1: My favorite rose book
This book is a great introduction to the wonderfully addictive world of growing roses. The author slowly succumbed, starting out using every square inch of patio at his san francisco townhouse for roses, and now owns a large ranch in Petaluma which is an ARS test garden. The book deals matter-of-factly with planting, growing, and pruning, giving you options and alternatives based on your climate, attitudes towards pesticides, available time, etc. Naming one's favorite rose is a tough question; mr. reddell provides a dozen or so of his, with detailed observations that have helped me be more critical in selecting the roses I grow. His encouragement to show roses led me into my first rose shows - i enjoyed the experience hugely and have nearly a dozen ribbons now to show for it (no trophies yet...). I recommend this book as a starting point for anyone who is beginning to grow roses, and would like to be as effective as they can within the time they have available. It's been very valuable for me.
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