volume includes early- flowering plants (magnolia and its family), catkin-bearing trees, fruit and nut trees, maples, the cordyline, palm and bamboo species, and many more advanced trees and shrubs.
About the Author :
Roger Phillips was trained as a painter at Chelsea School of Art. He has 30 books to his credit, which have sold well over 31/2 million copies worldwide. Phillips has won numerous awards, including three for book design, and has written and presented the major television series, The Quest for the Rose.
Martyn Rix is a botanist, plant collector and gardener. He studied botany at Trinity College, Dublin, and at Cambridge, where he wrote his doctoral thesis. After working as botanist at the Royal Horticultural Society's Garden at Wisley, he became an independent botanical advisor and writer and has since produced 17 books and numerous scientific papers, as well as 23 illustrated books with Roger Phillips. Rix is on the Picture Committee of the Royal Horticultural Society and has been awarded the Gold Veitch Memorial Medal by the Royal Horticultural Society for his services to horticulture.
Review :
Never have more beautiful plant identification books been produced.--Joanne S. Carpender"National Gardener" (11/01/2002)
A green thumb's essentials, with exquisite photographs and extensive descriptions.--Elle Decor (01/01/2003)
Botanical photography [taken] to a new level ... There are many pages you will be tempted to frame.-- (12/19/2002)
Botanists, students and gardeners will delight in these two stunningly illustrated, encyclopedic tomes ... Lavish compendia contain scientific facts and lore ... [photographs] show remarkable detail and are carefully arranged so that seed, fruit and important identifying parts can be seen up close. They display the specimens at various stages of development, from blossom to fall foliage, to stunning effect.-- (07/29/2002)
Combines impeccable photography with expert commentary ... there are simply no other books of this caliber available today.-- (06/01/2003)
Destined to become standard reference work ... a classy work with a timeless focus.-- (10/11/2002)
Excellent colored studio illustrations of about 1,000 genera ... These volumes will interest horticulturists and botanists alike. All levels.-- (12/01/2002)
Impressive... fascinating and fun to browse or to search for specific plant information... Enjoy!-- (12/01/2003)
Rix and Phillips intend their book for gardeners, not just botanists, however. This is evident in Phillips's open design and his splendid full-color detail photographs make these books a true feast for the eyes.-- (01/01/2004)
Sheds new light, thanks to DNA studies, on the unwieldy and constantly changing world of plant classification ... These books are pure pleasure, so you can absorb as much or as little of the science as you please.-- (09/29/2002)
Spectacular hybrid of gardening and science ... Two green thumbs up on these books.-- (08/29/2002)
The plants look as if they are living specimens lying on the page ... the photographs are amazing.-- (05/14/2003)
What sets them apart, however, are the photographs -- crisp, colorful and close up, so you clearly can see the tiny details that can be so important for plant identification.-- (08/20/2002)
[Recommended for plant identification: ] A monumental work containing exquisite plant images.--Steve Whysall"CanWest News Service" (09/16/2005)
A spectacular hybrid of gardening book and scientific text.--David Hobson"Kitchener-Waterloo Record" (11/16/2002)
A striking visual presentation of the science of plants.--Beth Botts"Chicago Tribune" (11/24/2002)
I expect to turn to these volumes often when I want background information, as well as beautiful photos, of nearly any plant I might ever wonder about.--Valerie Easton"Seattle Times" (09/08/2002)
It is like having the Chelsea Order Garden in your bookshelf, and for purposes of identification, and the study of similarities and differences in closely related plants, it is invaluable.--Dick Raub"The Botanical Artist" (03/01/2003)
Lucid, concise prose, providing links, cross-references, valuable comments and a useful glossary.--Aldona Satterthwaite"Canadian Gardening" (12/01/2002)
Most compelling are the spectacular, close-up color photographs that exquisitely detail every plant part.--Sue O'Brien"Library Journal" (10/15/2002)
These are not trivial coffee-table books.--Stuart Robertson"Montreal Gazette" (12/07/2002)
These two volumes are an all-inclusive source of information for the temperate zone.--Ken Smith"London Free Press" (11/30/2002)
Unique in the gardening library.--Jodi Delong"Halifax Herald" (12/01/2002)
Spectacular... sumptuous color photographs of flowers, leaves, fruits, and seeds... accompanied by Rix's succinct text.--Allyson M. Hatward "Journal of the New England Garden History Society "
