BOOK REVIEWS

Pruning Handbook

Fiona Hopes
Hachette
Distributed by Bookwise
$NZ34.95
Reviewed by Mike Gowing

FIONA HOPES' introduction tells us there are no strict rules in pruning, only guidance and common sense. It also reminds us that, while it's very difficult to kill most plants by pruning too hard, there is no excuse for bad pruning. As with The Pruner's Bible (reviewed WG, issue 173) a comprehensive list of species is dealt with, blow by blow, after a review of tools and safety warnings.

Hopes points to flowering time as the most important consideration for deciding when to prune, adding that knowing what you want to achieve is essential before you start. She outlines eight basic pruning principles and covers basic techniques before embarking on her comprehensive guide. The book tackles roses, trees, shrubs, perennials, climbers, hedges, and fruit trees and shrubs. A quick reference guide at the rear of the book deals with three exceptions, including lavender, and gives a season-by-season list of species to be pruned.

A thorough, well-illustrated, easy-to-read book and a useful addition to a beginner-gardener's armoury.

Reproduced with permission from the former Weekend Gardener magazine. The views expressed here are not necessarily those of the RNZIH