All About Roses

by Ortho Books, Rex Wolf, James K. McNair (Other Contributor)

Quarto, 1983, Pp.96, Encyclopedia Of over 250 Varieties including sections on Heritage Roses & Miniatures, Pruning, Feeding, And Culture

Genres: Gardening, Nonfiction, Plants, Reference

96 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1976

Reviews

[Luke · Rating 4 out of 5]

If nothing else, this book would get good marks for the fact that it actually manages to make understandable the horticultural ouroboros of rose lineage, which goes something like:

China rose + Damask = Bourbons,
China Rose + Musk Rose = Noisettes,
Noisettes + Bourbon + Portland + Tea = Hybrid Perpetuals,
Hybrid Perpetuals + Tea Roses = Hybrid Teas,
Hybrid Teas + R. multiflora = Polyantha,
Hybrid Tea + Polyantha = Floribunda,
Floribunda + Hybrid Tea = Grandiflora.

Got it, thanks.

[David Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

All About Roses by Ortho Books (Ortho Books 1983) (635.933734). Ortho Books has a great line of “All About...” books; this is the gardening series that caught my interest and turned me into a gardener. All About Roses is an excellent introduction into this family of plants, and it includes a nice introductory catalog of roses. My rating: 7/10, finished 1985.

[Erin Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

A coworker with a green thumb lent me this book when my husband and I bought a house that had some ragamuffin rosebushes in the front yard. Regardless of the fact that this book was published before I was born, it's a oldie-but-goodie. Between this book and my workmate's guidance, our rosebushes are shaping up nicely!

[Tilden · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have inherited 12 rose plants when I moved into my current rented home. I've been gardening for decades but have never had roses to take care of. I know nothing about how to care for them. So I bought this book.

It is an Ortho book so I did not take everything to heart as I don't want to use a lot of nasty chemicals. However, it does have useful information which I will try to use to keep these roses alive and healthy.