David Austins English Roses (ISBN 1850297843)

Good information about English roses:
This book contains an encyclopedia of English roses with descriptions, photos and a line drawing (depicting the shape of the shrub) for each rose. It is a great book for professionals interested in learning more about the different types of English roses available in the trade. The book begins with the history and details of the various classifications of roses (ie, floribunda, tea, shrub, etc.) that will help you distinguish between and select varieties more wisely.

My Favorite Rose Book:
This book is what started my passion for roses and transformed me into a true gardener. I carried the book around with me for days, amazed that nature could create such beautiful flowers. Within two months I was watering my new English Rose garden comprised of 16 roses from the pages of this beautiful book! If you even think you love roses, you must get this book!

NH Yankee in King Arthur's Garden:
WOW!!! The pictures of the roses in this book are unmatched by any other publication. I have for many years been a Hybrid Tea Rose fan, but after reading this book and after visiting several gardens with Austin's roses in them, I have been converted. I just ordered over 20 bushes and I cannot wait for their arrival next spring. I agree with a previous reviewer who commented that the writing is self serving at times, but Austin's passion for his plants can be understood. Austin's comments about group plantings and his recommendations concerning minimiums for plantings of each species, I found invaluable. I believe this book is well worth the price and will win you over to a relatively new breed of rose.

Just a beautiful book:
This book is a really beautiful book full of glorious photos of Davids Roses. We are given a brief family history on each rose and a rating for the overall assesment and fragrance of them. Full to the brim with color shots, this book would make a terrific gift for anyone who loves roses or as a special treat for yourself.

Thank you, David Austin!:
Similar to another reviewer, this book started my passion for gardening. I never cared to spend much time outdoors but this book got me into my garden and to experience the wealth that gardening has to offer. Thank you, David Austin for the English Roses that you've developed!!! Prior to reading this book and planting English Roses, the only outdoor plant I ever took care of myself was back in college. After purchasing this book about 6 years ago I planted 13 varieties of David Austin's roses and eventually planted over 20 varieties. This book was the first book I ever read on roses, or anything related to gardening for that matter, and the beginning of a collection of rose books and other gardening books. I still don't have any other books about roses that I would consider to rival this one when it comes to the beauty portrayed on the pages of the book, the quality of the photographs and the fact that it's hardback. Maybe some of his more recent books would be as good as this one but I haven't purchased them yet. The text in this book is helpful for a beginner but I found other books on roses to be more helpful. This book is a bit more general and isn't intended to be a `how to' guide. I believe that the main purpose of the publication is to advertise some of the most beautiful roses in the world that David Austin has created. Even if you don't plant any of his roses, it would simply be a beautiful coffee table book. David Austin offers many more roses than are shown in this book and by going to his website you can see the vast array of roses that he offers. I've purchased my David Austin roses by telephone through a seller in Tyler, Texas who publishes a mail order catalog showing beautiful pictures next to the list of roses that they offer. I'm extremely late in reviewing this book but due to my love of this book and these intoxicating beauties I need to share my discovery of the way to conquer nasty Japanese Beetles! I should preface this by stating that I have no connection to the company of Bayer and no reason to promote it other than to help other gardeners. The horrendously little devilish Japanese beetles set me back a couple of years with my rose bushes. I almost gave up on my roses due to the devastating effects that beetles caused to my rose bushes but recently I was told by a landscape architect that everyone she knows is having success with the Bayer Advanced Rose systemic granule product that can actually take care of the problem. She said that you must start using it about 3 months prior to the arrival of the Japanese beetles which is much earlier than I anticipated. I wasn't getting it into the plant soon enough to protect it. I look forward to letting my passion run wild again with these intoxicating beauties next year!