Native Trees for North American Landscapes
by Guy Sternberg, James W. Wilson, Jim Wilson

List Price: $59.95
Our Price: $21.97
You Save: $37.98 (63%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $7.97 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions

Book Summary Information

Book Reviews of Native Trees for North American Landscapes

Book Review: Good pictures but.........
Summary: 3 Stars

For example, rather than saying "the species name" which most people would recognize, the author uses the correct, but erudite "specific epithet". Here is just a small sampling of "big words" used by the author: phyllotaxy, pendent racemes, infraspecific taxonomy, staminate, pistillate, etc. This would be okay if the book were oriented towards university study such as Dirr's Manual of Woody Plants, but this book is clearly not oriented towards that. It is oriented towards getting the novice gardener to use more native trees in landscaping. What is really strange about this propensity to throw around scientific words when the author's description would be much more useful if he used ordinary English, is the author's recognition of the high fallutin' language being rather stilltifying as in the following -"The paired fruits or samaras (also know as schizocarps by those who like to throw around big words)". A case of the pot calling the kettle black if there ever was one.

In my opinion, the most serious drawback to this book is the tendency of the author to preach to the reader. Take this for example:

"Everyone intersted in woods lore has probably heard about 'D.Boone cilled a bar' being carved on the smooth bark of beech trees where the famous explorer had a successful bear hunt. The trunk of the last of Daniel Boone's defiled trees can still be seen in a museum in Louisville, Kentucky. Unfortunately, this least admirable trait of Boone's seems to be the one people most imitate, and it is increasinly difficult to find elegeant old beech trees with smoooth, lichen-mottled bark not disfigured by some thoughtless person's knife." Give me a break.

Sternberg also has an environmental agenda, in which he assumes global warming to be true and forecasting the elimination of most beeches in our forest as a result.

The final annoyance is the author's prediliction to name drop. Rather than saying "so and so" was involved with "so and so", it is invariably "my good friend so and so" or "Dr. so and so, head of the International so and so society" with the clear impression being to let the reader know how "well circled" the author is.

I could go on and on with examples of the primary author's tirades and harangues, but suffice it to say that if you want to be preached at and condescended to in "big words", then enjoy the book. He brings this same attitude to the tree forum on Gardenweb in which he once offered to lead a "lynch mob" after some poor guy who in desperation was contemplating removing a tree that birds were pooping from all over his driveway, cars, and children, although it was clear that the fellow was not serious about removing the tree.

If you want a great photo essay of native trees without the overt agenda of Sternberg's, try Dr. Michael Dirr's excellent photographic expositions of woodies with their marvelous photographs.

Summary of Native Trees for North American Landscapes

Gardening & Horticulture Books

• Subjects > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Gardening & Horticulture
• Science & Math > Biological Sciences > Plants > Trees